The X Carbon is Titus’ short-travel out-and-out cross country weapon, completely re-engineered with full-carbon construction and designed for speed. Weighing only 2270g complete with 105mm travel and with an aggressive 71 degree head angle the X makes no apologies for it’s podium-topping intentions.
Submitted by
kg6fnk
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin,TX, USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2011
Strengths: Wonderful handling. Light weight. Responsive ride.
Weaknesses: Carbon might not ideal for rocky trails where it could be damaged by impacts.
Bottom Line:
I love the bike. It has no bad handling characteristics and is quick and responsive.
However, after about 4 months I've broken the chain stay and it might be difficult to get a replacement piece from On-One the new owners of Titus. It was a new design before Titus went under, I wonder if they had enough time to perfect it. Titus's specialty was Ti, I don't know if Carbon was their forte'.
Bike Setup: Shimano XT, Magura Marta SL, Mavic Crossmax SLR.
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Submitted by
whippsb
a Cross Country Rider
from Birmingham, Alabama
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2010
Strengths: Light, Responsive, Looks
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
This bike is amazing so far. So fast and responsive on the trail. This was my first full-suspension and I was expecting to lose some efficiency and rigidity but this bike was a major step up in both areas.
Bike Setup: Stock mountain kit 1 w/ Crank Brother Acid pedals, Bontrager inForm saddle, and ODI Rouge grips
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Submitted by
givemecinco
a Racer
from Boulder Colorado
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2010
Strengths: lightweight frame, efficient suspension that is easily tuned for ay trail.(fow RP23 and Fox32 FIT). n suspension creaks or noises after weeks of riding without tuning.
Weaknesses: bottle cage area is tight, buta sideload cage from specialized solved it.
Bottom Line:
It was expensive but worth every penny. It's exceeded all my race expectations, especially coming from 2 s works bikes!
Similar Products Used: 2009 Specialized Epic S works. 2008 Specialized S works HT.
Bike Setup: Full SRAM XX, FOX32Fit forx, Stans Podium MMX wheelset, Noir carbon bars, thomson post and stem, phenom saddle, schwalbe tires.
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Submitted by
Bakerize
a Racer
from Boulder, Colorado
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2010
Strengths: lightweight, tight geometry for responsive handling, internal cable routing for minimizing cable replacement and tunes. suspension tuning is easy with FOX RP23 rear shox and a FOX 32FIT fork.
Weaknesses: Bottle cage area is tight, but solved with side load cage from Specialized for $20.
Bottom Line:
Expensive, but the best stuff always is... Carbon X is fast and efficient. handles and performs better than any previous bike I have ridden.
Similar Products Used: 2009 Carbon Epic s-works and 2008 Carbon S works HT.
Bike Setup: Full SRAM XX kit, Fox FIT 32, Stans Podium MMX wheels, truvativ bars, FSA stem, thomson elite post. Specialed phenom saddle, Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.1's.
Strengths: Clean slate design from the ground up for the 2010 model. Stiffer front and rear triangles, lighter than previous models. The internal cable routing prevents the annoying cable rubbing issues. The excellent finish on the carbon is pure eye candy. No squeaks or rattles, dead quiet. The bike is fast everywhere. Support from the manufacture and dealer is second to none.
Weaknesses: Water bottle location is tight, very tight. If you are racing this bike and you should be look at a side entry bottle cage or a drinking system.
Bottom Line:
With years of experience tearing up parts this is the only package I have found that stands up to the rigors of racing at 230 lbs. The X carbon takes the character traits of the previous gen Racer X like quick acceleration, sharp steering and goat like climbing ability and improves them. The increased frame stiffness allows for pinpoint accuracy during cornering. This frame has a "riding a road bike on pebbled asphalt" feel to it at low speed providing excellent rider feed back. This is a truly refined pure-bread racing machine. If you want a bike that deliver the goods during max efforts or you just like knowing you are riding one of the finest bikes the industry has to offer put this one on the shopping list. 5 Flamin Chilis on value because it flat out WORKS.
Bike Setup: SRAM XX brakes, SRAM XO shifters, SRAM XO rear derailleur, Shimano XTR front derailleur, Thomson Masterpiece, Crank Brothers eggbeater, Eason EC 70 flat bar, Stan’s hoops on DT Swiss 240 hubs, Schwalby Racing Ralph, SLR saddle, XT crank
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Submitted by
geer-head
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, Colorado, USA
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2010
Strengths: This is the 2010 X Carbon. The frame has been redesigned & both the front & rear ends are stiffer. The rear is noticible quicker & has more lateral support compared with the older X Carbons. The carbon frame has a very smooth, yet stiff feel. The bike is perfectly balanced & dives into corners very quickly. The cable routing is internal - a nice touch that diminished rub & quites the cable noise as well as looking cool. There was no difficulty in setting up the internal cables. The newer design is gorgeous!
Weaknesses: The only weakness is the limited room for a water bottle. This is because the new front end has an X design & leaves little room for a cage. The Specialized Z cage does work well here - a side entry cage.
Bottom Line:
You cannot help but love this bike! It is fast, smooth, quick & beautiful. Yes, it is pricey as built but worth it.
Bike Setup: Rotor 2x9 crankset, Rotor ceramic BB, SRAM XO shifters, SRAM XO rear derailleur, Shimano XTR front derailleur, Avid Elir CR brakes, FSA flat carbon bars, Ritchey WCS post, Crankbrothers Cobalt wheelset, Crankbrothers pedals
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Submitted by
Alistair
a Racer
from Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2009
Strengths: Lightweight, stiffness of front triangle, superlative suspension
Weaknesses: cable routing is a bit strange under compression, integrated headtube design means I can't run my favourite Chris King headset.
Bottom Line:
This bike is amazing. The front end is super stiff, it just goes where you point it. Handling is quick and intuitive. Genuine FSR suspension is brilliant, just remember to go over the bolts before you ride it the first time. Having never owned a Racer X I can't comment on whether you should replace it but coming from a 3 year old Turner Flux with Rebas/XTR I'm really impressed. It is a different and much faster bike altogether. I give it 5 & 5 as so far it has done everything I expected and I expected alot!
