Swapping from Carbon to Ti, should i do it ?

shedhead

Hi all,

Currently have a Zerofour works HP & am tinkering with going over to titanium, any opinions for & against welcome please. Frame recommendations would also be good please, anyone have views on a Seven Alaris SG ?

Cheers

Monty Dog

Depends on your style of riding and what you plan to use it for. IME they both feel quite different

shedhead

. I currently have a full carbon Zerofour works hp with Storck Stiletto forks. I use this bike in good weather on my 20 mile each way commute as i love riding it so much & i can't really afford to keep it as a best bike & have a back up for work. However, my head has been turned by a rather nice minx in the form of a Seven Alaris sg & it does sometimes get ridden in weather it shouldn't.

My riding style is i ride pretty quick albeit for shorter distances, at the moment my max rides are 40 to 60 miles. I'm thinking of Ti for the longevity of the frame as well.

blorg

Ti will be heavier and more expensive, but it will be Ti.

Anonymous

If it means riding your bike more then do it...

Scrumple

You will miss the feeling of a light carbon bike.
But the Ti will be still light, springy, and peace of mind every day you use it.

Best bit about them is that you can just take them anywhere, lean them anywhere, and never ever have to look for little nics or paint chips.

Sensible, yes, but boring... no.

TimoH

shedhead wrote:

Currently have a Zerofour works HP & am tinkering with going over to titanium, any opinions for & against welcome please. Frame recommendations would also be good please, anyone have views on a Seven Alaris SG ?

I've been many times soooo close to hitting the buy button on this one:

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... ---shimano

Luckily, their pricing is right now above my budget, but there's always the season end sale.

maddog 2

If I had just one bike* then I'd probably go ti over carbon, personally.

The carbon is (usually) lighter and stiffer - it is on my bikes anyway - but I prefer the ride of the ti.

It depends on what your objectives are really.



* and hell freezes over...

cougie

I think you need to ride it and see what YOU think.

shedhead

yeah, that's the bugger, it's frame only i'm looking at & swapping my groupset over to the Ti. I do tend to thrash my bikes for a bit, then think i'll be quicker on something else (maybe everyone does apart from Lance). I'm in a Dalai Lama, as i'm a biggish bloke, i'm 6'2" & 95 kg but, how can put this without sounding conceited or being a member of fatfighters? LOL not fat just solid & when i "put the hammer down" or nail it i'm always thinking, "shit, i'm gonna bust this lovely frame in a minute" which is why i'm leaning towards Ti, which hopefully i'll be able to hammer & it'l laugh at me.

All your replies are very much appreciated & if i've made any grammitcal errors or spelling mistakes, apologies, i've digging out the footing for my better half & i's "sports longe" & had a beer or five.

W

jrduquemin

I have also bitten the bullet and gone for a titanium bike. I had a chat with several different people in bikeshops and the manufacturers to discuss the ride/feel of the bike before deciding however. Now, I'm just waiting for the frame to arrive from the US...

Anonymous

You'll probably find a good carbon frame stiffer than a titanium one.

I have a Litespeed Siena which is pretty stiff for a titanium frame but when I get on my carbon bike it feel like it leaps forward with every single bit of power from my legs, get back on the Litespeed and it feels flexy...

That said I absolutely love the Litespeed...

If it's for racing then consider something like a Sabbath Monday's Child, they are very stiff, I have a friend who races rather succesfully on one...

Big Wib

TimoH wrote:

shedhead wrote:

Currently have a Zerofour works HP & am tinkering with going over to titanium, any opinions for & against welcome please. Frame recommendations would also be good please, anyone have views on a Seven Alaris SG ?

I've been many times soooo close to hitting the buy button on this one:

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... ---shimano

Luckily, their pricing is right now above my budget, but there's always the season end sale.

anyone know who's the frame supplier now?

I like the bike but the dura-ace spec takes it outside my price range and would be wasted on me. the alternative is to by the frame & self-build but not sure i'd trust a bike i'd built

blorg

I don't think it sounds like a good idea. You have a custom (right?) carbon frame that presumably fits you perfectly and you want to swap it for Ti... why exactly?

It won't be stiffer. As to longevity, you are not going to break a properly made carbon frame with your legs. However strong you are pros are stronger (albeit often lighter) and they are all happily riding carbon frames and breaking them pretty much only in crashes (when any frame material can break.)

Consider riding your carbon bike until you break it, and then consider Ti... you may be waiting some time!

If you want Ti because you want Ti then go for it. But do it for the wrong reason and you will only be disappointed.

Scrumple

lynskey

changing to Van Nicholas

Big Wib

Scrumple wrote:

lynskey

changing to Van Nicholas

thought they'd finished with Lynskey which is why I asked. If it's a VN frame then its cheaper than anything VN have on their website :?

shedhead

Thanks for all replies fellas,

I think Blorg's comments have made up my mind, I'm going to stick with the Zerofour & fritter the wife's shampoo money on some Ksyrium ssc's !

Going off on a tangent but do you think the carbon frame will be better for my planned Lejog next year ?

MrT

Hi Shedhead...did the jogle 2 yrs ago avoiding as many big roads as poss...10 days 1100miles...on a VN Zeppelin......very comfortable and great for some of the poor roads...probably poorer now (6/2 98kg). According to mate who rode a carbon frame...great for power transmission less so for absorbing the bumps lumps holes etc