Why Ti
 

I had to buy a new bike in January and picked a Litespeed Siena. Why titanium? Durability, strength, low maintenance, sweet ride, polished metal finish, value, feel, confidence, construction, aesthetics, and .. oh...did I mention sweet ride?

It's unfortunate that labor costs have made ti bikes so expensive. There's a whole new generation of cyclists who have never ridden a metal frame. Marketing campaigns overwhelm with a message that carbon is the choice of pros, and that we should all ride what the pros ride. For those of you who are thinking about the next dream bike from Asia with Euro decals, remember that the best bike you can buy is the one can ride for the rest of your life.

Ti RULES.

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Own a bike handmade in the US with tubing made in the US. Oh, and it's carbon fiber.

Why can't you ride aluminum for the rest of your life?

You have to realise not everyone listens to what marketing campaigns say.

You can do that with steel, aluminum, and to some extent today, carbon fibre. Now I need to wait for some lame idiot to complain that steel rust, aluminum cracks, and carbon explodes.

Only if u want to drive the same car the rest of your life.

Put u down for Ti then if yer sure.

bamboo!

because....
 

...your butt wears out before the bike does :lol:

P.S. My Ti MTB is an Asian bike with Euro decals.

Heeeere we go.

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Ti does in fact rule. It's holding my wrist together, I figure it'll work for my bike frame too. :)

Ti rules = True.

Ti rules, so does steel, carbon, aluminium. You can make a great bike out of any of those materials. Depends on you: what you want; how you want your ride to feel; how you want to perform if racing.

For me, it's Ti. I'll spend the extra dough on that Ti frame. I was struck by a hit-and-run driver on my carbon racer last year and at first it only looked like he destroyed my forks; but closer inspection revealed striations and lacerations up and down the drive side of the frame. That's it -- out she goes. I just don't want that to happen again.

But if I were a pro obviously I'd be on carbon -- I'd want to be!

Nothing like the aesthetics of a naked Ti frame though.

I don't really care what I ride, as long as it does what I want. Right now it's an aluminum bike. Before, it was a full carbon bike (which I liked)....before that it was a carbon/aluminum bike.

I've heard great things about the new Madones, and that will probably be my next bike. As "long lasting and durable" as Ti is (and has also been known to break like anything else), I like laterally stiff bikes. Most Ti bikes do not excel in this department.

If you want a cushy ride, throw a set of 32 spoke Mavic Open Pros on your bike and don't pump your tires to 120 psi if you're a lighter rider.

I heard that aluminum "wears out" over time. Not sure if its true. For instance if you have a loose headset that you ride like an idiot for longer than you should and it deforms your head tube - aluminum is a goner. Carbon wouldn't deform in that situation and steel probably wouldn't. Even if it did you can hammer it back in to shape with a hammer (did that with my Centurion when I dropped the frame on its head tube a year ago).

Anyway, the idea is that aluminum gets lose from the stress points of the frame in contact with other materials/ moving parts, ect... over time. I guess that means head tube, bb shell, ect... I've never had one long enough to find out personally.

I had a Litespeed Catalyst for a few years. It fit me very well and was well-built, but the bottom bracket area flexed so much that I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Replaced it a few years later with a Klein Quantum that I'm very happy with - no flex in the bottom bracket that I can detect, yet it feels like a good quality italian steel bike. Not as harsh as one might think.

I've seen poor quality aluminum frames crack in less than a season, and I've also seen great quality frames last for decades (such as Klein). (Lawn chair quaility vs. aerospace quality and build.)

not a bad idea
 

Actually I do wish I could have a car that would last a lifetime.

Blasphemy. The auto industry won't allow it. I would like a car that last a lifetime, and doesn't need any aftermarket care (oil change, gas, etc.), that would be the shizzle. The only thing close to that is my 25 year old steel townie with all original parts that I'm still riding today.

titanium frames are sweet.
contact mr. kellogg @ spectrum cycles if you wish the extra-special treatment.

are you staying that you think a ti frame will be fine after a hit and run? a friend of mine had a crack on this ti frame. buy a bike for its ride.

so do you have a ti fork? just about all high end bikes have carbon forks for a reason...think about it.

Subaru or Volvo.

If you go the Volvo route be sure you have at least $3,000 annually to spend on repairs once the car gets over 200,000 miles. If you have a Subaru, just don't forget to change the oil and put air in the tires.

Mercedes Benz has a 30 year warranty in the UK if you have all of the service done at the dealership.

As a material for bike frames, Ti offers absolutely no advantages over CF, steel, or Al unless one rides under water at temperatures above about 800F. As for a car, compare a $15k Honda Civic to any $5K-$15K bicycle. Technologically in all respects the bikes are primitive, but stupidly overpriced ego-ornamentation in comparison - unless (maybe) you're a Pro. A well maintained Civic will carry 4 passengers 300k miles or more in comfort and safety at - name a speed.

If it ain't broke, why fix it? :thumb:

I don't have any delusions that the Seven [edit: OR the Opera] is the last bike I'll own, only that I'll hopefully keep it a very long time. Building bikes in an addiction/hobby-- I'm already researching a new build.

Fashion and weight.

IMO CF will never be serious material for MTB's or Cyclocross. It can not take the abuse typically dished out by an intermediate rider let alone an advanced rider. Rocks, logs etc. do not mix well with CF. High end steel MTB / Cyclocross frames are nice but corrosion can be problematic (I know ... my favorite hardtail rusted out at the bottom of the seat tube. Ti is hands down the top material for a MTB frame .... light and very tough. I smirk everytime I see a CF MTB frame (typically on a fire road) along with the average weenie riding full suspension (which in the vast majority of MTB applications is not needed!!).

I'm sure someone will post a Pro. MTB rider on a CF frame but it is a little different when a Pro. rider hits a rock pile with his BB and he / she is handed a new frame from his / her sponsor vs. the average rider who needs a frame that will last for years.

For pure road applications CF has it's place as does high end Ti, Steel and AL.