Originally Posted by
Steamer
I am a Ti newb, as I have exactly one ride under my belt. But everything I have read from those with more experience, weeding out the hyperbole you occasionally come across, is that premium steel and Ti don't necessarily ride very differently, and factors such as fit, tires, handling,etc. matter more than material. Any any material can be used to result in either a flexible or rigid frame given various possible manipulations of tubing diameter, thickness, etc.
My first ride supports this overall theory.
My sense is that there is a difference, but it's tough to be sure since there are a number of other variables at work (other than frame material). It could also be the placebo of having a new bike.
On my first ride, the bike felt like I had been riding it for years. Like an old friend. Normally I struggle for a little while to feel at home on a new bike. Not this one. This has to be a good sign.
20181230_154841 by
Kett-Man, on Flickr
Some additional impressions from my first ride:
The bike rides much more smoothly than either of my steel road bikes (Reynolds 531c tubing on one and Ishiwata 022 on the other, in traditional diameters), but that is mostly about the tire difference, I am sure. I had 32mm wide Vittoria Rando Hypers on the Kish, and I am used to 25 to 28mm tires on the other bikes (Vittoria Pave tubulars on one, Veloflex Corsa clinchers on the other).
Also distorting things in terms of ride quality are the carbon handlebars and super thick bar tape on the Kish, compared to Benotto and Nittos on the steel bikes.
Hard to say if the frame and fork are substantially contributing to the smoothness or not. My unscientific, placebo effect riddled impression is that the Ti frame is a more lively to ride under lighter pedalling efforts, despite it feeling stiffer under hard pedaling. Laterally rigid yet vertically compliant, don'tcha know (just joking).
I liked the slower, but not too slow, handling. Both the steel bikes essentially have criterium geometry, which I like actually, but the contrast is nice. Whats the point of having a couple bikes if they all ride the same?
One thing that attracted me to this bike, beyond the Ti frame and decent tire clearances, is the Campy drivetrain and the triple crank. I really liked the ergopower on my now departed Moulton. It's nice to have that back. Rings are 52-42-30, and the cassette is 13-25T, 10 speed. This gearing works really well for me. The only complaint is that low gear is slightly too high, so I may get a 13-27T or 13-29T cassette at some point. But the need isn't too urgent.
The bike climbs very well. Definitely faster than the steel bikes. Dunno if thats the lightness (about 6 to 7 lbs lighter) or if its the stiffness of the frame, stem, and bars, etc.
The bike has terrible brake pads, so I have some replacements on order.
One of the only other things that I don't like, which can't be easily resolved, is the fact that the Edge/Enve carbon fork can't take a traditional fender. No eyelets, and a completely solid crown. So I will have to use a 'raceblade' type of mounting up front.
All in all, I am really happy.