I'm a newbie and an old guy. I'm not a racer. I ride a road bike at the crack of dawn by myself for about an hour each morning for exercise. I ride hard but, at my age, the speed wouldn't impress anybody. The dogs aren't impressed either. The bike is a Bianchi Veloce, a good quality mid priced road bike. Recently a visit to the bike shop introduced me to a really light Bianchi carbon fiber racer that really caught my fancy. Pretty expensive. I didn't take a test ride. I was enchanted by the light weight of the thing. It seemed to make my Veloce seem like balloon tired Schwinn. Incredible technology. I don't need such a thing. I don't ride fast enough to have such a thing make a difference in my exercise routine. I just want it and I can afford it so that's the justification. Enough background.

A couple of years ago titanium frames were all the rage. This year I can't find a major manufacturer that even makes one. They have all gone to carbon fiber, it seems. My friend the bike shop owner says carbon fiber will seem smooshy compared to riding my current steel framed bike. Eventually, when he gets one that fits me, I'll take a test ride. But my question is, if it is smooshy compared to my "lively" steel frame, what happened to titanium? I thought Ti had a lively ride as well. But it seems to be available only from a few manufacturers like Litespeed and a few others. Or maybe, smooshy is good. Or, he sells Litespeed also. Thoughts? Thanks for any input.