[acid_rider]

greetings all

can frame-material-literate folks here tell me the good reasons to choose Titanium for a new road bicycle in 2009, compared to more common carbon frame?

Or, alternatively, why not choose Ti versus carbon?

assume frame geometry fits well in both cases, so it's just down to material choice and assume current state of technology in carbon and Ti (2009).

Assume the forks will be carbon in both cases, I dont know if there is a choice here.

thanks in advance

 

[lalahsghost]

Your titanium bike will not implode into carinogenic powder (if and) when you are in an incident where you hit a pothole or guard rail.

 

[krisdrum]

Have you read Carl Strong's breakdown on all the materials? If not, go read it.

They are all pretty much a compromise in one direction or another. It all depends on what your priorities are. I happen to love ti, but my newest bike is ti and custom built to my specs. I won it in a raffle and am fortunate to have it. I probably would have stuck with steel if I hadn't lucked out.

 

[FatTireFred]

I would choose (nude) ti 100% of the time... for a S&S coupled travel bike

 

[acid_rider]

where?

Have you read Carl Strong's breakdown on all the materials? If not, go read it.

They are all pretty much a compromise in one direction or another. It all depends on what your priorities are. I happen to love ti, but my newest bike is ti and custom built to my specs. I won it in a raffle and am fortunate to have it. I probably would have stuck with steel if I hadn't lucked out.

can you provide a pointer to this info please?

 

[acid_rider]

I dont understand

I would choose (nude) ti 100% of the time... for a S&S coupled travel bike

I dont understand your reply. And what is "S&S coupled travel bike"?

 

[krisdrum]

Carl Strong stuff: http://www.strongframes.com/material_tech/ Great read!

I dont understand your reply. And what is "S&S coupled travel bike"?

S&S Machine makes frame couplers that can be used to break a frame in half for easier travel: http://www.sandsmachine.com/

I had these on a steel 853 frame and they were great.

I'm with fattirefred, nude ti (no paint needed) and couplers (s&s or Ritchey) would be awesome. I'd probably do mine as a cross bike for maximum versatility.

 

[CurbDestroyer]

Have you all seen the price of Titanium. It's droppped by almost 1/2 in the last 3 years.

 

[Scooper]

can you provide a pointer to this info please?

Scot Nicol's series on materials on Carl Strong's website

I dont understand your reply. And what is "S&S coupled travel bike"?

He's saying he wouldn't paint titanium frames; he'd leave them "nude".

S and S Machine makes torque couplings that can be installed in the top tube and down tube of bikes that permit them to be broken apart for packing while traveling, then reassembled at the destination. Many framebuilders offer them as an option.

S and S Machine torque couplings

 

[holy cromoly]

Your titanium bike will not implode into carinogenic powder (if and) when you are in an incident where you hit a pothole or guard rail.

Too funny

Best Ti versus Carbon answer.

 

[roadfix]

Have you all seen the price of Titanium. It's droppped by almost 1/2 in the last 3 years.

That looks like my stock portfolio going back just 6 months....

 

[holy cromoly]

I dont understand your reply. And what is "S&S coupled travel bike"?

S&S Coupler allow your bike to be split into two at the top and down tubes.
Check out Andy Hampsten's Ti bike with the couplers.

 

[DrSmile]

Another good reference for frame materials:

http://spokesmanbicycles.com/page.cfm?pageID=157

 

[CurbDestroyer]

It's my opinion unless your putting in over 15 hours a week on your bike, your not really going to notice the difference in frame material. I like titanium. Most people think if it's carbon, it's high-tech. That's true to a point, they can make some pretty cool shapes.

Doesn't matter if it's Steel, Ti, or Carbon if it's made by a reputable builder. Just pick one you like the most and ride.

 

[danl1]

Once you ride one, you'll understand.

 

[FatTireFred]

Andy Hampsten rides a bike with an upturned stem??? oh, the horror...

 

[cpark]

Like mine a lot.
Some people prefer nude finish but I like it panted.
Here is mine with a custom Ti stem painted in the same color.
It has very similar ride characteristic as a steel one, IMO.

 

[terry b]

Ten years ago, titanium was the next great thing. Today I think it represents a nice compromise position among all the other materials available.

Well designed titanium bikes offer a great ride, good performance and an incredible amount of resilliance if you happen to be hard on your equipment. Compared to carbon, they line up well on the first two and are far better on the third.

Really it boils down to what you want to look at. I own three titanium bikes, two nude and one painted. One of them has travel couplers and while I think nude is a good way to go for a travel bike, I don't think it's mandatory since you can have a painted, coupled steel bike repainted a half-dozen times with the money you save in the basic frame cost.

I think a lot of people ignore titanium because it no longer represents what's new and hot. And you have to go hunting for them if you typcially buy your bikes from stores. I also think the jet fighter inspired aesthetic that carbon offers are really appealing to many people. But even in that case, one can always buy an Archon and pretty much get a carbon look done in metal.

A well built titanium frame really gives up nothing in comparison to any of the other materials. It's costly, and personally I'd almost always choose steel for that reason. But beyond that, great bikes are built from titanium and there are lots of happy riders on them.

 

[cwilk44024]

1 bike, 2 bike , 3 bike ???? which one to choose?

I have three bikes. A steel Bianchi, TREK 5200, and Litespeed Classic. Which do I prefer? Which one do I prefer to ride? I don't have a ready answer for that question. Depending on the day and the route, it's definitely one over the other two. Now, how is that for giving a vague answer! You will have to ride a bike made of each frame material using the same saddle and tire/wheel combo to see which feels better to you. I started on the Bianchi, moved on to the TREK then to the Litespeed. Now, I''m back to the Bianchi looking forward to trying the TREK and wondering how the Litespeed will feel on the road again. It's a wonderful place to be! So many good ways to enjoy a day on the bike!

 

[Dajianshan]

In a couple years time I am thinking of a Ti/Carbon mix.