Which ti 26 h/tail would you say is the bike for life?

I want to build myself a classy 100mm h/tail bike for genral xc and longer stuff. Not for “all mountain” or jumping big stuff, just plan old skool mountain bike riding,( maps cafes and that sort of stuff….)
Id really like this to be a frame for life, so id like to know peoples views on ti h/tails for between £1000 – £1500, what have you got or what would you have?
Many thanks

Frame for life doesn’t exist. If used, bikes break.

If it was me and I really wanted something ostensibly ‘for life’ (let’s also gloss over the fact it will be obsolete in 10 years) I’d probably get a Seven, IF or Serotta. Need to up your budget though.

Lynskey? They make everyone elses! Friend has a couple of ti Salsas which are nice (and made by them).

soda…one of the nicest ti bikes ive ridden…

Frame for life doesn’t exist. If used, bikes break.

+1, as borne out on any number of threads on here, about supposed “bikes(/frame) for life”

Also have you tried a 120mm hardtail, a 29-er or 650b, carbon/steel, a short(or long) travel full suss, etc etc? If not, how do you know a 26er HT is it for you? Too many different types of bike to say “one” is it, in my book anyways

I have a Pipedrean Nevis Ti at 1500g that I am very pleased with.

It has the brace on the chainstay-seatstay near the IS brake mount and is plain gauge tubing (50g heavier than butted).

I do not intend to sell it and accept that whilst it will not corrode it may crack….but it is not a jump bike and I weigh 50Kg so I expect a couple of decades of light use.

Nearest now is their Sirius Ti with modular drop-outs.

PaulD

soda…

Like any other frame, they can break. I know because I was unlucky to have mine crack on me. Lovely bike to ride though, probably my favourite hardtail.

Don’t be put off by the doom mongers a Ti hardtail will be perfect for the riding you describe

Yes, but as will a carbon or alu hardtail. They can all last decades or they can all break. No one’s saying ti is more susceptible to it, but I think that to expect it to last forever is setting oneself up for disappointment!

+1 for a Soda if you can still get one!
(stunning frame which will work perfectly well with 100mm forks)

Older model is more flexy at b/b and along top tube, newer one is less so for both.

Also had Tinbred which was also a bit flexy.

Yes I know Ti is meant to be flexy but I prefer the newer Soda for where I ride.

Also consider a Ti Duster.

I love my Voodoo D-Jab
sliding dropouts for Rohloff, pannier rack mounts for epic rides and strong enough for 130mm fork (I run 140mm Pike at the moment to slacken it a bit)

Cove Hummer fits into that price btracket and its an awesome machine. i had one for a while and loved it. On sale at CRC the now for £1100 😉

Admittedly, I’ve not ridden that many ti frames but I actually prefer the ride feel of my Soul.

enigma ego ti, custom made in sussex, test rode one last summer, amazing, if I had the £££, I’d get one at a drop of a hat. 29er?

’98 Hei Hei owned from new. It’ll take 100mm forks, has done everything from the Alps, to XC/24 racing and trail Centres and I have no plans to sell ever.
It would probably be a bit out of its depth at the Red Bull Run but horses for courses, so to answer your question – whatever you’re happy with is a bike for life.

carbon or alu hardtai

I accept that any material may break crack or get badly damaged but all things being equal over a long period carbon will get scuffed & aluminium will get scratched & corrode, whereas Ti can remain fresh for years

You could get an Enigma. At least if it did crack you would be dealing with a UK company/builder.
Personally though, especially if you’re riding smoother stuff or covering longer distances, I’d go for a 29’er…Enigma don’t do these in Ti yet though!
I’ve got a Litespeed hardtail, picked it up S/H on here, got it shot-blasted and bought new stickers…Everyone who’s seen it thinks it’s brand new. It cost £25 for the shot-blast and £7 for the stickers! Fair enough I haven’t got a warranty but if it breaks I’ll just buy another S/H.
If I had the money I’d love a Moots MootoX YBB but would want custom sizing and the seatpost/stem they do. It would be around 4 grand I think! 😯

The off the peg egos are made overseas, only the custom ones are UK built.

I’ve just cancelled my order so they should have a slot free.

that Enigma looks nice

man Ti hardtails are objects of desire for me

My Charge Duster Ti

I’ve got an original On-One tinbred. Its light, fast and comfy and is certainly my ‘bike for life’.

A year or so ago I was dismayed to find a crack on the chainstay. I took it to a local company who make ti handrails for racing yachts, the guy fixed it in his lunchbreak for a tenner.

Its still my favourite bike to ride, and still a ‘bike for life’.

The Enigma’s do look good, a friend had one but sadly took it with him when he emigrated.

Thanks for all the feed backs,

I’ve never had a frame break on me since 91 when I first started mountain biking,including a giant CFM2, scott fx2 and many very small
alu h/tails with crazy amounts of seat post out, as was the way back then……………….

But i’ve never had ti before.

I think the Soda sounds like it will do nicely, if i can get one to fit my 6,3″ness.
Are they really made in the uk as ive been told or is that abit of, hummm, my beard etc etc

soda…
Like any other frame, they can break. I know because I was unlucky to have mine crack on me

You’re not the only one who was “unlucky”.

The last batch of Sodas were made by Lynskey, if you can demo a Large Soul that will let you see if it fits OK.

I’m 5′ 11″ and a Medium is fine for me.

Well last year I bought a Van Nic Ti Tuareg.
Frame has a lifetime warranty. Built it up to 23lbs and it’s great to ride.

You won’t get a decent Ti build for £1500. Many frames cost this on their own. I got a 2010 discounted one for £750 from on-one after months of looking around. Build ended up being around £3k I guess – never added it all up so I have genuine deniability when asked 🙂

My advice if you are after a bike for life is to really take your time – buy the frame and do a build – think about every component carefully and do your research. I did all this and the bike is so much better for it.

Thread here

Keep us posted…

Frame for life?

Perhaps “frame I’ve always wanted” ?

Have a VN Zion which is a lovely bike for the sort of thing you describe.

Nice comfortable top tube length.

68 deg head angle (I think) with 100 mm forks.

Perhaps not as exclusive as some of the others but quite well priced and occasionally cheap.

Cheers DaveRambo, i did mean £1500 on the frame, Ive already got most of the bits of my current bike,,,,,,,

Ah if it’s £1500 on the frame then it’s not an easy choice as there are quite a few options.

Maybe look for a custom build ? Kent Eriksen maybe?
Or a nicher brand – Seven, Moots, Enigma etc

They might be a bit more than the budget though but then there’s always better options over your budget.

You seem to know what you want so look at all the brands over a period of time. Don’t rush it. Brings back all those exciting emotions I had when choosing mine.

DaveRambo – the OP’s budget is up to £1500 for the frame not £5000! 🙄

I’ve been correlating all the threads about ti frames cracking with the ones about being fat and weight loss and wondering if there’s any sort of connection. Is it maybe just the case that fat people crack ti frames disproportionately often? I get the impression that the average weight round here is, what, 15 stone or more. Or am I barking up the wrong tree and fat people just break frames made from any material?

People always double the budget – it’s the second law of bike buying.
🙂

A Kent Eriksen is $3200 – so £2kish (according to a quick google) only £500 more.

and the OP did say it was a bike for life.

I spoke to Kent Erikkson (well, his admin monkey) and inc delivery and tax you’re looking at £ for $ parity pricewise.

Used is the only way to buy a 19″ Soda these days. I’d still recommend it. Mine was bought with a vague eye to being “all the bike I’ll ever need”. I sold it a couple of months ago to fund a Cotic Solaris (similar, but steel in 29er form), and bought a used full suss 29er with the change.

Not sure what that tells you that’s useful, but I would still say the Soda is a fantastic bike if 26″ is what you want.

DEAN? or Mebbe a nuskool Sunn Exact Ti they were lovely!

Im planning on getting a Ti Stanton soon and I hope that will be the hardtail Ive always wanted.

Thoroughly enjoying my Brodie.

For life? Who knows. Maybe a slimmer (read more comfortable) seat tube would be good. Otherwise I intend to keep it for quite a while as my ‘do most things’ bike.

I loved my old ti merlin – I rode it to death – its head tube was replaced and the seat tube cracked twice – i would love another but tbh a steel bike is a bike for life and far easier to repair

not against Ti but dont be under the impression they last a lifetime – I got 7 years out of mine and rode it very hard.

Best bit was polishing it up !

paul

I thought this my Merlin Oreas was going be my ‘bike for life’ but being honest there is no such thing and I was unlucky to suffer an injury that meant selling it as I didn’t know if I’d recover. Absolutely stunning bike and one of the best builds I’ve ever done with loads and loads of bling on it. Still miss it loads 😥

i would say Kent Eriksen is just as Niche as seven and moots. Enigma doesnt even come close IMO if you are talking niche. Kent did actually start and run Moots for a number of years but left a few years back as they were becoming a bit too mainstream for him. Ivan Dobski is right about the whole £ equals $ thing as well.
Does it have to be a Ti hardtail? what about a IF steel deluxe or Seven Sola? theres a bike that if you damage a tube can easily be fixed by a number of quality frame builders in the UK without the hassle of sending it back to the US

Other bikes may come and go but my Ti is for life. She’s over 3 years old now and as beautiful as ever. 8) Litespeed Ocoee.