Hi Folks, while browsing through the C&V Your catch of the day/rescue thread I across a pics of a Titan Exclusive posted by Roger M. ( I was really looking for older japanese Lotus pics. I have one of those from 1981 ) I've looked around for other Titan's and have had great difficulty finding anything about them. This thread has rekindled a love of old bikes. My Trek 2.3 in nice but... Back to the Titan. I purchased it in 1983 in Germany with Dura-ace EX components 3T bars and stem, and Bernard Hinault Turbo saddle.
So here's some pics as it is a work in progress to get back on the road.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/olddura...7627530090539/

Very nice bike

Kudos on keeping it for 30 years, and preserving it. I'll look forward to seeing finished pictures. Do you have any old photos of it('back in the day pictures')?

I know I have pics somewhere from group rides and such. I'll have to dig them out of a dusty old photo album and scan them in.

Lovely bike, your Titan!
thank you for posting the pics.
I've been looking for a Titan frameset to build up in the last two years, but the bike has been elusive for me.
All I have to show for so far is this "Titan" Pantographed stem I got to keep me motivated for the search:


I thought I lucked out when I heard about the warehouse full of 80's/90's Titan framesets being wholsaled to the public a year and a half ago, but couldn't find one in the bunch that was the style and color I want. All really garrish paintjobs that made it obvious why the ones left over were not sold. If I can only find one from the mid 80's in a 52 to 56 cm size, in maybe just plain red and white (as on the Swiss flag) or maybe silver, like you have, I would be a really happy C&Ver!
Keep us posted on your resto project, you have a good base to work with and it should turn out to be a fine bike

Chombi

Chombi,

I love that you're building a bike around a stem. So rad. Hah.

Last bike I built up started with an NOS Spidel LS1 sidepull brakeset....
So I guess it's nothing new to me....
The brakeset was originally a spare for the one I already had on my other bike, but eBay gave tme the C&V bike building fever.
I have the all the other components (even wheels, tires, saddle and bar tape!) except for the seatpost collected to build up the Titan bike if I ever find the frameset!

Chombi

Interesting thread! nice to see more Titans- I've got an all chrome Titan from the 80's, that I finished just a few days ago.

You don't happen to know anything about the Titan company, do you? I've tried to google it and stuff but I don't find anything..

Post up a picture of your bike. I'm sure a lot of people here would like to see another Titan.

Here is the most informative thread on the C&V, about Swiss made Titans

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ht=swiss+titan

Actually, that thread is almost exclusively about Italian-made Titans: contract-built in Italy for the Swiss importer (who went belly up before delivery) and so the stock was sold off on eBay.
There's hardly anything about Swiss Titans on the internets, but the OP's might be one.
Is it Reynolds 531? What's stamped on the BB shell ("R____")?
And for Chombi: how's that stem clamp the bars? It also looks like a possible original Swiss component, since it isn't like any major-brand stem I ever saw.

Here is my bike. (sorry for using the same pic in other threads.. so much for my imagination).

Most likey, the stem was contracted out to an Italian maker like 3TTT, as they did this for so many bicycle comapnies at that time, specially when they wanted brand pantographing on it. I also found the clamping system unusual and have not seen it on other stems. It works by pulling together two shaped pieces (a threaded steel piece above an aluminum non-threaded one below it as seen on the pics attached) that jams agains the back of the bar center....



The jamming mechanism is inserted into a socket and the pieces peek through an oval hole where the bar goes through. Don't really know what it might do to the back of the bar reinforcing sleeve though, I hope it does not put big dents on it. Maybe there's a reason why we don't see this kind of clamping system on other C&V stems?? I guess I'll find out when I put that Titan together sometime in the future.....

Chombi

That is a nice stem. My Titan's BB is stamped at the top and bottom with the SN. It has a red and yellow decal that has swiss written on it. Under the decal you can make out the stamping reynolds 531. I do know the BB is italian threaded. I'll see if I can get some better pictures and post them here.

Yes, please do: this may be one of the only places where info on one of the more obscure Swiss bike marques will be archived...we need to see more
And thanks to Chombi for the great detail shots of that unusual stem: I have a feeling it will be prone to creaking as it's similar to the wedge design that Cinelli used for their creak-prone 1R...but maybe this variation was the cure for that!

BTW, just in case the question gets raised again: early Titan stems and handlebars (primarily chromed steel) were not a product of this Titan bicycle company and were made in Belgium, not Switzerland.
(photo snagged from Bertelli website and is copyright)

I've added a few shots is the bb to flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/olddura...7627530090539/
I'll put a couple inline as well. I need a better camera or lighting. I can't seem to get the lighting or zoom correct to get the reynolds 531 stamping to show up.

Thanks for correcting me. I did know that the later bikes were Italian built, but made my post without thinking it through...

I don't know if you tried, but using the 'Macro' function on your camera helps out a lot on close up pictures.

Would the Swiss built bikes have Italian threads on the BB?

These are better pics. You can see the reynolds stamping but not the 531. The is something else stamped on the top right. Maybe someone can recognize it.

These are a bit closer. You can clearly see the reynolds. The other stamping on the top is tretubi I believe.

That's pretty strange: I've seen tubing stamped "Reynolds" but never a (Italian threaded, no less) BB shell...and never seen "Tretubi" which is Italian, after all, on a BB shell since it refers to the 3 main tubes, not the shell. Odd that the Swiss would not have used Swiss threading (or at least French) in their BB...and I still can't make out what's stamped in the LH/top of the shell (except it's not an "R" as I had thought). Curiouser and curiouser...back to you olddurace82: how is it you know this is Italian threading?

I'm certainly no expert. Both the adjustable (left) and fixed (right) cups are right handed threading. The threading is 36MMx24tpi. Here's a pic of the right side fixed cup on flikr. too big to upload inline.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/olddura...ream/lightbox/

I'll see if I can get a better pic of the top stamping tomorrow. It almost looks like the first letter in an X not R.

yep, that's Italian threading, all right.
Since I'm picking nits: is the shell 70mm wide? (just on the slight chance the shell is 68mm FR/SW/BSC and re-threaded to Italian to fix stripped threading)

Pffffffffft . . . Titan, schmi-tan . . . . lets see the Lotus!

It's 70. I just measured. Besides I'm the original owner and the right side cup has only been out once. And getting it out was no treat.

Here's a link to the frame. Lotus Excell. https://www.flickr.com/photos/olddura...7627530442051/

Thats another rebuild project. I have all the original parts. Shimano 600 FD/RD, Sugino super maxi cranks, dia-comp center pull calipers, and if I recall the bars and stem are SR road champion. The only thing missing is the suicide brake levers.

Very nice, I love that color and it looks in great condition.

Are you certain about the center pull brakes? If that is the case then you have a unique specimen (or at least one I have never seen). The first Excelle models (1980-ish) had center pull brakes, but all the frames I have seen had two top tube cable guides and used an exposed cable. (Can anyone give me the correct nomenclature for that?) By 1981-ish the specifications for the bikes were side pull brakes and 3 top tube cable guides.

Oh Yes. I've uploaded the gruppo sans the cranks and saddle (they are on another bike, schwinn world).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/olddura...7627530442051/

Here is a pic of the top tube w/cable guides (3). This bike uses a cable housing.