Which Titanium bike?
cjcp
Posts: 13,345
I'm mulling over whether to buy one later this year to use in sportives. An alternative would be to upgrade to a better carbon bike (no idea which yet).
I presently have a Scott CR1 Pro (2006) and I love it - it's very stiff and responsive. How would a good Ti bike compare to the Scott, for example? Would it be noticeably more sluggish up the hills?
I've seen a lot of Ti frames I like - Van Nicholas, Litespeed, Lynskey, Condor, Planet X, Seven.
Are they all much of a muchness or do one or two stand out above the rest?
Cheers in advance.
I presently have a Scott CR1 Pro (2006) and I love it - it's very stiff and responsive. How would a good Ti bike compare to the Scott, for example? Would it be noticeably more sluggish up the hills?
I've seen a lot of Ti frames I like - Van Nicholas, Litespeed, Lynskey, Condor, Planet X, Seven.
Are they all much of a muchness or do one or two stand out above the rest?
Cheers in advance.
FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
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Comments
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If it was my money I would have a Lynskey. Call me shallow but would prefer to have a made in USA frame to a china/ taiwan frame. Yes I know that the far east quality is superb , I think it's from my mtb background when a USA ti frame was the thing to have. My 2p worth.It’s the most beautiful sport in the world but it’s governed by ***ts who have turned it into a crock of ****.0
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I'd just use what you have!
(I have a Litespeed amongst others, it's great but, well...... If you have a bike you're happy with why change?)0 -
NapoleonD wrote:I'd just use what you have!
(I have a Litespeed amongst others, it's great but, well...... If you have a bike you're happy with why change?)
Change? Hmm, ok. Add to, then.
Fair point, but the Ti bikes intrigue me - the "bike for life" type stuff. And they just *look* great. (Not very sound reasons for buying a new bike.)FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
wicked wrote:If it was my money I would have a Lynskey. Call me shallow but would prefer to have a made in USA frame to a china/ taiwan frame. Yes I know that the far east quality is superb , I think it's from my mtb background when a USA ti frame was the thing to have. My 2p worth.
Cheers.FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
If I had the budget I've have a Lynskey too - for me there's just something about them. I'd have a R230 or if budget allowed a Helix. If my budget wouldn't stretch that far I'd buy one of the last Planet X Lynskeys as they're a bargain (I'm still kicking myself I didn't buy one in the 20% off sale at the New Year).
The other's are good too - I just think Lynskeys are a bit cool. I like the video reviews on their site too - love those good ole boy accents! 8)My cycling blog: http://girodilento.com/0 -
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I cant believe nobody has mentioned the Enigma?
The Eulogy is an absolute exquisite beauty in my opinion, and right at the top of my list for a more sporty ride 8)
I'm with you and have a CF bike already but am becoming more and more hooked with the idea of a ti bike, or perhaps one of their Elite custom steel frames. Just the small matter of £££.Your Past is Not Your Potential...0 -
Yep, been looking at the Enigma, too (was also looking at their steel bike for the commute, but that's not likely to happen). Lovely bike. FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
Unless paying serious money, you're unlikely to find a ti frame that feels as direct and stiff as your CR1. What you will notice is that it will feel different - particularly on our rough UK roads - you'll be more insulated from the buzz and likely to feel a little less fatigued. Ti is a great choice for a sportive bike, but maybe less so for road racing, where you spend a lot of time accelerating hard and want to maximise your power output.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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Monty Dog wrote:Unless paying serious money, you're unlikely to find a ti frame that feels as direct and stiff as your CR1. What you will notice is that it will feel different - particularly on our rough UK roads - you'll be more insulated from the buzz and likely to feel a little less fatigued. Ti is a great choice for a sportive bike, but maybe less so for road racing, where you spend a lot of time accelerating hard and want to maximise your power output.
Cheers. Don't presently use the CR1 for racing - planning to get an alu bike for any local circuit racing as I'm using the CR1 in the Marmotte and don't want to risk it in road racing - it's the comfort issue which intrigues me.FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
Sabbath.
Will look after you and help out. There is a new range this year, so last year's models will be up for some offers.
Silk road (or Silk Road Pro) fit the bill for what you want.0 -
"I presently have a Scott CR1 Pro (2006) and I love it - it's very stiff and responsive. How would a good Ti bike compare to the Scott, for example? Would it be noticeably more sluggish up the hills? "
Probably yes!!
On local hills of 5 -10 min duration, 0.7 - 1.2 miles and climbing 100-200m I`ve consistently found that my Viner Carbon is 20 to 40 sec quicker on above hills than Van Nic Yukon; there is a weight difference of about 3 -4 lb between the two bikes but I personally attribute the extra carbon climbing speed to a much stiffer BB section (riidng part of the hills out of saddle); the Ti bike is noticeably more flexy around BB section, moving nearly an inch under peadl force!0 -
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JamesBwmb wrote:"I presently have a Scott CR1 Pro (2006) and I love it - it's very stiff and responsive. How would a good Ti bike compare to the Scott, for example? Would it be noticeably more sluggish up the hills? "
Probably yes!!
On local hills of 5 -10 min duration, 0.7 - 1.2 miles and climbing 100-200m I`ve consistently found that my Viner Carbon is 20 to 40 sec quicker on above hills than Van Nic Yukon; there is a weight difference of about 3 -4 lb between the two bikes but I personally attribute the extra carbon climbing speed to a much stiffer BB section (riidng part of the hills out of saddle); the Ti bike is noticeably more flexy around BB section, moving nearly an inch under peadl force!
That can't be righ, can it? (Unless you are Greipel)0 -
meh0
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No prizes for guessing my steed. I simply love my Merlin Extralight, and it's certainly stiffer than the steel and carbon road bikes I've had before (although I haven't ridden a modern carbon frame - my last carbon one was a TVT back in the 90s - without the silly handlebars, but with C Record and Delta brakes just like Greg's - very light, but not stiff!). Merlin's are seriously expensive though, but worth the sacfrice IMHO. I didn't regret going without food, clothes and furniture for a few years, as I had a great bike to ride instead.
Two things about a Ti frame that you don't often read about are 1. no need to ever clean it, and scratches can be brushed out using really easily, and 2. no need to get anxious about damaging a frame if you get bad chainsuck doing a front change and chew up the chainstay, as they're really tough and not subject to catastrophic failure/fatigue (i.e. snapping without warning)*. Then there's all the stuff you already know - compliant ride, looks great, longevity, quite light.
If it helps, I can comment on the comparisons between a Merlin and a Lightspeed. I have a (Lynskey made) Lightspeed MTB, and while it is a superb frame, the welds do not have the same quality of finish as the Merlin.
If you do get a Ti frame, make sure that you use a proper anti-seize grease rather than a standard lithium grease when you put the bike together, otherwise you'll find that alu and carbon bits will bond with the titanium.
*A good quality hand made ti frame really will last a lifetime. However, a mass produced frame may not last for ever, and if the welds aren't good then you could get sudden suprises, but bits snapping and shearing is still less of an issue than with carbon and alu frames.0 -
Whichever bike fits you the best will be best, the frame material is irrelevant.0
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I tell you what, I've had an epiphany. All you need is a CAAD9 with Apex groupset and RS80 wheels with whatever finishing kit suits you best. Not one person, who's after a road bike for racing or sportives, unless they are pro or elite, will ever need any more than that...
Fact.0 -
That's just crazy talk cowboy!0
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redddraggon wrote:Some sort of Lynkey + Chorus 11 + decent set of handbuilts.
Should come to roughly around £2.5K
Cheers. Might stick to Ultegra though
. Thought about 32h handbuilt Ambrosios - nothing fancy, but will do the job a treat.
@NapD - yep, wouldn't mind a CAAD9, too.
@Extralight - thanks for the info. I'd heard of the brushing off of scratches, but not about the issue with the grease.FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
cjcp wrote:redddraggon wrote:Some sort of Lynkey + Chorus 11 + decent set of handbuilts.
Should come to roughly around £2.5K
Cheers. Might stick to Ultegra though . Thought about 32h handbuilt Ambrosios - nothing fancy, but will do the job a treat.
Oops I posted that in the wrong thread. Meant to post that in the how much will your next bike cost thread.0 -
NapoleonD wrote:Whichever bike fits you the best will be best, the frame material is irrelevant.
+1
It's the design, manufacture and quality control that count, not what material it's made from.0
