Originally Posted by Shifty
Ti is a very interesting material, hard (and as hard to work with) as stainless steel, and light as aluminum. It was developed to cover the engine outlet area of jet aircraft because the temperature of jet exhaust easily melts aluminum. Also many internal components of jet engines are TI. It's a pain to cut, drill and machine, so for that reason alone make bicycle mfg cost increase.
I'm not sure that we are seeing the end of TI in bicycle industry, it has some great ride qualities. The best example of ride, function and ART in Ti bikes would be the MOOTs. When I put a bike rack on the back of my Lear Jet, you can be sure you'll see a MOOTs mounted there!!
This post is full of misinformation that can be cleared up by reading
this
It's not as light as aluminum, it is not as hard as stainless steel, and it is not a pain to cut, drill, and machine, but it does require meticulous attention to quality control in the welding.