Avispa

(Eurobike 2013.08.28)

Out of pure curiousity, i would like to ask. Who would consider riding/ purchasing a bike like the road bike on display here?
This specific one is from Paduano racing and the model is Gladio.
It is an Italian handmade Titanium (grade 9), with carbon tubes and fork (fork seen is for disc brake).
Tubes are; top tube, down tube and seatmast/ seat tube. It is also avaible as full Ti or less carbon more ti tubes.

znomit

Nope.
Bit dumb to buy a bike with no pedals.

99Klein 

Full size balance bike maybe

znomit

In that case its ideal for the 41

Machka 

Bicycles come with pedals?

Rowan

The wheels don't appeal to me at all, but the frame does. I really like the way the Ti lugs are sized, how the seat and BB ones sweep back into the stays, and the carbon tubes sort of add their own colour scheme.

The real questions are whether the bike handles well, rides nicely and comfortably, stops efficiently, and is durable. Those are the intangibles that make a bike, not the display at a bike show.

Cyclelogikal

LIke anything it would depend on geometry; sizing; componetry; price!

Ghost Ryder

That's a pretty nice looking run bike!

wphamilton

If it came with a hub motor!

Elduderino2412

It's a cool looking bike. i'm not a Ti guy, so i wouldn't buy it.

fuel0707

No fender mounts or reflectors?

Avispa

The bike is avaible in standard sizes or customized. Components is what you ask for (groupsets, saddle, stem, bar and wheels), it is not sold as a ready speced bike of the shelf.
It is handbuilt. You can have 3 different carbon tubes (standard, PBO inlay or Boron inlay), of your own choice. Or you can order a frame or a frameset (frame, fork and headset). Price, let's say it is not cheap!

rpenmanparker 

Perhaps you should let up a bit on all the sales details. You are starting to sound like a shill for the company.

thehammerdog

Indeed, looks cool thus it must be great!!

Avispa

Haha! No, that is not my intention. I have never tried these bikes, not have i seen them for real. I am just curious what people like or not.
Lately it seems it is carbon all the way. Seems to be a very small percentage of steel, ti and mixed material bikes compared to carbon bikes.

tagaproject6

yes

rebel1916

no

himespau 

No dork disk? Count me out.

BoSoxYacht

"Perhaps you should let up a bit on all the sales details. You are starting to sound like a shill for the company."

LOL

gsa103

There isn't really an advantage to mixed materials and it makes assembly more difficult. The main challenge is bonding the Ti lugs to the carbon. Its generally easier to just do carbon for both. There may be more mixed material bikes that you think. I noticed that my wife's Specialized Ruby has an Al lug for the seat tube.

Avispa

Not to be rude or start something. But i believe my thought on this is not same as yours. I will probably be able to determine if i am wrong in trusting this. As is, i have discussed this scenario with the maker. He told me he assure 100%, that it'll be no issues with bonding, neither when bike is new or over time. Neither will it squeak. Nor will the bike be to soft due to titanium, as some other race bikes are. They sell bikes with an ideal, and that is why they use both titanium and carbon. I guess it is up to each and everyone to believe what they want. A bike like this is not possible to test ride if we are not willing to travel to Italy. They are made on order basis really.
But thanks for sharing!

rpenmanparker 

I think the maker is feeding you a line of .... That business about an ideal is how people pump up the market for their products whether it has any meaning or reality or not. No, there won't likely be any issues with bonding or the other problems you were concerned about. But IMO mixed Ti/C bikes capture the worst characteristics of both materials. If I were going to have a Ti/C bike, I would want it the other way around: carbon lugs, BB, head tube, and Ti main tubes. The stiffness characteristics are so dependent upon the complex members like the BB and head tube, that is where the properties of carbon would really shine. Sure layup patterns are important for the properties they bring to carbon tubes as well, but I don't think nearly as important as in the connecting members. Just shaping, butting, etc. Ti tubes can provide much of the same advantages (no, not all), but it is much harder to get the same effect with Ti in the connecting parts.

Let's face it custom and semi-custom builders make dual-material bikes the way they do because they can, it is "easy" and flashy, not because it makes the best bike. They can buy carbon tubes and Ti lugs and just cut the tubes to size and put them together. Making a monocoque carbon fiber bike is way harder and more expensive. A Ti bike is appealing for the elegance of the material despite the small compromises it forces in ride quality. Carbon fiber is appealing for the possibility of all around best riding experience including both comfort and efficiency. The mix is just aesthetically attractive to some and abhorrent to others, but it is not best bike design ever. Just my opinion for your consideration.

Avispa

I have considered something along what you wrote.
As mention in the start of the thread, i was just asking all of you about your own thoughts, opinions etc.
So, thanks for sharing!

gsa103

I didn't mean to imply that their bonding process was suspect, just that it requires more development than carbon-carbon. Ti is tricky to bond to since its quite inert, this makes the bonding process more complex and expensive.

The original reason for metals lugs was that it was difficult to manufacture a good carbon lug. Using carbon tube + metal lug allowed for most of the carbon advantages with lugs that could be manufacturer by welding. The main advantage of this design used to be cost savings. I'm sure that frame isn't cheap, so I'm not sure I see the point when compared to custom lugged carbon from Calfree or Colnago.

curiouskid55

My wife, 10 years ago. It's called a Lemond Buenas Ares.