I'm seriously thinking of changing over to a TItanium touring frame carbon fork.(van nichloas amazon).is anybody on the forum rideing a ti frame i would love to know there honest opinion on the ride quality any information greatly appreciated.

Look at it this way, it won't ever rust, Mr Magneto won't have anything on you and we're talking some serious BF Touring Forums Bling here. Ride quality is actually based on much more than the material from which the frame is made. Frame design, tube butting, diameters, length, and wall thickness, all have a much greater impact than frame material alone. If it's built right by a competent builder and for the purpose in which it is to be used, it could be excellent, on the other hand, if it's built for lightweight speed, it might ride like a wet noodle when all that weight is applied over the rear triangle. I've seen both.

I considered it a long time and decided that for ride improvement and weight savings, it wasn't worth the additional cost for me.

+1 Especially for a touring bike. In my experience, a 700x32 or larger tire will mask many ride quality differences. On skinny (e.g. 700x23) tires, I absolutely hate aluminum frames. But my touring bike, which normally wears 700x35 tires, is aluminum and I hardly notice. I just can't see spending the money for Ti...

well i was thinking seen as i have two excellent bikes why not sell them and buy one that basically does it all .
my road bike look kx light is a dream machine honestly but these days i seldom ride it ,I'm on my thorn sherpa most of the time,now for the amount and kind of touring i do i really don't need a expedition touring bike
the amazon seems to tick a lot of box's for me light weight but can still carry rear panniers no problem
my plan is to sell the look buy the amazon strip down the sherpa transfare all the gear on to the new bike then try and sell the sherpa frame and wheels fenders.buy a really excellent set of wheel's for the new bike ,does this sound sound like a plan or am i crazy.

I don't think it would be a plan that would appeal to me.

1) as has been mentioned unless you take a test ride, the material alone will not tell you anything. So you are trading in what sounds like a great Thorn for a pig in a poke. When I have gone to a store to buy a particular bike, it often turns out not to be the bike I leave with. No mater how strong my original theory was. The specifics of a particular model are far more important than any other factor.

2) sounds like you should sell the road bike because you don't use it. Not sure how that translates into selling the Thorn as well. I get the idea that you are looking for middle ground, but having had the best of both worlds that does not sound likely to please.

3) I don't think Ti is a significant change, and can't span the divide you are trying to span. Since Ti does not excel at stiffness it could be a problem on a touring bike where the maker elected to use it's strength to weight ratio to advantage. The fact the frame you are considering includes a carbon fork would seem to indicate that approach and present problems all it's own.

peterpan 1 thanks for that food for thought ,but listen i bought both my look and thorn on the advice of others and i read great reviews on both before i committed myself.the amazon comes highly recommended but is it that good i ask myself emm i know I'm buying a pig in a poke but van nichloas has a good reputation when it comes to making bike .
but yeah is it worth me selling both my bikes for it.
still love to hear from any TI users out there.
thanks all for the comments I'll go to bed and sleep on it.

I have been touring on my Ti Bruce Gordon RNR for over 20 years for both on and off pavement touring fully loaded including the Divide Ride. I had previously toured on dedicated steel 700C touring bikes from Mondia (Swiss) and 26in mountain bikes from Tom Ritchey and Fat Chance. The BG gives me the best in riding characteristics of these earlier rides plus the pleasure and comfort of the Ti ride. I can choose any terrain with the BG 28er tire size. The only limitation is the 700x47 tire size maximum. Only 29er bikes would give me larger tire choices with more tire volume.

The Ti tubing chosen for my bike included oversized and ovalized and others that were chosen to carry me the Clydedale and my touring load effectively. The bike has a lively ride when unloaded and when loaded the ride is dampened a bit but feels faster with the touring load. It is a pleasure to ride and looks much like new after these 20 some years. A well designed and crafted Ti bike is a joy but not everyone has the skill and training to make one. Choose your builder carefully. Good luck on your choice.

Even if I rode my second bike just a little..... I would never only have one. Maybe a ti and a less expensive roadie?.. but never just one bike.

YMMV. I think in the long run when you have a broken whatever.. and are without a bicycle to jump on you will regret the having only one idea.

I have a litespeed frame and like the ride quality. There are a number of affordable ti frames available now. If I remember correctly performance bike may carry one.

If you are thinking that a titanium bicycle will weigh less, consider whether the saving is worth the additional expense. On a loaded tour, the difference between Ti and steel may not amount to much. For example:

150 lb rider + 30 lbs of gear + 18 lb titanium bicycle
vs.
150 lb rider + 30 lbs of gear + 23 lb steel bicycle

That's a 2.5% difference. If you weight more than 150 lbs. and haul a lot of stuff, the difference becomes negligible, or almost negligible. You *might* notice on long, steep climbs, when the effect of gravity on a moving bicycle is most strongly felt, all things being equal.

There are better ways to save weight: Leave the extra pair of shoes at home; carry two water bottles instead of three; mail stuff home that you don't use; drop a few pounds yourself!

acantor your right on the weight issue but overall the amazon would i reckon be a better all round bike for me .
but im not going ahead with this plan it's going to be shelved for the time being.
i was selling my look kx carbon bike to finance this plan ,but i spent to much money on it to let it go for practically nothing.
besides the thorn sherpa is really a fantastic touring bike and that also cost me a small fortune.
no I'll wait until i can afford to buy the frame for cash better all round i think.
if i had have known the type of touring i was going to do when i started i would have bought a much lighter bike like the van nichloas amazon ,it's a mistake i made buying the thorn no need for a bike like this for just carrying two panniers and a barbag,super bike if i was going to cross the desert or some other extreame place but i'm not .i diden't know this at the time touring was all new to me i knew nothing about touring or touring bikes but i sure do now.