Justin Burls made me a Ti bespoke 29er and I couldnt be happier with the bike or with dealing with Justin. Tremendous value too.

In the south-east why dont you go and see Jean Claude Pretorius in Shoreditch? Its worth the trip just to see the shop, it’s the ultimate man-cave and he makes lovely Ti bikes right in your price range. Not sure this build would come in under 3k though…

http://www.pretoriusbikes.com/Pretorius_Bikes/Coffee_Bar.html

Cheers_drive – your Rourke is a beaut.

As is that other steel Italian listed a bit earlier.

Am I right in saying that Burls just design in the UK and all frames are outsourced abroad? If that doesn’t bother you then fine, just thought I should mention it.

Okay, Ive got this all consuming head cold at the moment, 3 weeks and counting and it is affecting my cerebral processes somewhat, but I’m getting a deja vu on this… 😕

Great threads though, very informative, even though I have no intention of getting a road bike in the foreseeable but some of the suggestions are beautiful.

Seems I’m so well informed, I’d say Enigma or Sabbath. 😀

I have an Engima eclipse with dura ace group set and Fulcrum 3 wheels.

Is a very comfy ride but still nice and stiff for out of the saddle sprinting. Frame has a lovely finish, nice sloped top tube and good range of sizing. Also has built into a good weight, just a smidge over 18lbs.

Engima are a really friendly bunch to deal with, went in recently for a new carbon seat post and got FOC head tube badge (not out when I bought my frame) & some decals from the boss.

To answer the question about group set and wheels.
Don’t scrimp, a lot of the advice is spend the money on the frame and just stick on 105 standard kit but if I were you I would push for that little bit more minimum ultegra.

I build up a really nice Scott addict last year and put on 105, sure it shifts fine but I constantly find myself looking longingly at ultegra or even da kit. It sounds like this will be the special bike you pull out the shed on sunny days which is what my addict is but I do sometimes look at it and think the 105 looks a bit cheap and wish I had spend the little extra at the time instead of having to fork out for a complete new group set now when my heart finally convinces my head that there is something not quite right.

Still love taking it out for a treat after spending all week on my nasty commuter though.

This thread is doing nothing to help with my Ti itch 🙁

OP, if you’re a size 58 I know where there is an as new condition Moda Motif with full new SRAM Red 10 speed with mavic r-sys wheels for £2500. A better value ti bike would be hard to find. Lovely frame. Trying hard to resist myself.

Bob Jackson? I love mine

While we are on about this sort of stuff, can somebody tell me is it only weight that differentiates between Campag Record and Super Record?

oh and price of course 🙄

I love the Starley, Rourke etc but when there is excellent alternatives in the south east such as Enigma, condor, Burls, Pretorius, etc why spend a day traveling up north. I appreciate people’s own positive experience with these suppliers and thanks for comments 🙂

I going to bottom this out one way or the other on Monday. Traveling back to London probably to buy a bike from Condor which maybe either Super Accadaio or Ti Gran Fondo. I cannot quite run to stainless steel model although it is sweet! Other potential ways to go are a visit to Bespoke and/or Pretorius.

also a couple of Colganago’s on the london bike exchange, one a classic Ti the other a C50 going for less than £2k. might look those up 🙂

The Van Nic Aquila? Looks brill…nearest stockist in the south east?

Boi tell me about the Modi? I have a 58 and 56 so I may be OK for a 58 although only 5′ 10”

Talk about steel and winter riding is a red herring

I’ve got a year old Croix de Fer which is rusting all over the place. I’ve owned a few steel frames over the years, in various different grades, and they have all rusted, one terminally!
I had a Ti frame for the work bike before the Croix (which broke after about 9 years of service). I think Ti or Alu would be my preference for a commuter that is going to see all year commuting service. Rust proof and a bit more resistant to normal wear and tear than carbon.

Aw, drop me an email and I’ll put you in touch with the LBS.

Aha, I had a feeling it was a landmark birthday prezzie to yourself.
In which case a custom frame is a serious contender.
If it was me I would get the titanium Kinesis Gran Fondo frame and fork@
£1500.

Group set Campy Record -£1300
Wheels Campy Zonda – £250

If you shop around the frame and fork can be had for far less than £1500,leaving money for tires,stem, saddle and seat post .

If you can pick up this months copy of Cyclist, there is a reveiw of the Super Acciaio. Some snippets include ‘Aggressive geometry”Incredibly beefy downtube”’not as a comfortable all day companion but a thoroughbred race steed’ etc etc.

What about popping into Kinoko cycles (I’ve no idea how practical this is if your going to Condor) but they have a rather lovely selection of steel bikes it seems(again not sure what would be on display/stock). To add to some of the fantastic recommendations then I’d at least have a look at a Cherubim or a Cielo at Kinoko.

Kinoko is only about 10 mins away I believe so I could pop along thanks…

I will try to get a copy of the cyclist to read the article…