NOS Vintage Titan Titanium MTB Frame Looks Like A Kid Welded It Up? Would You Buy It?
05-30-13, 09:07 PM
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NOS Vintage Titan Titanium MTB Frame Looks Like A Kid Welded It Up? Would You Buy It?
Wow,.....i've seen some crazy looking welds before, but these have got to be the ugliest welds i've ever seen. And in titanium no less. Even as a possible prototype it sure is fugly. 
Looks almost like a kid put it together. I know I would never own this, and not even sure if the welds are safe? They look a bit contaminated to me,....maybe just the camera work though? Can be had for just $750.00
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tchlink:top:en
Any takers?
Description Below:
NOS EXTREMELY RARE Titan Compe Titanium MTB Frame
Looks almost like a kid put it together. I know I would never own this, and not even sure if the welds are safe? They look a bit contaminated to me,....maybe just the camera work though? Can be had for just $750.00
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tchlink:top:en
Any takers?
Description Below:
NOS EXTREMELY RARE Titan Compe Titanium MTB Frame
18.5 in. center of BB to top of seat tube 17 in. center to top of top tube16.5 in. center to center23 in top tube center to center3 lbs. 6 oz from my scale
1 1/4 headtube
Euro BB Canti or V Brakes
Here is a very rare Titan titanium MTB frame that has never been built. It looks like is is an original prototype. Its hard to find much info online for production models, much less this one! There is no serial #. It is raw and a crude design but still looks retro and cool!. It is either the ugliest frame in the world or perhaps the most beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... Titan was a well known high end bmx frame maker and ventured into MTBs back in the day. It is a very early titanium maker and signifgant in MTB history. It has a loop tail rear end and a 1 1/4 head tube. There are a couple of scratches from laying around in a warehouse for many years but will make a sweet looking and very rare vintage MTB build!
1 1/4 headtube
Euro BB Canti or V Brakes
Here is a very rare Titan titanium MTB frame that has never been built. It looks like is is an original prototype. Its hard to find much info online for production models, much less this one! There is no serial #. It is raw and a crude design but still looks retro and cool!. It is either the ugliest frame in the world or perhaps the most beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... Titan was a well known high end bmx frame maker and ventured into MTBs back in the day. It is a very early titanium maker and signifgant in MTB history. It has a loop tail rear end and a 1 1/4 head tube. There are a couple of scratches from laying around in a warehouse for many years but will make a sweet looking and very rare vintage MTB build!
Last edited by joejeweler; 05-30-13 at 10:01 PM.
05-31-13, 12:05 AM
#3
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The frame and price look like a joke. I don't think I would take his word for being titanium, either. It looks more like a student welding project than a factory prototype.
To directly answer the question, no, I would not buy it
To directly answer the question, no, I would not buy it
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Last edited by Nermal; 05-31-13 at 02:33 AM. Reason: Edit to Add:
05-31-13, 04:22 AM
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Not at that price point...
Aaron
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ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
05-31-13, 08:10 AM
#5
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I wouldn't even take it if it were free.
This is good Ti,
https://smg.photobucket.com/user/comm...is%20Mojo%20Ti
This is good Ti,
https://smg.photobucket.com/user/comm...is%20Mojo%20Ti
05-31-13, 10:47 AM
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To my eye,that frame looks mostly mig welded not tig.Could very well be a prototype.Hard to tell by looking if it was back gassed or not,If I wanted something different,maybe.I'd ride it,not too crazy about the 2 piece head tube though.
Last edited by Booger1; 05-31-13 at 11:02 AM.
05-31-13, 11:44 AM
#7
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I don't see any markings of any kind on it, so you're dependent upon the honesty of the seller as to who built it and when and out of what materials.
It could be a factory prototype. It could be a factory reject. It could be somebody's home project and now they're trying to recover the cost of materials. If it's a factory frame, it looks like maybe they didn't ever finish it out, in which case, you have no way of knowing if they got the geometry right, etc.
It looks to me like the welds could be polished/ground and would look a lot better (in which case, it would imply the frame wasn't ever finished, which is not a good sign!). The appearance of welds will vary depending on the processes used and you can't always tell the structural quality from looking.
It could be a factory prototype. It could be a factory reject. It could be somebody's home project and now they're trying to recover the cost of materials. If it's a factory frame, it looks like maybe they didn't ever finish it out, in which case, you have no way of knowing if they got the geometry right, etc.
It looks to me like the welds could be polished/ground and would look a lot better (in which case, it would imply the frame wasn't ever finished, which is not a good sign!). The appearance of welds will vary depending on the processes used and you can't always tell the structural quality from looking.
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05-31-13, 11:59 AM
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Why do you say that ? Looks tig-ish to me.
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05-31-13, 03:55 PM
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Hey, that's pretty cool! I remember the Titans from late '80s/early '90s, and thought they were interesting, or very distinctive at the least. Their Half Track was a single elevated chainstay design which was pretty 'du jour' back then. I don't think they were that spectacular to ride or anything, though.
The frame looks legit to me, and the welds fine, again presuming it was not fully finish prepped. Absence of serial number or any branding also devalues it somewhat, but those are pretty scarce frames, really, so maybe that's not much of an issue to someone who really wants one.
For the collector who has every vintage MTB they can think of, this might be a cool acquisition. If you're just into vintage MTB, well, there are lots of cool bikes around to fetishize.
The frame looks legit to me, and the welds fine, again presuming it was not fully finish prepped. Absence of serial number or any branding also devalues it somewhat, but those are pretty scarce frames, really, so maybe that's not much of an issue to someone who really wants one.
For the collector who has every vintage MTB they can think of, this might be a cool acquisition. If you're just into vintage MTB, well, there are lots of cool bikes around to fetishize.
05-31-13, 04:23 PM
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Forget being in a hurry to buy a frame and keep looking. You will find the right deal. And what is the real benefit of Ti on a mountain bike? bk
05-31-13, 04:36 PM
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Same as it always has been: light, smooth, durable, easily configurable, doesn't need paint, repairable...or did I not understand your question?
05-31-13, 09:25 PM
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As per the Chaadster:
BTW,...here's want a nice Ti bullet weld looks like:
Last edited by joejeweler; 05-31-13 at 09:35 PM.
06-01-13, 12:09 AM
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Joe, I will admit I wouldn't be either afraid or embarassed to be seen on that particular bike.
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06-01-13, 12:34 AM
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06-01-13, 08:01 PM
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I thought they were being cautious about spending a lot of money on a frame of questionable history, and unknown quality.
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06-01-13, 08:55 PM
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06-01-13, 09:01 PM
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"Two-Piece Headtube???? WHY?"
My thought when I saw that was maybe somebody had machining set up where they could easily do one end of a tube but not both, or maybe could machine both ends of a longer tube but not a shorter tube. But that to me implies more of a garage build, as I assume anyone building frames on a regular basis wouldn't have that kind of issue.
My thought when I saw that was maybe somebody had machining set up where they could easily do one end of a tube but not both, or maybe could machine both ends of a longer tube but not a shorter tube. But that to me implies more of a garage build, as I assume anyone building frames on a regular basis wouldn't have that kind of issue.
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06-02-13, 05:54 PM
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You can have xi'an changda titanium products make a brand new custom frame with better welds for not much more, or get one of those in stock geometry with US warranty service from Habanero Cycles for $1000.
Last edited by Drew Eckhardt; 06-02-13 at 09:33 PM.
06-02-13, 07:13 PM
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But how would you ensure that the two pieces are co-axial? It makes no sense...
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