Titanium frame evaluation please

radanpopovic

Hi!

I need some help about this frame:

http://www.fahrrad.de/fahrradteile/rahm ... 18503.html

http://www.bikester.fi/pyoranosat/runko ... 18503.html

What do you say? Is it worh that money? Is it a bargain? It is very important for me to make correct decision because 599 euors for frame is way more that i can afford,but i would stretch if it is a good deal. Thanks...

It is my first time building serious bike,and i would like to go with Ti frame for allrounder (touring,city,light offroad).

One more question...it seems like rime brake system is not suported, am i right? It says : "Suspension : 80mm" What does that mean? Is it 80mm travel or something else?

And one more ... What do you recomend for (touring,city,light offroad) MTB mechanics or ROAD mechanics?

Monty Dog

Firstly, 599 Euros is very cheap for a titanium frame so it's a good price if it's the right size for you. Info is sketchy, but the gusset under the headtube suggests it's a trekking frame designed fora short-travel suspension fork or a suspension-compensated rigid fork about 470mm long e.g. Salsa CroMoto plus for disc brakes. It has sliding rear drop-outs so can be run single speed or with a hub gear too. Choice of parts is down to you - drop bar or flat bar.

radanpopovic

How bad can it be in terms of build quality? It is a suspiciously low price...Is there any way for me to check that? Some questions to ask the manufacturer?

I have 105 kg... could i have a problem with frame strength? Is it a right choice for heavy rider and occasional additional load(touring)?

I could go 3x cheaper for very nice used alu frame...what do you suggest?

hypster

Having broken four Van Nicholas titanium frames over the last 10 years or so I would say go for the cheaper aluminium option. Just because it's titanium don't assume it's quality and a "frame for life" (God, I hate that phrase).

Monty Dog

Given the frame is half-price, 600 Euros is not an unreasonable price for titanium when you or I can buy a frame direct from China for $600. The fact that it has a headtube gusset acknowledges it's a little over-built if only used on road/light trail. Most titanium frame failures I've seen as down to poor design execution like welding thick plate drop-outs to thin walled tubing and building-in stress-raiser features

radanpopovic

Thanks! That is very valuable answer!

I have heard that van nicholas import welded frames form china? Can it be true?

Some people on German forums said that VOTEC is reputable manufacturer regarding frame build quality...but no one really have any info on their Ti frames..

Question is : Lets say that it is a good frame...my main concern is that i will not get that much better value comparing to alu frame of same price (used for 200 euros here in Serbia)

What about carbon frames? Should i consider carbon if i want durable and light frame that can hold some extra weight when touring? (i have 105 kg = about 230 lbs)

BenderRodriguez

radanpopovic wrote:

What about carbon frames? Should i consider carbon if i want durable and light frame that can hold some extra weight when touring? (i have 105 kg = about 230 lbs)

This is exactly what came to my mind when I saw your post. Aluminium would certainly be your best 'budget' choice, but I am convinced that carbon really does offer the best of all worlds when it comes to frame technology. Yes, titanium and light-weight steel can give a compliant ride, but given that such materials respond to load in a linear manner, a frame that gives a compliant ride over rough surfaces will also be flexy when heavily loaded as when climbing. Alloy frames are generally stiffer (they have to be due to the low fatigue life of aluminium) but will be harsh over rough roads. Carbon on the other hand can be both compliant over road irregularities and damp out vibration, and also be very resistant to higher loads.

Titanium is hard to work with, prone to cracking around welds and is hard to repair. Aluminium frames generally can't be repaired at all due to the heat treatments needed to give them strength. In many instances carbon can even be repaired by the owner using a DIY kit.

If I were buying one bike to do it all, including some rough-stuff, I would look to getting a carbon cyclo-cross frame that takes disk brakes. Cantilever brakes need the right pads and careful setting up if they are to work, and you need to use a fork crown based stop for the front brake, not one mounted at the top of the headset. (Otherwise you are liable to get a lot of vibration when you put the front brake on as the forks flex back and forth, alternatively tightening and relaxing the tension in the cable). A 'cross frame will also be much 'beefier' than a typical road frame and so better able to carry a heavier load!

For your budget this would be my choice. Given that it comes with forks it would probably also work out cheaper than the titanium one.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FRPXXLS/p ... s-frameset