I've been following this discussion, and I have a few thoughts.

1. Titanium is a difficult frame material to work with, and needs extensive back-purging to avoid weld contamination and failure. Sometimes failures don't show up for some time. Difficult enough on a non-folding bike, but on a folder, it's a more critical application. Perhaps this is at least one reason we haven't seen a widely distributed titanium folder - yet.

2. Titanium can be a superb ride. I have an Indy Fab Crown Jewel in ti, and it's one of my favorite rides, perhaps my all-time favorite on rough roads. So no bias against ti as a frame material. However, IF does something a little different with their ti frames, namely, targeted bead blasting after welding to help counteract the stresses of welding. It's not a cosmetic procedure, it's a stress reliever. So there are different methods of dealing with welding stresses. I'd be curious to know if and what Helix is doing in this regard.

3. If Helix can bring in a 10-speed ti folder at $1600, good on them. It would certainly be a game changer in the folding world.

4. Taking into account #1 and 2 above, what happens if their ti frames start having safety issues? A recall would be a devastating blow to the company, as I doubt they would have sufficient capital to withstand such an event, given subsequent frame replacements and the other costs associated.

5. I'm cautiously optimistic. I certainly don't hope they have any safety issues and can bring their bike in at the target price, have it well received and that it lasts the life of the rider.