Steel or Titanium? Help me decide...
 

I'm selling my Romulus to purchase a racier rig and was wanting some opinions. The main reason for selling is due to the fact that I decided to run Campagnolo. Specifically, I plan on going with a full Centaur group. I also wanted a bit quicker handling than my Romulus allows so I was going to plan on slightly more upright geometry (73*/73*) and shorter chainstays (between 40.5 and 42.5cm)/wheelbase. For steel I was looking at the Cinelli Super Corsa that GVH has on special, a Gios Compact or, possibly, a Heron Rally. I was also considering a Litespeed Tuscany as well. As I've only test ridden Ti but never owned I'd like those longtime owners of titanium to chime in with their opinions.

why not alu? :)

...and I think 42.5cm chain-stays are probably long by today's standards


are you looking at the new Super Corsa, or the old Neuron model?

I do own a steel, but
personally I don't believe there is that much difference between steel and titanium on the ride. weight possibility, the biggest difference is titanium will never rust and seldom receive any damage in a crash.

I recently rode a litespeed and a carbon I did not like the way the litespeed rode so I bought the carbon

My vote is for steel...but I am severely biased.

I've been riding a columbus cromor frame since 1990 shimano 600 ultegra 7. just switch over to ti last year litespeed firenze with ultegra 10. I can really feel the difference and just love the ti ride.

My fiancee's uncle is planning on getting a titanium bike soon, stating rust as his primary motivation. He lives by the beach. Aside from that and the weight savings, I don't see much difference and am therefore quite happy with my steel frame.

those older Super Corsas are uber sexy, but I'm not sure it'd be a lightweight 'racer' you're after
http://www.gvhbikes.com/special.html

THey'd be at least 1700g for the frame
http://www.bullteksports.com/miva/me...y_Code=Cinelli

The Gios is also a little chunky
http://www.gios.it/2005/eng/prima.php?page=pro-frame

I was looking at the model offered by GVH Bikes. It's made with Columbus Neuron...

That's the one. I know it wouldn't be super lightweight. However, it would be a lot lighter than my Romulus with Shimano 105 and a triple...

I ride both steel and titanium. The bikes are quite different but mostly because of geometry. Titanium is probably a better investment for the long haul.

Hammer - Which carbon rig did you buy? I'm considering a Look 461 and a Pedal Force as well but they are very low in the running...

I agree. I've been happy with most, if not all, of my steel rigs. The temptation of Ti is there, unfortunately. The thing that seems to put me off on Ti is the fact that it's welded instead of lugged. Other than that everything I've read about it is fantastic...

Apart from the standard hyperbole, what is it you enjoy most about the ride?

Serotta Fierte. They come in steel and Ti. Nice bike.

Um... Ti is generally better. Most people who have had both seem to think so. But it IS rather subjective. Opinions will vary.

I have a steel Paramount OS (silver brazed lugged frame handbuilt by Waterford) and a titanium Merlin Extralight. The Paramount is a beautiful bike and rides great, but the Merlin would clearly be my choice between the two. Lighter, doesn't rust, no paint to scratch, and a slightly more comfortable ride.

If I had the $$ to spend, I'd vote titanium. Otherwise, steel.

Not a long term TI owner, but I did choose between TI and steel about 9 months ago. My theory was that riding on rough, chip sealed roads, that are heavily salted in winter, TI's lack of paint and TI's rust proofness sorta justified the few hundred bucks difference in cost. So far it has been great. The ride is a vast improvement over my previous Aluminum ride. Plus it is easy to clean, and my back has been thanking me with the loss of a considerable amount of road buzz.

I refer to those roads up here as 'Fred Flinstone roads' and we have tons of them. I ride my Ibis Ti Road and Cannondale Six13 (alu/CF mix) over them regularly. The Ti bike is better on those surfaces for sure.

I have a Lemond Alpe D' Huez, 525 steel bike and a Litespeed Blue Ridge Ti bike. I know the geometry is different between the two, the Lemond being a traditional setup and the Litespeed being compact setup. But in my opinion, the Lemond is stiffer than the Litespeed. The bottom flexes more with the Ti and the Ti is a smoother riding bike. The Lemond responds better to climbing hills. Just depends what you want.

Mark
2003 Litespeed Blue Ridge - Go Long Days
1998 Lemond Alpe D' Huez - Go Fast Days
2001 GF Tassajara - Up and Down Days

I am a Merlin rider so I am biased towards Ti. It's a harder metal and will not dent or ding or rust the way that steel will. Get the Litespeed.

I too have the litespeed firenze. I love the ride due to the geometry and material. It's super smooth, I love it, but I want something stiffer for racing.

I've been waiting for you to chime in, Slvoid. I did a search on the Litespeed Tuscany and Firenze and saw a few of your posts. I was hoping you'd be able to opine on the Firenze a bit more. Colorado Cyclist has some framesets for a pretty decent price ($1k) and they would build up nicely with a Centaur group. So preach on, Brother, and tell me your story...

I want it all. I'm a longtime steel guy but wouldn't mind having the ride smoothed out a bit. By the way, how long term is Ti? I think I'm so caught up in the classic look/feel of steel that I'm scared to venture out into anything else. Convince me, please...

I have ridden both alu and steel and test road a CF. The CF bike felt kind of dead to me. Alu was kind of stiff and harsh on not perfect roads. But I liked how the Alu sprints. After going thru so many different bikes and types, I am pretty set on steel bikes. Even tho they are heavier, I like the smoothness of the ride. That 2 lbs difference could be not taking a crap that day... and i am not a pro so I definately perfer a nice smooth ride. Keep in mind everybody is comparing totally different geometries on each of the bikes they test.

Maybe when i am ready to buy a new bike, I will consider a litespeed.

I tested or had, Specialized Roubiax Elite, Felt F65, Lemond Reno, Scott Speedster S3.

There are some really good LBS that acutally let you buy the bike and test ride for like a month. If you dont like the bike for any reason you can return and they will try to help you find another bike. Some places, are like Atlanta Cycling in Atlanta and City bikes in Washington DC.