Titanium frames- what do you think of yours?

Interested to know what people think of their titanium bikes?

Was very generously offered a crash replacement ti frame (£600) for my Cube Reaction HPC Pro which was bought through MHW Bike House in Germany.

Very pleased with the Elite HPT frame. Strong and light with the characteristic flex which absorbs some of the buzz and larger impacts.

I was really pleased with mine until I started commuting on it. Couldn’t stop the thing creaking, forever chasing one noise after another. I’m sure it’s not cracked anywhere, from what I can gather they are just more prone to it.

I posted about my chris king bb creaking and somebody else said they had several bikes with the chris king bb’s and the only one which made any noise was the one on a titanium frame.

It was a custom frame, I wouldn’t buy one again, i’d go for steel.

I dont have one, but I would say not worith it. Weaker than steel and heavier than carbon but they cost loads more than either of those two materials.

I’ve had this for nearly 9 yrs now so you could say I’ve been pleased with it!…

..loads of frames have come and gone from my shed, but this one has a permanent place in there.

My Whyte 19 Ti is lovely.

I dont have one, but I would say not worith it. Weaker than steel and heavier than carbon but they cost loads more than either of those two materials.

So, speaking from experience then? 🙄

Mine’s lovely, and it only cost me £300 second-hand, so not loads more than anything else.

So, speaking from experience then?

Mine’s lovely, and it only cost me £300 second-hand, so not loads more than anything else.

Just what Ive experience from this forum.

If you’re buying 2nd hand then they’re probably worth it, but I wouldnt buy a new un. Sounds like you got a bargain.

I’ve got a Lynsey 456ti here, with the brake brace and I love it. I find it hard to ride any of the other bikes I have because it does everything really well.

Before I bought it, I was an habitual frame buyer / seller too, probably almost annually but all that has stopped after splashing out on the On One.

It was one of the bargain frames when On One moved warehouses a few years back too so was “only” £800.

Other bikes are a 2010 Enduro, an Allez and a commuter bike.

I’ve a Ti road frame and prefer it over my other steel, aluminium and carbon

I have a litespeed Obed, it’s ok. I much proffer my carbon frames, they ride nicer and I’m less worried about them failing.

I was lucky enough early last year to pick up a Genesis Altitude Ti frame cheap 2nd hand in my size. Now the benefit for me here was I already knew how the 853 steel version of the same frame rode, as I’d already had one for 2 years and loved it. I’ve ridden Ti frames in the past that I’ve not got on with at all well though (usually too flexy, notable exception the Cove Hummer which was lovely!) so didn’t immediately sell the steel version.

Anyway, said I’d keep the steel frame 6 months in case I didn’t get on with the Ti version. 3 months later, it was in the classifieds on here. I love the Ti version even more, it’s got all the great characteristics of the Steel version (which is probably 99% down to the geometry), but it’s almost 1.5lb lighter, it’s definitely slightly more forgiving over a longer ride, and it doesn’t have any paint to chip or scuff!

Like I said though, there are plenty of duff Ti frames out there, a wonder material cannot fix poor geometry or bad design, but IMO it is possible to make a great frame even better (at significant cost of course) if you make it out of Ti. And I was the world’s biggest Ti sceptic for years, and to be quite frank I’d still recommend Steel and a whole heap of cash in your bank balance over Ti to most people, but if you know what you like and you’ve got the cash burning a whole in your pocket… Then why not! It’s totally unjustifiable (unless you’re paying as little as I did 2nd hand), but it can be bloody marvellous!

Never had any exotic (read expensive) Ti frames but cheapo ones have served well.
1994 Dyna Tech Torus MTB (cheapo Russian Ti) – still going strong, although not in regular use now.
2001 RSP Road Ti (more cheapo Russian Ti) – still going strong and in weekly use.
2011 Spa Ti Audax (cheapo Chinese Ti) – used regularly but is still an Audax virgin (soon to be rectified). Hopefully will last as long as the others!

All ride well and love the industrial finish (satin/brushed) but have to say my carbon framed road and hardtails are far superior in both performance and weight!

I’ve been riding a ti frame since 1994 and it’s fab, light strong and nippy. Not cheap but lighter than carbon even these days and wonderful ride. Job done.

I like my Brodie Holeshot ti a lot but what do I know?

I had a Lynskey 456 but it didn’t make me feel any more special. I sold it and now have a Scandium frame and prefer the whole experience.

I absolutely love my Ragley TD1.
Don’t think I’ll ever sell it. Mind you, it was built by Lynskey, so it’ll probably crack in half very soon.

Hang on a minute (goes to check on bike)..

Nope still hasn’t cracked, sorry.

As soon as it does I’ll be on here criticising the material and the company that welded it together.

Damn you lynskey! I thought it was indestructible!

No experience of Ti MTBs.

But in terms of road bikes give me a good carbon frame any day of the week. I never really got on with my Omega Alchemy Ti road bike. I bit too soft, dare I say flexy, for my liking. It was just never as much fun as riding any of my carbon bikes.

Perhaps on a 5 hour plus ride I would be grateful for it, but those rides were/are few and far between for me, and am I pretty sure the fatigue is just down to me and a bike no matter how good will make not an enormous difference.

Sold mine, sad to let it go, but I can’t say I miss it.

I like my Brodie Holeshot ti a lot but what do I know?

If I had one of those, I’d not care how well it rides… Single best looking bike frame I’ve ever seen personally! I lust after one BADLY… 😛

I had a Cotic Soda for 3.5 years. It was great until it cracked.

I had Brodie Holeshot Ti for 5 months. It was great until it was stolen.

*sigh*

I’ve had three MTBs and have one roadbike. The first (Litespeed) was beautifully made, but the geometry was a bit out for me. The second rode wonderfully, but was not so well made and cracked. The third was lovely, but not actually any better to ride than its steel equvalent (soda/soul) so I sold it to fund two rather nice replacements (one steel, one aluminium). I don’t really miss it, other than to look at.

The Ti road bike (Planet X Sportive) was bought as something nice I could ride year round without worrying about too much. The only thing that would make me get rid is if I found something identical but slightly bigger for the same sort of cash.

I like Ti. Sometimes it’s very practical, it looks nice, but it isn’t magic.

I have a Ti cx frame – airborne, so pretty low end

I’ve only really ridden it on the road. It’s lovely, genuinely does feel smooth – a mate who knows sod all about bikes said so spontaneously afetr a ride on it

But a road bike’s better for my odd 25 mile spins. The off-road I’d planned for it is too bone-jarring for me, even after just one try (pretty flat, but no real trail to follow and lots of hoof-craters).

Don’t really know what to do with it – prob keep it ’til my kids grow up and I can go touring

😕

My Whyte 19 Ti is lovely.

Seriously tempted to upgrade my 2010 Whyte 905 with one of the new 2012 titanium frames. Wanted Ti originally but couldn’t afford it at the time. What forks do you use with yours? Was thinking 100mm SIDS would be good!

I think the 2 i have are great 8 year old Litespeed Lockout mountain and 2009 Hummer which is the last of the Litespeed made ones.Looking at the new prizes of the Hummers with only a 2 year warranty i think you would be mad to buy one now.I thought my Hummer was lifetime but is only 5 years warranty.
I would buy a carbon Trek/Spec/Merida lifetime warranty now.

Hummer is a great ride but is it that great of a ride to pay £1600 for a frame now??????????i would say no.

Both of mine were ok – until they broke.

Voodoo D-Jab. Had to go a little larger with the frame than my normal size but I love it

Thats the worrying thing now!!.Who would take the chance now?

I’m sitting in front of my 40th birthday present – an Enigma Ego Ti frame – now, hoping the last missing piece (rotors) arrive tomorrow so I can build it Saturday and ride it Sunday :-/

Nicely made. Like the finish. Pose value.

Other than that, they break just as readily as anything else, and are a bitch to get repaired.
And there’s so little difference between any material IME anyway.

I’ve had one. It was nice. Would not bother again now carbon is better in just about every way.

I had an IF Ti SS, sold it bought steel, suits me better, but was it ever light………..

Has a ti456- didnt rock my boat
Now have a lynskey pro29er and its great- built up to about 20lbs in ss rigid mode and does feel a bit more compliant than the scandal 29er I also have

I love my Airborne Ti road frame. The Airborne was always a cheap offering, but I’ve not had a single issue with it.
It’s stiffer, even after seven years than my old PX SL Pro but far more compliant.
Though the main reason I bought it was as a robust training bike for all year round use, and for that it’s been great.
I did want a nice steel frame, but I think a Ti at the right price is a better option.

my IF is the bollox

+1 456Ti, love it – rode today, rode last night, rode Tuesday 😀

hazeii
Both of mine were ok – until they broke.

Ditto

Titanium. One mans opinion…..
I’m lucky enough to own 3 nice bikes. A Turner, a Storck carbon hardtail and a Cove Hummer (titanium). I reckon I’ve got most bases covered. I ride Cwm Carn 2 or 3 times a week. Also lucky. The bikes are all different, all great and I lap the course in the same time give or take a minute. I reckon the thing that separates them is the mood of the day, the weather and tyre pressures. The Turner is plush but you notice the extra pounds. The Storck is lighning fast but if the mood is wrong it can beat you up on the harshest bits. The Cove does it all. Its ALMOST like a full sus. It soaks up bumps, is still lighter than the Turner and its the most maintenance free of the 3. Its like a winter bike that you want to ride all year round. If I HAD to sell one its the Cove that would go…. and then I ride it and I am reminded that I love it. It doesn’t stand out in a crowd but perversely, if I had to have one bike to do it all, I may just have to plump for the Cove

I’ve got a Ti Voodoo D-Jab. I love it. Simple as that.

I’ve also got a Kingdom Brigante for this week. And that’s nice too.

Absolutely love my Ti frame (ss 29er), but it is a custom one & built a fair bit beefier than many (I broke the previous one). As a result, it’s really quite stiff, but that suits me just fine.

i loved my merlin ti – got 7 hard years out of it – it snapped twice

paul

I’ve never owned one but Druidh loaned me his Ragley Ti for a little while and tbh it was stunning- best hardtail I’ve ridden by a fair way.

I had a Dialled Bikes Kobe Ti.
You could just about tell it was titanium when it pinged you out of corners, but it wasn’t obvious and the geometry let it down for anything but hooning about – at which it was very good.
Still regret selling it though.