I'm a newbie and an old guy. I'm not a racer. I ride a road bike at the crack of dawn by myself for about an hour each morning for exercise. I ride hard but, at my age, the speed wouldn't impress anybody. The dogs aren't impressed either. The bike is a Bianchi Veloce, a good quality mid priced road bike. Recently a visit to the bike shop introduced me to a really light Bianchi carbon fiber racer that really caught my fancy. Pretty expensive. I didn't take a test ride. I was enchanted by the light weight of the thing. It seemed to make my Veloce seem like balloon tired Schwinn. Incredible technology. I don't need such a thing. I don't ride fast enough to have such a thing make a difference in my exercise routine. I just want it and I can afford it so that's the justification. Enough background.

A couple of years ago titanium frames were all the rage. This year I can't find a major manufacturer that even makes one. They have all gone to carbon fiber, it seems. My friend the bike shop owner says carbon fiber will seem smooshy compared to riding my current steel framed bike. Eventually, when he gets one that fits me, I'll take a test ride. But my question is, if it is smooshy compared to my "lively" steel frame, what happened to titanium? I thought Ti had a lively ride as well. But it seems to be available only from a few manufacturers like Litespeed and a few others. Or maybe, smooshy is good. Or, he sells Litespeed also. Thoughts? Thanks for any input.

I say that your bike shop owner friend generalizes too much. Carbon is the most frequently used frame material in the Tour. If it were smooshy, they wouldn't waste their time riding it.

And probably smokes alot of carpet too.

Ti is around... and probably costs more to make a Ti frame than a molded CF frame.

Plus CF has a natural obsolescence... ride it hard and you may only get 5-7 years out of it. Steel on the other hand lasts a long time... I am riding a 20+ year old steel frame too.

Check out these fine Ti machines. https://www.merlinbike.com/2005/home.aspx

Carbon fiber is the new craze in bicycle frame material and many of the components for a number of reasons, however there are still a lot of nice titanium bike as well as aluminum and steel. I ride a Litespeed Tuscany and the reason I do is not because of cost but I preferred the ride of it over the carbon bikes I rode.

If you are looking for a new bike then ride as many as you can of different mfg and materials. There all good and you'll get different rides from different materials ans tube shapes.

Litespeed, Airborne, Lemond, Merlin, Serotta, Habanero and many others still make quality Ti frames and even though many will argue the point I as well as many others think titanium has a very unique ride. Some will say it is the shape of the tubes, however I have friends on ti bikes with just round tubes and they say the same thing.

I am sure you'll get much feedback on this though.

Nothing happened to Ti. There are many Litespeeds and Merlins sold every day. Excel Sports sells a Macalu Ti bike. Colorado cyclist sells the Douglas. Then there are other companies such as Moots, Serrotta, Seven, Independant Fabrication, One Off, Dean, Airborn, Omega, and a bunch others that I am forgetting. I ride a Merlin, my wife a cf Blue. Both are nice but I like the feel of Ti.

I prefer the ride of carbon, or even aluminum with carbon stays/fork but really it's just personal preference.

BTW, the geometry on the Fuji's.. I'm in love with.

... and you forgot to include Seven.

Ti is still around there are quite a few companies that can be found online.
Merlin, Dean, Seven, Airborne, Macala, Litespeed, Vanguard, Serotta, Habenero, Strong Frames, and so on.

And where did you dredge that drivel up from?? So now it's official.Aluminum last 3-5 years and CF 5-7. Oh la la.What a fairy tale. You may also want to check websters for the daffynition of obsolescence.

*glances at his 7 year old Carbon bike* Oh no! She's done for!

Maybe aluminum and carbon bikes should be date stamped. "Best if used before xx/xx/xx" Just like milk.

My mint condition 1998 Trek 5200 goes in the recycle bin tomorrow.

There are heaps of 'major manufacturers' making ti - you're just not looking hard enough. Your local LBS - in essence a 'dealership' if shops in the US are anything like here - is hardly going to give you a worldly review of the Ti market.

Ti being a metal and a natural spring can indeed have a similar ride to steel, and if you like the feel of steel there is little reason to consider the latest 'five sizes fits nobody' carbon wunderfahrad.

I won't go into my opinion of cheap Ti too much because people will get upset and feel inclined to defend their purchase with the fervor nornally reserved to religion, so the best I can suggest is that if you like Ti, get a good US made one.

And get one that actually fits

....and where do you dredge that drivel from?

Obsolescence: The amount of time it takes me to rationalize buying another bike frame.

Titanium bikes are like Martin D28 guitars. You buy one and, unless it is destroyed in an accident, it can last you a lifetime. Bike builders don't get rich building products that last a lifetime.

can we close this thread before someone gets hurt?

too many friends have had their carbon fiber bikes melt when left in the sun--not for me

my titanium bike, a semi truck backed over the front triangle--and it only had a few scratches that I buffed out with a brillo pad--nice

steel rides nice, but most frames weigh at least 8 lb.

aluminum is light and has good power transfer, but one dent and it crumples like reynolds wrap!



lol ;-)

Titanium Bianchi Frame


Not quite that heavy Zigg Its easy to find steel frames with steel forks weighing under 5 pounds.

OK, then why bother even asking? Stick with your tried and true if it works for you. Clearly you have no need (or desire?) for high-performance materials such as C or Ti, your steel is real.


OK, then stick with what the sales guy wants to sell you.

????

What was your actual point and/or question again?

i just bought a Litespeed Toreno, and it's Ti. yeah i could feel a little difference between that and some of the carbon bikes i tried...a little smoother, less buzzy in the road noise. but i'm not sure if that was the rims or not. mostly i bought it because it was like jewelry. you want plastic jewelry or you want precious metals? i went with the shiny one.

(ok it wasn't quite that moronic of a decision making process. the full ultegra whereas all the carbon bikes mixed 105 with ultegra had something to do with too. a little bit. sort of.)

I have a Litespeed Ti. and a Trek Carbon; same component group and same wheelset on each bike. Part of me says go ride the Trek. It's flashy looking in contrast and that pulls at a part of me. But in my heart it's the Litespeed that wins. Just something about that bike that's hard to define; not to say I don't like the Trek; actually it seems faster for the same imput, but I dont care, there's just something about that ti bike. Can you be in love with a bike? I'm starting to think so.

Much like an Alum/CF/Steel bike...
Depends how you ride & how well you maintain...

I think the lifetime thing is a tad overrated...
We all want new rides like 2 years after the novelty of our new ride has passed...

the whole post was a joke, note the "lol :-)" at the bottom

until recently I had two steel bikes, and I don't think Ti would survive getting run over by a semi truck, and carbon frames don't melt in the sun