I picked up a ti456 earlier in the year and love it. I'm a one bike only mtber due to owning 5 other bikes for other duties and came from a full susser with no regrets. More agressive riding in the Peaks or Scottish trail centres (Golspie is not far from my folks) seems to be it's natural home built as it is with Pikes, 710mm bars, short stem & Stans flow rims). I'm really happy with it.
However, it's a bit of an overkill for simple XC riding & its not long and low enough as is to be truely quick on the flat stuff. I have done a bit of Polaris/ off-road duathlon type racing in the past and was wondering if a ti456 could handle a temporary "face lift" for those sort of events and if it would be worth it. A lighter, shorter fork (RS Reba or the like), lighter wheels with narrower tyres, longer stem and shorter bars on paper would transform it. But would it ride like a bag of spanners? Has anyone set up a ti456 like this or should I just wind the fork down and suck it up?
To my mind a bunch of bits sat in the shed & a 20 minute makeover makes for when it is needed to switch duties makes more sense that owning another bike.
If I bought a ti456 I'd certainly want it for all round duties but I'd build it up very similar to how you've already got. Only changes I'd make for a bit more all-round XC would be adding a bit of length with a longer stem or layback post...maybe reduce some of the headset spacers under the stem to lower the front. Arch rims should be fine and are not that heavy...only 10g more that mavic 719s...swapping to light faster rolling tyres would be a better idea. Pikes...again, should be fine particularly with U-Turn, you can reduce the front down...maybe switch to U-Turn Revs with Maxle to save a bit of weight but its expensive way of saving a bit of weight.
I liked the STW article on the Chameleon: demonstrated how verstile a frame like the Chameleon can by only making fairly basic changes.
here's my ti456 :
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weighs about 24-25lbs
130mm Revs
717 rims
conti escape 2.1 on the back
WTB Raptor something or other 2.1 on the front.
inline post and 70mm stem but there again I'm a 5'4" shorty so it works for me. I find the bike is plenty long enough as it is and it does sit quite high - well high for me anyway. Much higher than my giant xtc and rock lobster. Takes more effort to lean the bugger over. Straight line it is rock stable.
Kev