Best titanium road bike for up to œ1,500 ?

Burghley · May 2007

Hi

I got my custom sized XACD on the road this weekend. This is my second frame from them, and both times the service has been excellent.

The first was a standard road bike frame that took about ten days to deliver after my bank had transferred the dollars.

For the second, I took dimensions from the Van Nicholas site and tweaked them to my requirements. I supplied basic information, including braze-ons, to the company and got a detailed drawing back within 24 hours. From payment to delivery took four weeks, but one week of that was the Chinese new year holiday!

I now have a custom sized audax/touring frame in straight tubed Ti that cost me œ380 delivered. With a Racelight audax fork and 105 components the bike rides like a dream. I paid an extra 50 dollars for the custom fit!

With this option, you could construct a Veloce equiped bike for under œ1000 (my LBS quoted œ300 for the groupset and œ120 for a pair of Vento wheels, leaving œ200 for the bar/stem and seatpost/seat etc.).

Email me if you want further details.

Rgds

Pete

greenmarkcp · May 2007

I am told, but have not personally verified, that the following company also produces the Van Nicholas frames (except the Aeolus). My local bike shop says that when they order Airborne frames (the spare ones left before switching to VN) they contact the same factory. However, this being China I don't always have 100% confidence on what bike shops tell me.

http://www.ti-bicycle.com/chpjsh/glch-e.htm

Costs would be similar to XACD. The company actually produces quite a lot of ti frames for the China market (at least in Shanghai).

I've actually measured one of their frames (56cm) and it was near as dammit the same weight and dimensions as the VN Zephyr.

In Shanghai the frames retail at about RMB 4500 (about œ300).

Unknown · May 2007

FreshAir..from the type of rding you do have a look at Van Nic Yukon (surprised no-one else has mentioned this); you will get a good groupset and wheels build at about 1500 quid, you can fit mudguards if you need for winter and touring use and it seems very versatile bike indeed. Mine with full guards / chorus weighs in a 20-21 lb, not superlight but I reckon you could get to 18lb if you trimmed away weights, I reckon you could also race on it if you wanted at a beginners level perfectly OK. Enjoy!!

JamesB MTB

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jamesb

FreshAir..from the type of rding you do have a look at Van Nic Yukon (surprised no-one else has mentioned this); you will get a good groupset and wheels build at about 1500 quid, you can fit mudguards if you need for winter and touring use and it seems very versatile bike indeed. Mine with full guards / chorus weighs in a 20-21 lb, not superlight but I reckon you could get to 18lb if you trimmed away weights, I reckon you could also race on it if you wanted at a beginners level perfectly OK. Enjoy!!

JamesB MTB
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hi James,

Thanks for the suggestion, msb123 also recommended this model at the bottom of page one.

David

greg roche · May 2007

Giant Man,

Yes, we're looking at an Audax frame at the moment. We're just in the process of finalising a cross frame, a womens specific design and the new road frame (Monday's Child) which i raced for the first time at the Lincoln GP. Monday's Child will be available to order imminently, but to be honest the rest will make production in the autumn for the 2008 season i think.

As anyone who has bought from us will tell you, we're a very small company - myself, my brother Iain who does all the CAD stuff and my wife Beth who points out our inefficiencies and tells me off for not filling out purchase orders properly - as a result we're building up slowly and trying to make sure we don't let anyone down! We'd love to put the audax frame into production tomorrow morning but its all about walking before running!

One other comment from what's being said on here: I think it's cool that there are some real options on Ti at the moment - from Sunday's point of view, i'd rather that there were other good ti brands out there - with so much carbon stuff about its healthy for us to have other manufacturers also extolling the virtues of ti and keeping the material front of mind for would-be buyers. Afterall, there should be room for all of us. What XACD, Van Nich, us or Litespeed offer vary tremendously in approach, afterall.

I'll let the thread get back to fresh air riders quest for a ti bike at œ1500!

Greg

www.sundaybicycles.co.uk

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

Hi Greg,

Thanks for a very informative contribution to this thread.

I've just been looking at your website, and I know that this sounds like a really silly question, but why do the bikes on your website all look a very dull, matt grey colour when other ti bikes such as Van Nic's are all polished up and sparkling ?

I apologise in advance if I'm missing something.

David

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

Hi Greg,

One more question please.

It states on your website "Full bikes from œ1549". What could I epect to get for that sort of price?

Regards
David

greg roche · May 2007

FResh Air Rider -

The ones on the website were all sandblast finish. Like everyone else, we do polish and brush finish too - my Monday's Child is brush - but we thought we'd put the sand blasted ones on the site precisely because... they don't look like everyone elses... Sandblast is our default choice. It starts life dull but with repeated washing develops a low shine. Basically, if you went at it for long enough with a wire brush you'd get a polished one!

œ1549 gets you a Silk Road, FSA finishing kit and 105 or Centaur. But please email me through the site for full details - don't want to break forum rules on advertising (sorry if i have now!)

Cheers

Greg

www.sundaybicycles.co.uk

Unknown · May 2007

Greg,

I'll be keeping an eye out for your cross frame. I think it's the perfect material for this as it's tough and durable but also is light and responsive too. Let us know when it's up on the site.

Unknown · May 2007

Just a comment: those "Sundays" look very nice IMO. I prefer the sandblast - always looks good and ever so easy to keep "as new". Polished, might as well have alu!

Ti is very nice frame material, I guess only problem is that however great the volume, the unit cost doesn't fall in same way as carbon.

d.j.
"Like a true nature's child,
We were born,
Born to drink mild"

giant_man · May 2007

Thank you for your comments Greg and look forward to Sunday Bicycles becoming a major brand in the world of titanium cycle frames!

SIZE IS EVERYTHING! or at least that's what my LBS tells me.

hevipedal · May 2007

http://www.vannicholas.com/

build it online............ for great prices

 Hevipedal 
Phrase of the week - I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings and
Things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
 
51yrs old and Proud of it - Made it to 87kg 2 more to go for the target.
Pedal to Paris Sept 2007

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

Thanks for the vote for Van Nic, HeviPedal.

That's one brand I'm seriously considering together with Sunday and possibly LiteSpeed.

simon johnson · May 2007

œ1549 gets you a Silk Road, FSA finishing kit and 105 or Centaur. But please email me through the site for full details - don't want to break forum rules on advertising (sorry if i have now!)

Cheers

Greg

www.sundaybicycles.co.uk
[/quote]

Sounds good value for money, I don't think you need to worry about advertising - your bikes seem to be able to speak for themselves - last weeks cycling weekly!

Hope the company keeps going strong.

Where's me jumper?

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by simon johnson

œ1549 gets you a Silk Road, FSA finishing kit and 105 or Centaur. But please email me through the site for full details - don't want to break forum rules on advertising (sorry if i have now!)

Cheers

Greg

www.sundaybicycles.co.uk
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sounds good value for money, I don't think you need to worry about advertising - your bikes seem to be able to speak for themselves - last weeks cycling weekly!

Hope the company keeps going strong.

Where's me jumper?
[/quote]

Yes, I'd really like to read that review but this month's Cycling Plus seems to have completely sold out already. I don't think they're printing enough.

msb123 · May 2007

the review is in last week's cycling weekly, not cycling plus

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by msb123

the review is in last week's cycling weekly, not cycling plus
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks msb123

I assumed that you were referring to Cyling Plus as "the comic" within your posting on page one.

David

richardjallen · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by greg roche

Sandblast is our default choice. It starts life dull but with repeated washing develops a low shine. Basically, if you went at it for long enough with a wire brush you'd get a polished one!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Out of interest where people talk about polishing Ti to remove scratches etc. Is any material removed or is the surface material moved about until its smooth? A wire brush sounds very abrasive.

greg roche · May 2007

Fresh Air Rider -

The 'comic' is an affectionate term for cycing weekly amongst those of us who've been around far too long! I'm only 30 but i still remember when they used to give premier calendars 4 pages of coverage... ah the old days!

Funnily enough i've got a few copies of the review lying about the place! Email me, i'll scan one in fr you to take a look at.

And regarding the wire brush - well, yes it is abrasive, but you've got to understand how hard titanium is. The material is so hard that you need a very good / specialist tool to face a ti bottom bracket, for example.

I use a green kitchen scrubber to work out minor abrasions and have no worries about going through the material!

Greg

www.sundaybicycles.co.uk

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by greg roche

Fresh Air Rider -

The 'comic' is an affectionate term for cycing weekly amongst those of us who've been around far too long! I'm only 30 but i still remember when they used to give premier calendars 4 pages of coverage... ah the old days!

Funnily enough i've got a few copies of the review lying about the place! Email me, i'll scan one in fr you to take a look at.

And regarding the wire brush - well, yes it is abrasive, but you've got to understand how hard titanium is. The material is so hard that you need a very good / specialist tool to face a ti bottom bracket, for example.

I use a green kitchen scrubber to work out minor abrasions and have no worries about going through the material!

Greg

www.sundaybicycles.co.uk
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks Greg,

BTW, when will the Monday's Child bike be launched and do you have a link to specs and prices etc ?

craigwend · May 2007

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/artic ... 92/V/1/SP/
updated version is the euros

http://www.vannicholas.com/ResLib/CYP188.bs_bike2.pdf
chinook

http://www.vannicholas.com/ResLib/PCY_biketest.pdf
aeolus

Space to rent '......................................................' reasonable offers only.

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/craigwend

Fresh Air Rider · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by craigwend

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/artic ... 92/V/1/SP/
updated version is the euros

http://www.vannicholas.com/ResLib/CYP188.bs_bike2.pdf
chinook

http://www.vannicholas.com/ResLib/PCY_biketest.pdf
aeolus

Space to rent '......................................................' reasonable offers only.

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t6/craigwend
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks Craig

bloatercp · May 2007

Fresh Air Rider... looks like there are plenty places to get a ti frame these days, much to my amazement! Keeping all this info in mind though I'd still back up my previous positive comments (on other threads) on the Burls brand. I'm actually getting a second ti frame from Burls now - an MTB frame. It's a normal XC setup but apparently Burls have just spec'ed up a new single speed MTB ti frame, so the flexibility in what Burls can offer is quite fantastic whatever your requirements.

On the subject of butted tubes (and get in touch with Burls on this one cos I'm no frame builder!) there are two ways to 'but' a tube. It's either 'ground' or 'mandril'. Ground butting involved grinding off some tube wall thickness while Mandril involves squeezing the tube thinner and consolidating the metal grain (or something like that?!). Anyway, most butted ti frames (except seriously expensive ones) are ground butted and Burls reckons that the plain gauge tube is so light anyway it benefits from just being left alone as it is, rather than being compromised by a bit of 'grinding'.

chewbyka · May 2007

Had an Airborne Zepplin with Veloce Triple for two years. Lovely frame with first class welds. Excellent bike.

BrettTravers · June 2007

I recently bought a Burls Titanium frame, which I am extremely happy with. As well as being responsive it is also provides a very comfortable ride and in my opinion handles extremely well.

Justin Burls is very helpful and knowledgeable; his prices are competitive too. I would definitely recommend having a look at www.burls.co.uk

Brett Travers

Fresh Air Rider · June 2007

Hi Brett,

Many thanks for that recommendation, I certainly hadn't considered (or even heard of) Burls.

Best regards
David

giant_man · June 2007

They're down here in Essex innit? Lol i think i may pay them a visit too.

SIZE IS EVERYTHING! or at least that's what my LBS tells me.

Fresh Air Rider · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by giant man

They're down here in Essex innit? Lol i think i may pay them a visit too.

SIZE IS EVERYTHING! or at least that's what my LBS tells me.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks giant man

kenbaxter · June 2007

Easy answer! Look for a second hand frame and build it up. Bought a second hand Litespeed Vortex in immaculate condition. Shopped around for bits and now have it built up for around 1500 quid. Its titanium - as long as the frame is looked after it'll ride (and probably look) like new.

jjkmsquires · June 2007

Hey, if you're still looking for a good titanium road bike, mine is for sale on e-bay. You're right to be looking for a bike in this material as it rides like a dream. Let me know if you're inteersted, Jack.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0126538427

Best titanium road bike for up to œ1,500 ?

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