Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 19,345
Likes: 5,463
From: Rochester, NY
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
The concerns I have with low cost TI frames is what was taken out of the manufacturing (or is it only the distribution chain that gives up the costs) to allow selling so cheaply. Was the frame well welded? Properly back purged? How well aligned is it? How well chased and faced is it (or reamed too)?
TI does crack and warp with the stress of manufacturing. It does corrode/react galvanicly. It is a pain/expensive to correct once made.
Given all that if I were starting my building again I'd learn to weld TI and find a facility that has the tooling to make frames with. Andy.