Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake

If you find a bike you like the ride of, it's a good bike. It won't necessarily be a good bike just because it's titanium. I absolutely love my Merlin - it's one of the nicest bikes I've ever ridden. I had a litespeed built Look which I didn't like at all...I'm also not that in love with my Titanio. My personal view on ti, which many disagree with, is I'd stick to the big names. I think the quality of ti bikes varies more than other materials...both in the origin of the titanium and the quality of the build. I'd stick to Merlin, IF, Moots, Spectrum, Seven, etc. Another factor to consider is that many ti frames aren't made by the company that decals them, they're contracted to other ti producers (like Sandvik and Litespeed). I'd want to know who built it.

There are plenty of people making lovely steel bikes like you describe as well...the OS steels used today can be quite stiff. Stainless is corrosion resistant, but costs a lot and is at least as difficult to work with as ti...likely more. Another benefit of most steels (not air hardened steel) is that the rear can be cold set to accommodate new standards. The bottom line is that any good builder can make you a great bike - it just depends on what you want. If given an unlimited budget, I'd want a ti Spectrum sports tourer because I really think Kellogg is a master at design.