Than you kindly.

I am doing my best times on it, despite being one pound heavier than my Dogma.

I thought people were exaggerating about the difference a custom frame makes, but they were not.

It's well worth it, the bike feels like an extension of the body and the gained efficiency is actually measurable.

Is the TI finish all scratched up?

If not there is no need to use a ScotchBrite pad. If it is all scratched up then for brushed TI all you need to use is the maroon (maybe some call it red?) ScotchBrite pad 7447, but once you start on the bike you'll have to do the whole bike otherwise it won't match, and you have to rub in the direction of the grain. If all you have is minor swirl type of scratches I would try a lessor aggressive approach and use the green heavy duty ScotchBrite pad found in grocery stores or Walmart, if that doesn't remove it than try the 7447 pad. Make sure you cover your decals with a low stick masking tape.

Back to not being scratched up, in this case all should you need to do is to get Meguiars Ultimate Compound and rub it in the direction of the grain. After that is done then finish up with a non abrasive wax. Again cover your decals with masking tape.

You can give your TI bike a polished look but I wouldn't do that because then you would be fussing over the tiniest of scratches due to the mirror like finish, but if you want to put in hours of elbow grease to get that look you can. You simply cover all the decals to prevent damaging them, then read this: How to polish aluminum Now when this article says relatively rough sand paper they're talking about 220 grit, sand the entire bike in one direction; then move to 400 grade of sand paper and sand in a different direction from the first sanding job, then keep moving to 600 and 800, then 1000, then 1200 sand paper all being sand in different directions from the previous sanding. You should wear a mask as the article says. You also have to hit the corners well so they match. When you're done with all that then get a buffer and apply buffing compound to it and start attacking the frame, but be careful of the decals; after that go to a polishing wax and use the buffer again. A lot of work and a lot of follow up afterwards to hide tiny scratches which I think would be a pain to do but you can get a chrome like finish if you work long and hard at it.

much thanks, i will give the Meguiar's a try

Firefly definitely have some amazing welders and I'm sure the bike rides awesome but...

This whole aesthetic with the ti builders of satin finish with bright anodized accents (ALWAYS with a King headset) is so boring and overdone. It looks like the flashy, extremely cheap Chinese-made headphones you would get at Best Buy. In a word, tacky. I see it replicated over and over with most of the ti-only builders I follow on social media.

EDIT: This is literally the first image that pops up when you google image search "best buy ear buds"! Notice any similarities?

I know, and all the best Tiffany diamonds always have those cheesy platinum mounts... And all Rolls-Royce feature that jaded front grill and Spirit of Ecstasy ornament like a metallic Tinker Bell. What were they thinking of!

Fortunately, taste is nothing anyone needs to justify, it's not like judgment, which is only as good as the supporting evidence.

People are free to like what they want without penalty, and at worst all one can say is that there are some
tastes that deserve a beating, but it's only words.

I also see dissimilarities. Metallic blue and metallic gray look, to me, a lot better than the non-metallic counterparts.

Also, I only have ONE titanium bike, so for me it's all new, and a good contrast with my other bikes. And, any and all, other titanium bikes out there do me no harm. I never see titanium bikes bunched up, like flies on dung, so I am usually riding pretty.

Kind regards.

Yes, this should have been a caveat in my post - Just my opinion, of course.

And almost all cars today look the same, and a Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Corvette have that cheap plastic looking sameness. Even movies and TV shows have the same themes year after year after boring year, just change the actors, put more cuss words and sex into it and change the background scenes and call it a new show....boring.

Anyone could take a titanium bike down to an LBS that offers bike repainting and have it custom painted any color you want, at least then it would be a different color but it would still look like a bike like everyone else rides on.

I just received my Sampson Z7 Pro Road titanium bike.
It was built for Sampson by Raleigh Special Products group using Timet Titanium Frame based on a Sampson design probably in 1998 to 2000.
Cold pressed and shaped top and down tubes. Apparently round tubes shaped into the oval down tube and an alternate complex shaped oval top tube.
Nice 9 speed Campagnolo Record and Racing T components. Racing T triple crankset. Wound up Carbon fork.

Looking forward to riding it...

Just finished building up a 1990 Merlin Ti.

Nice Merlin. Sometimes I wish I'd went with a quill on mine.

^Thanks, and forgive the upside down cages which have been corrected.

Latest acquisition:





Gonna be a winter project to fit narrower handlebar, smaller front wheel and a headrest.

Posted before, but now with close to 500 hours on it, and a fresh bath.

Clean by silversx80, on Flickr

How does it work without a chain?

how does it work without pedals?

I would think that riding one of those would take a little time to adjust with the balance.

I did say that it's gonna be a winter project..
Balance is easier than an upright.. since you sit lower to the ground.

My 1st time trying to post.. My dream ride a 61 cm Serotta Ottrott

Newly acquired R150 disc. Moved everything over from my gravel bike with Shimano 685 hydro brakes.

Some updates that aren't in the photo, Brooks C15 saddle (just installed, no rides or pictures), Enve compact drop bars (showing up Wednesday), Lizard Skins DSP tape in a darker blue (not delivered yet). I also may pick up a 4iii power meter, they are finally reasonably priced!

So far, only one ride, but LOVE it. Rides like my old R230 did, but with disc brakes which I greatly prefer.

IMG_3642.jpg

Updated - Sent frame back to Lynskey for refurbishing and replaced decals with etching and added American Classic wheels:

UPDATE: ugly wheel stickers removed!

beautiful

Gorgeous.. only suggestion would be to remove if possible 2 of the extra Bianchi logos.

Say, what kind of wheels are those?

I agree, there is just too many Bianchi decals.

Just finished building: