Some Questions about Ti. Frames...
 

Hey everybody, its been awhile since I posted, but I still had a question. I was looking at titanium frames, and I was wondering if they are worth the price. I know there is a considerable weight difference, but the increase of price is sometimes huge. If anybody has some answers.....chip them in, I wanted to know a few ti. frame builders also...most of them have lifetime gaurantees on them, it sounds awesome......post away..........thanks

Aluminum:less weight,less dinero.

Think Airborne Lucky Strike
 

Gotta tell ya, I love Ti Bikes. They just flat work. Light, strong, resilent. With well engineered oval tubes they are stiffer than anything you can buy and will last forever. I have owned Three; a Kooga Miata Ti Runner, a Morati H2 soft-tail and an Airborne Lucky Strike.

I've ridden Lightspeeds and Merlins and the Lucky Strike is right up there with them for the ride at a fraction of the price.

Chattanooga is my home town and I would rather deal with Jamie Radin of Airborne than the people at lightspeed. Go ahead give him a call. Talk to him personally if you want. I can gaurantee he can have a bike built for you delivered to your door in 3-4 days at a price that will make you happy. The ride will make you even happier.


BTW every Aluminum Bike I have ever owned (total of 4) has broken.

I can't speak for mt bikes, but I looove my Litespeed ti road frame. It's light, smooth and quick. Worth every extra penny to me.

Aluminum is not much lighter, but you get a stronger frame with Ti.

Well, I make Ti frames, so what can I say? They're pretty damn fine, light, resilient, will last longer than any Aluminium frame will, and have a nice ride feel.

In a lot of ways they're pretty sweet compared to a Steel frame, because the price differential isnt that great when you factor everything in. My Steel XCSL is US$1200 for a custom, the XCSL Ti (Stock) is US$1695. The difference is basically only the extra cost of the tubes and the increased difficulty in working with the material. I guess 495 isnt chicken feed, but if you're going to make an investment, its not a bad place to do it.

Thylacine...I haven't seen you online in forever (I am Roasted on ridemonkey)...you had some projects you were working on...but either way good to see a post by you...

as for Ti...you would be hard pressed to convince me the value of Ti. I ride hard on an aluminim ht and haven't come close to breaking it. I do dh, shore riding, freeriding and djing with it. The only downfall is 100% stiffness...tends to hurt my knees...Ti has a bit of give which feels nicer.

Speaking of give, didnt some company make a full suspension Ti bike without any suspension, just using the flex of Ti for 3" (I think) of travel.

Yeah Several companies make dual suspension Ti Bikes that use the flexibility of the Ti for the rear. My Morati soft-tail does it. Moots pioneered the idea. Ibis made the Bow-Ti and the Silk-Ti useing the idea, and Litespeed has the Unicoi. Airborne now has their model out with a mini 4 bar linkage and has the longest travel of them all, I think it's about 2".

As far as Aluminum and stiffness goes. Al is much softer than steel and Ti. It work hardens easily and tends to crack from cycles of stress. Bends very easily and has little to no shape memory. So, they have to make the tubes big and thick just to make them hold together an that's what makes them feel so stiff.

If your doing Freeride on an aluminum bike just the frame is gong to weigh in around 6-8 or even 10 lbs without the shock making for a 35-40 lb bike. Litespeed makes a Kitsuma a Ti Freeride HT with a 4.5 lb frame that makes sub 30 lb bike that can take anything you can huck it off of.

i don't think they make it anymore.

Kitsuma
 

Your right. The Kitsuma is not one of their stock frames anymore. But, you can still order one made just for you. You have to go through a Litepeed dealer, and it will be one of those $$$$$$ suck you dry kind of bike purchases. It is an awesome bike though.

After 12 years and several make overs ( like a new warrantied frame in 2002 and a 130 mm Manitou minute) I'm still riding my Lucky Strike....and loving it.

And my Buddy Bill Camp in Raleigh h as had a custom Kitsuma for the last 7 years.

Holy thread resurrection Batman!