Originally Posted by
profjmb
If you are into titanium bikes (as opposed to carbon), you are necessarily into aesthetics and "craftsmanship."
Not true at all. I am indeed "into" aesthetics and craftsmanship, but those are unrelated issues. I would eventually like a Ti bike for one reason---ride quality.
To me, spending thousands of dollars on looks ... go buy a painting. If I want to buy a Ti bike, I want it to fit, and to ride smoothly over unsmooth pavement, while weighing less than steel and never corroding.
Originally Posted by
profjmb
The idea of going for the most cost-effective titanium bike doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. (Cost-effective is carbon.)
Spending as little as possible to get exactly what one wants is exceedingly sensible. Paying more than you need to get what you want, or getting less than you need, both do not make sense.
If or when I finally get a Ti bike, it will be chosen because it fits perfectly and delivers the ride and handling I desire. I will spend as little as possible for it. If I can find a Motobecane that does the job, I will buy that, or Lynskey, or a custom frame, but I will spend as "cost-effectively" as possible. I work for my money, and throwing it away doesn't make any sense at all.
If I had an unlimited budget, I would hire a designer and an orthopedist and a pro trainer and have them design a bike perfectly suited to the last millimeter to my body and my riding style ... and I'd get a new one every few years to compensate for my body's changes as I age.
But we are talking about actual people looking for commercially available mass-produced Ti bikes. Cost effectiveness definitely plays a part. If the guy can afford the Moots but the Lynskey works just as well, why buy the Moots?
I do like the Mosaic R1 ... but I don't think it looks any different from pretty much any other Ti bike. I like the butted custom-geometry frame though.