do a search on google for Nitinol. This is a metal currently used for coronary stents and I bet it is the same stuff Ritchey is using. The problem with these nickel titanium alloys is that they are expensive. A Nitinol stent is in the $3000 range while a normal stainless stent is around $800....Nitinol is neat stuff though you can strain it up to 10% and it is still in elastic deformation meaning that it will return to its original shape after being deformed to a certain extent. Can you imagine denting your bike only to watch the material return back to its original shape? Cool stuff....give it 10 years and we will have frames made out of all kinds of stuff we've never even thought of. Carbon Fiber will be laughed at!