Originally Posted by raven1
So what I've always wondered is, if you have a Ti bike with a carbon fork and especially with a carbon seatstay, does it feel more like a carbon bike than a Ti bike?
I'd imagine you still get a different feel from the rest of the Ti frame and the bottom bracket, but the main points of "feel" for the road surface is the fork and the seatstay, no?
Which leads to a brief question for all the Ti afficionados as I ponder a Ti frame purchase in the near future: given the choice of a Ti frame with a carbon seatstay or not which would you recommend? In other words, will I lose the particular Ti feel with those carbon parts?
I did lots of test rides on many, many bikes. I really couldn't tell much difference with CF stays on both Ti and Al. Where the CF did make a difference is with the top tube (Serrota Ottrott, Merlin Ciero, Seven Elium, etc.). That made the ride more "comfortable" but actually it was almost too soft a sensation for what I wanted.
All I can say is find some stores with what you are seeking and take some demo rides.