Titus FTM

Hi everyone
I have titus carbon FTM and i am very happy with it, only thing i don’t like is its a bit steep in the head angle.

On way say why not fit a headset adaptor but i can not see one that will fit. Any one done this? Know how to?

from on one

‘Well, in actual fact with a couple of component alterations it’s possible to push/pull the FTM into the XC or All Mountain categories. A tyre change here, a stem change there. Heck, seeing as the FTM has a modern head tube you can even slap in a Slackset headset and tweak the head angle handling.’

If i put a 150MM fork on would that have the same effect? (i round 140 at the minute) i also have standard steerer

Speak to Works Components, they’ll need the headset cup dimensions and the headtube length but they’ll almost certainly be able to sort you with that.

cheers mailed them so what they sat

I can’t see how it would work, as its a fully integrated headset – the bearings sit directly on machined surfaces in the frame. Its not an interference fit like a headset cup would be.

I’ve thought about a similar change but am telling myself its just the marketing spiel telling us slack head angles have to be better.

No one was complaining about the HA on the Titus when it was first reviewed, two years or so ago.

“No one was complaining about the HA on the Titus when it was first reviewed, two years or so ago”

IIRC Singletrack mag did?
The head angle (and not finding a way to slacken) put me off a carbon FTM.
69.25deg with a 140mm fox must be about the steepest (140mm fork) head angle out there?
A 140mm Rockshox would be a touch longer, so ought to just pull it the ‘right’ side of 69 degrees bringing at least inline with a few other 140mm forked 140mmish FS frames?

EDIT: I see the on-one site is showing both the alu. and carbon FTMs now come with 1 1/8″ to 1.5″ taper headtube, which there are angle adjust headsets available

I’m riding an ’09 (’10?) ftm, which ever it is it’s got the standard / non taipered headtube. I found mine steep (but it was cheap) so tweaked it with a longer fork (150 mm revelations), offset shock bush plus a skinnier tyre at the back. it’s around 67/68 degrees now and feels much better for it

Yeah, the head tube on the latest carbon FTM is a tapered one but it takes a fully integrated headset – the bearing races sit directly on machined surfaces in the frame. i.e. there are no press fit headset cups, you just drop the bearing races into the frame directly. So I don’t see how you could fit an angleset – since the frame’s bearing surfaces would not give enough interference with such headset cups (even if you could get the right size).

The alu version is also a tapered headtube but looks as though it takes an On-one smoothie mixer headset – therefore you press cups into the frame as normal and the bearings sit in these. So I would think an angleset with the alloy version is possible.

I’d be happy to be corrected though, cos it would be nice if it were possible on the carbon version.

I’m looking at fitting an RS Rev, and a 2.35 front tyre / 2.1 rear tyre to nudge it in the right direction.

The head angle is 0.25deg or virtually naff all different to a Heckler, so it can’t be that bad?

Don’t think WMB complained about the head angle, but anyone remember what issue Singletrack reviewed it?

works components have some ftms from on-one to develop a adjuster, i think it could be done on the crown race if your using a standard steerer or the inner race of the bearing

i used diferent sized rubber in the summer, in fact i do that a far bit it makes sense to me. but not in the winter.

what offset bushes did you use? I worried it may allow the back wheel to hit if used them?

Surely, if your name is anything to go by, turning your own headset is an option?

“anyone remember what issue Singletrack reviewed it? “

Think it could have been 50? if not maybe 49 or 51. Cant be sure. Wasnt all that lomg ago I looked for the review though cant really remember anything specific they said other than it being an excellent sit down in the rough pedaller

Well, I found the review of the Titus Motolite in issuse 41 but thats slightly different, and no mention of a steep head angle there. Couldn’t find any other reviews of FTM carbon unless it wasn’t listed in a bike test but was a separate feature?

Some kind custom bearing would be good, but don’t see how it wouldn’t rotate over time, unless it was a different fit to how the standard bearings fit.

ye i thought about makeing one
i don’t have access to anything that can machine the 2 deg hole.

i can wait till one is made i am very nearly 100 percetn happy with it.

I’ve talked to Works components about their headsets for a Mojo SL, which also has an IS headset as per the FTM carbon. They are working on a solution, but not sure how far they have got.

“ouldn’t find any other reviews of FTM carbon unless it wasn’t listed in a bike test but was a separate feature?”

Think it was the alu. one (same HA?) in I think issue 50? Ill check

Found it thanks James, I had another look since you were sure it was iss 50 – it was in the ‘Through the Grinder’ section, not part of a full test like where I was looking.

Cheers!

Yep, sorry didnt think it not being obvious for it to be there. Though given more recent issues where they appear to have limited the grinder to one bike (used to be more) it wouldnt appear to be the most obvious place
Ive got caught out looking for bike reviews with the ‘head-to-head’ mini reviews theyve put in from timt eo time

What non adjustable headsets are people using on the FTM?
I was looking at one of these as i need a reducer
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k690/a57750/orbit-i-tapered-reduction-plus-1-1-8-1-5.html
Cheers
paul

That looks about right….perhaps compare it to the non-reducer version on the on-one website? It should only be a different crown race?

I bought a reducer crown race on ebay separately which I’ve never needed to use.

-larrythelathe, it’s a steamer industries one (if you’re still interested!). I’ve only used one, as I’m not sure there’s room to run two without breaking something! Bergtec to something similar too. Mojo can do a more premanent fix by putting a shorter shock body on which has the same effect. The best change I made to my FTM was a shock revalve, the RP23 came with lowest cpmression damping and boost valve, which made it wallow if you didn’t run high pressures. I had both increased, so I can now run more sag.

i had a look at what would happen if i ran offset bushes i think the rear tire will hit the seat tube.

MBR did an american classics test in 2009. It had a Titus FTM up against a Turner, Santa Cruz and Yeti. They did coment on the steeper head angle, although that wasnt particuarly a negative, just a feature.

The conculsion is here.

http://www.silverfish-uk.com/cms-files/resources/85-a9729dd52d55ed902703ddd2272fa0b0.pdf