For sure, as others have said, no matter the material it is possible to have it fail. When talking about ultralight high performance items no matter what type; aircraft, boats, motorcycle, auto, sports gear and so on, you are trading some level of durability for the performance return. If you are buying second hand you gain a huge cost savings but that comes with some added risk and uncertainty. Which is why the Mfg won't warranty the frame. The use/abuse history of the item becomes hard to trace. There should be some advantage to buying new, right?
I've owned many of the top frames over the past 25 years + worked in several high end shops in the US. I've sold hundreds of Ti frames over my career. I stopped working in the bike business over 10 years ago but continued to be active with cycling. I am lucky to be in a position to own nearly any frame I wish. My personal material choice for a performance road frames is Ti when durability is a concern.
The Seven and Serotta Ti frames I have owned and sold all have been wonderful ridding bikes and very durable. The build quality of these frames is extreamly high. For a time I sold Lightspeed frames and we did have a few disappointing detail issues but none of the affected frames left the shop. To their credit Lightspeed corrected the problems. Not to dispute that others have had issues with Lightspeed, but that my shop/s were well treated at that time, pre 2004 as it happens.
When corners are cut in building frames to lower cost, durability often suffers. The material choice does not offset poor build quality.
Seven has been very good to deal with for years, I've personally known many Seven owners who have been delighted by the durability of their bikes. With proper care and feeding I would expect a high quality Ti frame such as a Seven to outlast the same level steel frame.
With proper abuse you can destroy even the best frames. I've known many of the top cycling brands to warranty even abused frames as customer good will. That doesn't mean they can or will always do so.
NM
I've owned many of the top frames over the past 25 years + worked in several high end shops in the US. I've sold hundreds of Ti frames over my career. I stopped working in the bike business over 10 years ago but continued to be active with cycling. I am lucky to be in a position to own nearly any frame I wish. My personal material choice for a performance road frames is Ti when durability is a concern.
The Seven and Serotta Ti frames I have owned and sold all have been wonderful ridding bikes and very durable. The build quality of these frames is extreamly high. For a time I sold Lightspeed frames and we did have a few disappointing detail issues but none of the affected frames left the shop. To their credit Lightspeed corrected the problems. Not to dispute that others have had issues with Lightspeed, but that my shop/s were well treated at that time, pre 2004 as it happens.
When corners are cut in building frames to lower cost, durability often suffers. The material choice does not offset poor build quality.
Seven has been very good to deal with for years, I've personally known many Seven owners who have been delighted by the durability of their bikes. With proper care and feeding I would expect a high quality Ti frame such as a Seven to outlast the same level steel frame.
With proper abuse you can destroy even the best frames. I've known many of the top cycling brands to warranty even abused frames as customer good will. That doesn't mean they can or will always do so.
NM
