Back to Ti from Carbon?

clazza

First world problem.

I have a Colnago Extreme C - my lightweight climbing bike - that's getting a bit "tatty". The lacquer is coming off around the bosses and one of the bottle bosses is loose. Rest of it is in vgc though and kitted out with Super Record. It rides very nicely - but was wondering if I could get same performance / weight / stiffness from a Ti frame, with the bonus that it would look good forever.

Should add that I'm lucky enough to also have a Ti Seven Axiom but that is designed for sportives and the ride is a bit "soft. As I said, a first world problem

Wirral_paul

If all thats wrong with it is the final finishing of the paint / laquer - have you thought about getting the frame refinished rather than buying a new frame??

Personally, i wouldnt let how long the paint lasts dictate what frame material i used - i'd go for the best material for the job given my own personal needs

Grill

clazza wrote:

First world problem.

I have a Colnago Extreme C - my lightweight climbing bike - that's getting a bit "tatty". The lacquer is coming off around the bosses and one of the bottle bosses is loose. Rest of it is in vgc though and kitted out with Super Record. It rides very nicely - but was wondering if I could get same performance / weight / stiffness from a Ti frame, with the bonus that it would look good forever.

Should add that I'm lucky enough to also have a Ti Seven Axiom but that is designed for sportives and the ride is a bit "soft. As I said, a first world problem

No. I have yet to see a Ti frame which is lighter and stiffer than carbon with the appropriate layup. As far as looking good forever, it's a common misconception that metal (be it steel, alu, or Ti) will outlast carbon (metal does fatigue you know). Most people buy Ti for its compliancy and the fact that it's lighter than steel, not carbon. If you want Ti then buy it, but do it for the right reasons.

nferrar

If you want a nice racy Ti frame look at a Baum

pkripper

my entry level van nicholas doesn't touch my bmc for weight, stiffness or sheer fun to ride, but it descends far better as it's less twitchy. You're probably looking at something like a Guru metalworks custom to get close to what you want but ££££

drlodge

Or you could look at a Reynolds 953 bike, custom made and custom paint job. Like mine ;-)

It won't be as light as carbon, but it's a gorgeous ride and very efficient. My 953 with Super Record weighs 8kg and would be lighter with more flimsy wheels.

LegendLust

From what I gather the Legend titanium frames ride a lot stiffer than usual Ti frames - they're not far off a carbon frame for stiffness. Added bonus of a Legend is that they're custom, made to measure so will build it to fit you perfectly and ride how you want

thespanishadam

A lot is down to the shape of the tubes having ridden a couple of ti bikes.

Yes they can be stiff (not as stiff as carbon) and light (not as light as carbon). How stiff and light do you want it?

racingcondor

There are plenty of stiff Ti frames out there but weight will be an issue compared to a good carbon frame. That said it's not actually going to hold you back so I'll second Baum as makers of some truely stunning frames.

Wish I had your problems though! ;-)

clazza

Thanks for all the thoughts

No. I have yet to see a Ti frame which is lighter and stiffer than carbon with the appropriate layup. As far as looking good forever, it's a common misconception that metal (be it steel, alu, or Ti) will outlast carbon (metal does fatigue you know). Most people buy Ti for its compliancy and the fact that it's lighter than steel, not carbon. If you want Ti then buy it, but do it for the right reasons

- my Seven Ti still looks great and rides nicely after 10 yrs which is why I'm tempted to try it for the "fast" bike

drlodge wrote:

Or you could look at a Reynolds 953 bike, custom made and custom paint job. Like mine ;-)

It won't be as light as carbon, but it's a gorgeous ride and very efficient. My 953 with Super Record weighs 8kg and would be lighter with more flimsy wheels.

- current Extreme C setup is 6.6 kg, so 8kg is the wrong direction!

thespanishadam wrote:

A lot is down to the shape of the tubes having ridden a couple of ti bikes.

Yes they can be stiff (not as stiff as carbon) and light (not as light as carbon). How stiff and light do you want it?

- doesnt have to be stiff but needs to feel planted / solid and the frame (56) weighs around 1.1 kg


I've looked at the new Litespeeds which are around 1.25 and will also look at Legend and Baum. No decision yet, think i need to do a test ride to be honest