Forum menu
Owned two ti roadbikes. Sold one, the other split it's non-driveside chainstay. Now on the indoor trainer. Airborne btw.
I've never broke any other bikes apart from an original Voodoo that I crashed head-on into a tree stump.
9 Ti bikes down the last 25+ years. Still have 3. One of those cracked & repaired under warranty (now hanging on the wall). Two still used.
Good warranty is king for Ti. Good steel post 29er/CEN has caught up massively tho' especially as a lot of Ti manufacturers only now use straight gauge tubing. So that and chinese manufacture means probs wont get another Ti.
1 owned
0 snapped
had two ti bkes. first one got nicked, the other got sold on. so no breakages 🙂
only broke alu bikes, an Orange E3, and a cannondale, though that was worn through with my heel so not a break per se.
(I'm not counting the two old steel peugeot ATB's from the 80's)
Kona Raijin from 2012 still ridden daily 👍Made by Lynskey should have broke a long time ago according to some of the " experts" on here 🤔
20 years old this year 😳Cove Hummer made by Litespeed , I've ridden the Kamikaze WC course in Mammoth, Whistler bike park , Morzine , Lake Tahoe plus other iconic locations on this and still in one piece 👍
You should ask this question on a forum where people actually ride their bikes.
Tinbred I bought from someone on here at least 15 years ago, and it was far from new then - still going strong.
In the last 40 years of cycling (don't count my obsession with BMX before that) I have only had one frame that broke and that was a Specialized Stumpjumper M2 hard tail frame from the 90s which was old when I got it.
Had frames in all common materials including Scandium.
Annoyingly I've never broken a frame, despite owning a Mk1 Nukeproof Mega and a Mk1 Cotic Hemlock!
I'd love a Ti hardtail 🙂
Enigma Evoke Mk 1 moved on a year ago at 7 years old and about 10000 miles
Replaced by an Enigma Evoke Mk 3 which has done about 2500 miles in its first year
Enigma Etape set up as a winter/commuter bike. 7 years old and about 6000 miles in all weathers
Stanton Sherpa Mk 3, 8 months old, which has been ridden all through the winter. About 1200 miles
Stanton Sherpa Mk 2 frame with a complicated history. About 4 years old and about 2000 miles in a previous guise, but just rebuilt as a lightweight bling bike.
Most miles around the Dark Peak and I am no ballerina, though the MTB riding is pretty tame. None cracked so far, all a pleasure to ride. Evoke Mk1 probably the least satisfactory due to an unwise wheel choice.
Scandvik made Hummer, sold it before the gouges made by the terrible chain-suck those bikes had good finally get all the way through the chain-stay. That was the only Ti bike I've owned, but the material wouldn't put me off buying another.
Owned lots of ti frame, forks, prototypes, customs and production stuff and not broken a bit of it.
Aluminum and carbon frames and components i've killed loads
My ti Jones truss fork cracked after 12 years of regular use and long rides and races etc. Not a bad lifespan. I've had 2 other frame cracks in fairly new frames and one I sold on that cracked after a few years of tough use (I know the guy who bought it). 2 US made custom frames were fine for the 4-5 years I had them and I suspect would have kept on going.
Anecdata though, not much use. Fair to say mass-produced Ti sees more failures early in the frame's use perhaps due to contaminated welds. That seems rare in a custom frame though.
If you want a better chance of durability go for steel. It has lo-tech joining methods. imho the ride quality can be equally good (different somehow but equal), it's just a bit heavier.
Quote
3 Moots, 2 Indie Fabs, 2 Serottas, 10 Sevens, 3 Merlins.
All great bikes and never broke any of them.
I still own 3 of the above (the oldest is 12 years old, the youngest is 8). I know the whereabouts of 6 (the oldest of which is 23 years old) and they are still going strong.
Buy right, buy once.
Quote
Genuinely love how this is buy once
Quote
3 Moots, 2 Indie Fabs, 2 Serottas, 10 Sevens, 3 Merlins.
All great bikes and never broke any of them.
I still own 3 of the above (the oldest is 12 years old, the youngest is 8). I know the whereabouts of 6 (the oldest of which is 23 years old) and they are still going strong.
Buy right, buy once.
Quote
Genuinely love how this is buy once
Agree - that's had me chuckling all day. But surely the reason this thread exists is that Ti bikes have been sold as indestructible and bikes for life, which many are , and some aren't. I have no idea how they rack up for reliability against other materials and the only people with those stats would be manufacturers. Personally I'm not excited by them, but c'est la vie. (Under excited is perhaps an understatement of how I feel Ti gravel bikes look)
My Ragley Ti cracked at the downtube/headtube junction, fixed by Lynskey under warranty.
Setavento copy of a Marin Rocky Ridge frame, small crack at the top of the seat-tube, double bolt clamp puts area under compression, otherwise still fine.
Lynskey-made Planet X Ti Pro Road, bought in 2009, still fine and rides beautifully.
My Ragley Ti had a lot of hammer before it broke. Lynskey said basically it was because the downtube met the headtube too high up to clear fork crowns and left too much unbraced headtube below the junction, cue leverage, cue cracking. It's why they now use curved downtubes.
I really like the way ti frames ride and wear and it's repairable. That said I'm more likely to buy a steel frame these days, primarily because ti seems so expensive.
broken four steel hardtails and one aluminum in different ways. it's not about the material, but i'm not all that sure Ti is ideal for bicycle frame use.
1 x Enigma MTB and 1 x Enigma road. The former has been ridden and raced many times and is fine.
The only thing I find is they are fingerprint/mark/scratch magnets. Some people like a bit of patina but if your OCD er's on the side of perfectionist its a tough gig.
Me! However I've hardly ridden it.
J Guillem Atalaya. - had it 20 months but only done ~80 miles due to broken body and eye problems
@kryton57 Presumably you've tried the WD40 and/or Scotchbright rub down to sort the finish?
Me - three.
Cotic Soda - I got from Northwind. Previously repaired by Enigma and then ridden by myself and now my son.
Van Nicholas Euros,.
Stanton Switchback.
Loved them all.
See the end of this thread
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tripster-atr-finally-built-up-lush/page/69/
At least 2 9 year old Tripsters still going
I've had 3, rode the Ragley Ti for absolutely years and raced enduros and generally rode it a load and quite hard, it was used when I got it and as far as I know it's still going with the new owner.
And a Soda, which I bought already cracked and got welded up, so you could say I unbroke it. Again last I heard it was still going. Though I didn't ride that all that much
And now got a Titus Loco Moto, which tbf doesn't massively inspire confidence, it's a massive, long travel, hard use but light bike with really not much structure to it, no gussets or much overlap/integration of tubes, which you'd think would give it less strength but maybe lets it flex and absorb stresses and avoids stress risers and suchlike, who knows? Don't even know who made it. But it's not broken yet and it's very good to ride.
@ton also worth bearing in mind the total rider/kit weight limit on frames, from memory salsa were about the 20st mark so a big lad with touring kit may be right at the upper end/tipping over of the frames design limits. Unless you go custom with a choice of thicker tube walls most production ti frames wont be aimed at the larger gentleman/small gorillas out there
I had a litespeed hardtail which was probably the nicest all-round frame to own and ride as it felt so solid and indestructible, didn't break it despite having an accident so hard it fully spanked the rider, frame just had a scratch- the one frame I've really regretted selling, and only because the wheels grew too small.
On the other hand I've cracked 3 carbon road frames around the BB from the now severely depleted wattage cottage and 1 carbon mtb chainstay just from the bike falling over on a wooden bridge....
Would have 'good' Ti again no hesitation, or steel.
I have a 2003 cove hummer that got thrashed several times a week for years and still ridden as more of a gravel bike. Seem to remember Jedi having the same bike that got ridden pretty hard. Not sure if he broke his
Presumably you’ve tried the WD40 and/or Scotchbright rub down to sort the finish?
No, please enlighten me re WD40? I don’t really want to try scotch brite as mine is a hand brushed Matt finish and I’m worried about creating a shiny patch on it.
I’ve owned one Ti bike, a Titus Fireline, the newer one. It’s my only bike and is still going strong. No idea who made it but it’s well finished and rides well.
Me. Its a 90s raleigh Ti MTB frame - but not one of the desirable ones. Ridden before me by a rider that is much tougher on bikes. Sadly redundant now
Had 3, didn't break any but the last one I had was just too bendy* (genesis 26" MTB) and for the weight gain concluded that decent steel is better for frame building for me (85kg bimbler).
* I could make the rear brake rub just by hauling on the handlebars
On One 456Ti, Lynskey Mk2, bought new in 2009 - just under 9,000 miles and over a million feet of climbing/descending.
Still fine, although not used since Covid as a couple of purchases superseded it.
It did however destroy a whole load of components - including 4 sets of forks and the best part of half a dozen rear wheels plus more mechs than I can remember.
I have though broken/worn out 2 carbon FS's, both were unusable as the carbon had 'worn' on bearing seats.
But surely the reason this thread exists is that Ti bikes have been sold as indestructible and bikes for life, which many are , and some aren’t.
I've honestly never seen a brand trotting out this line. Mostly it seems to be an internet trope come conspiracy theory that people just repeat blithely as if it's some sort of truth. My guess is that it started as a quotable pithy phrase in some MBUK review back in the last century and has taken on a life of its own.
I have a Ti 456 evo, that I've owned new since 2013.
It was meant to be my winter bike as I have a full bouncer for summer duties, although the Ti gets used a lot more.
Mostly cross country with a little wheels in the air stuff at trail centres and I haven't noticed any cracks (although I don't go looking for them).
It has been laid up for 2 weeks though, as I noticed that the forks have hydo-locked.
I have cracked an old steel mtb frame through the head tube.
But surely the reason this thread exists is that Ti bikes have been sold as indestructible and bikes for life, which many are , and some aren’t.
I’ve honestly never seen a brand trotting out this line. Mostly it seems to be an internet trope come conspiracy theory that people just repeat blithely as if it’s some sort of truth. My guess is that it started as a quotable pithy phrase in some MBUK review back in the last century and has taken on a life of its own.
Probably right. That was always the view I had about ti frames being for life - basically steel properties but resistant to rust - but unsure how/why I believed it.
I've owned aluminium, steel, carbon and titanium. Only frame I've broke was titanium: crack extending from a cable routing port on a Titus/Planet X frame after 3 years of light use. I'm now back on steel.
I had some small concerns when I bought my first (only) Ti bike. The 10 year warranty helped me press buy. I thought if it breaks after that, it would be a decent life. But it'll be 5 years old this August, still feels newish to me, somehow another 5 years doesn't seem like enough! Fingers crossed for more than that.
[img] 
[/img]
I've got steel bikes 12, 11, 25, 37 years old and a carbon 2 year old. all fine. The 25yo had a flared headtube repaired 20 years ago.
I had a 30 year old skip find as a station bike for a year that was so rusty inside it sounded like a rain stick. that broke. Not sure if 30 year old skip find station bikes made of Ti are a thing!
i've had a PlanetX/Serotta road bike for the last 8 years, and it's been fine.
Only simple pootles around country lanes of course.
I've had a Signal Ti five years. I've ridden it two to three times a week every week and its still fine.
I've said this before regarding titanium - if you look at the requirements for vacuum/argon purge chambers for aerospace welding of titanium there's no chance that traditional back purging style of steel frame welds will suffice. There was a ti frame a few years ago that had "lovely coloured ti welds" that was clearly contaminated.
Tldr - I wouldn't have a titanium frame.
Owned a few over the years.
None of them broke during my ownership.
I don’t tend to keep bikes for as long as most people do though and what happened to them after my ownership is anyone’s guess.
I've had 3 MTBs.
One was (really) a little too small and i cracked it at the seat tube slot after about 4 years (i was racing a *lot* back then). Also found that i'd bent the seat pin. That was in about 1997 or 8.
I still have it's replacement, raced that as a second bike until 2001 or 2, then my ex raced it until 2010 or 11 when we both went carbon. I also have a team issue Ti which i picked up at the same time as the warranty frame. That was raced until 2003/4 and ridden regularly until 2010/11, so pretty much 15 years. Neither of them are cracked, the painted one shows some signs of age! The raw Ti is still almost good as new. Peaked at slightly under 100 kilos when riding that.