Originally Posted by
AS Collie
You mention you're interested in a custom frame. Are there quality issues with the big manufacturers?
People have expressed displeasure with titanium frames built my Litespeed/Merlin after the American Bicycle Group acquisition. I couldn't speak to how much related to actual failure rates and how much came from rejected warranty claims of things which looked like weld contamination.
I'm looking at a custom frame because I want a fast general purpose road bike on which I can hang a fifteen pound pannier when commuting, run fenders in the rainy season, and keep using my 130mm wheels.
Nearly all modern road bikes are out. It might be nice to have a bit longer chain stays than I can get in an off-the-shelf cyclocross frame, some don't have both rack and fender braze-ons, pump pegs seem to have disappeared, some have geometry which precludes good stand-over clearance and a top tube length for which I can buy a stem (I have short stubby legs), I can still beat (Habenero custom geometry runs $1300; XACD construction with US frame prep and warranty service) or match (NTP at $1800, and he's local) the price on a off-the-shelf frame (I'd consider the Salsa La Cruz which is close and runs $1800 but wouldn't pay for the Moots name on a $3100 Mootour) and the lead time on a custom frame doesn't matter now that the rainy season is past (I can expect one day with .1" of rain in June, there's a 1 in 3 chance it'll rain one day in July, and 1 in 2 chance it'll rain one day in August).
I know that, like steel, all carbon fibre is not equal, but what about the titanium they use? Is there gaspipe ti?
Titanium frames have been made from commercially pure titanium which is half the strength of 3.2/2.5 but nearly everybody uses 3.2/2.5 these days (even Xi'an Changda Titainum products who'll sell you a custom frame for under $900 shipped direct from China).
A few have been made out of 6/4 titanium which is stronger so you can use thinner tube walls. Historically 6/4 titanium only came in sheets so tubes were welded instead of extruded that way and I haven't a clue if that's changed.
More money gets you a bigger builder's name, might net double butted tubes which weigh less (my straight gauge 55cm frame is still only 3.4 pounds for a traditional 55cm road frame), and might get additional forming operations like tapered stays instead of straight for a more classic look.