Submitted by
Eric Nesbitt
a Weekend Warrior
from Nairobi, Kenya
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2006
Strengths: Superb build quality, gorgeous looks. Love at first sight
Weaknesses: ABSOLUTELY NONE
Bottom Line:
I curse that I can only own 1 of these. This is the closest an MTB has ever resembled the ride and handling of a MX-er. No other bike I've ridden comes close to this, I recommend it to anybody that wants the best bike ever. After 5000km of XC races, triathlons and trails accross Kenya, I've only changed tires (now Bontrager Revolt Super X TR), chains, cogs, wheel bearings. All suspension, bearings still perfect. This is the original "wash - lube and go" bike. Climbs like a goat, descends like a F-14 tomcat, sprints on the flats - perfect everywhere!
Similar Products Used: Graduated from a Proflex 857. Tested Specialized S-Works, Trek Fuel 100, Garry Fischer Sugar, Intense Tracer.
Bike Setup: As purchased off the rack with Fox Float R rear shock, Duke XC forks, Rolf Dolomite tubeless rims and Stan's sealant, WTB Laser-V saddle, SRAM 9.0SL, XT cranks. Only upgrade made is from Ritchey bars (weak bars bent without an impact on first XC race) to Easton EA-70 risers.
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Submitted by
Sven
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2004
Strengths: Stiff but plush, beautifully built, looks awesome, large size fits me perfectly, climbs like a goat and decends with confidence and tracks like it's on rails.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Quick, stable, climbs, decends, rolls, reasonable weight, etc. All those things we like in a bike, but this one just does all of those just a little better and with less drama that anything else I've ever ridden. Sure, it's not cheap but then it feels worth it because it's the best. It's just perfect for AZ trails and I'm sure it'd work well just about anywhere..
Bike Setup: Fox RC3 shock, Fox Talas fork, XTR shifters, mechs and cranks, Mavic rims with King hubs and headset, Hayes brakes, King headset, Thomson post and stem, Easton bars. Yuh, it's all the nice stuff.
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Submitted by
brian
a Cross Country Rider
from lowell, mi, usa
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2004
Strengths: light, stiff laterally, no bob in out of the saddle sprints and climbs, fantastic construction
Weaknesses: derailleur chatter on fast, bumpy sections. it hits the lower chainstay on fast, bumpy sections (fixed with a rubber pad on the top of hanger bolt)
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike. Despite being a bit heavier than my previous ride (dean oscar hardtail), it more than makes up for the minimal weight gain in sheer joy to ride. It climbs as well as any hardtail I have owned and even better than some. It doesn't feel like a heavy bike, with quick, responsive cornering and excellant trail. Out of the saddle there is little or no bob, which makes it an all-around XC race bike. The construction quality is excellent; perfect welds and a great paint finish. I would highly recommend this bike to anyone looking for the ultimate FS/XC ride.
Bike Setup: rock shock SID carbon fork, xtr deraileurs, sram rocket shifters, pauls love levers, easton carbon flat bar, salsa moto stem, syncros carbon post, slr xp saddle, chris king headset, truvativ stylo team crank/isis bb, crank brothers ss eggbeater pedals, sun-ringle' rpm lite wheelset, nokian x tires
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Submitted by
Tim Lalley
a Racer
from Boise, ID., USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2003
Strengths: Overall performance, quality, design.
Weaknesses: I wouldn't call this a weakness but the rear deraileur will knock against the Horst Link when riding in the big front ring/small cog combination. This was fixed by buying a rubber pad (made by Shimano for this purpose) that wraps around the deraileur. If that is the only "weakness" I can think of, I think it says a lot about the bike!
Bottom Line:
Okay, I haven't ownned this bike for very long (only 3 months) so I will write an update to this review in the Fall but here we go: This bike really does ROCK! It took me several rides to get used to the bike but it seemes the fork was the culprit (the Marathon SL takes some time to dial in). Climbing - I would rather climb than descend so I was very concerned about how the bike would do on the up-hills. The bike performs wonderfully in all circumstances. While I don't see any pedal bob I do see some activity in the rear shock but I don't feel that I lose any energy. In fact I feel I climb better and I'm definately less fatigued and the end of a ride. I also feel the bike sprints better than my hard tail, the rear tire sticks like glue to the trail. Down Hill - fast, responsive, smoooooth. I feel like like I'm just hanging on for my life. The rear triangle is so stiff latterally it corners like my hard tail but gives me the ability to go twice as fast. Overall an outstanding bike and Bob's Bicycles was great to work with in every aspect!!! The bike is expensive but it's worth the $$$.
Similar Products Used: This is my first full suspension bike although I've ridden several over the years. My previous bike was a Specialized S-Works, full XTR/race set-up.
Bike Setup: XTR grouppo, Chris King head set, Ti Tech bars & carbon bar ends, Thompson Elite stem/seat post, Marzocchi Marathon SL fork.
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Submitted by
Scott Hildebrand
a Cross Country Rider
from State College
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2003
Strengths: stiffness, welds, versatility, manufacturer's attention to detail and the pure satisfaction it gives me on every ride.
Weaknesses: absolutely none
Bottom Line:
I was coming from a trek $600 hard tail and figured to spend about a thousand bucks on my new bike...until I test rode the Racer X. I wasn't a great rider and I didn't have the money, but I figured what the hell, charge it and regret it later. Since buying it,I've become a much better rider, I ride about 3-4 days a week and don't regret spending the cash, it was worth every penny. When I'm not riding, I'm wishing I were. This thing provides closure to any type of bike lust you could ever have.
This bike goes exactly where you point it. It corners, climbs, descends and flat out flies. It just makes everything easier, it's like cheating. I often find myself laughing after cleaning a section that I would have walked around on my hardtail.
I highly recommend Speedgoat. They're great people, they know bikes, and they do really clean work.
Similar Products Used: test rode: fuel 100, specialized FSR, intense, yeti, too many to mention.
Bike Setup: sram 9.0, hope minis, race face cranks seat post, UST pythons, selle italia, Fox float RL, Marzocchi Marathon, salsa stem, Chris King headseat, Mavic 3.1, Time ATAC
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Submitted by
D
a Cross Country Rider
from Massachusetts
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2003
Strengths: Everything!
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
This is a great cross country bike, i have had no problems, clean it and ride it, it's that simple. i'd buy another titus in a heartbeat! nothing but quality.
Bike Setup: Avid mechanicals, chris king hubs & headset, thompson stem & seatpost, monkey lite riser bars, whats not to love?
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Havana, Florida
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2002
Strengths: Everything they say about this bike is true. It is the MacDaddy of Mountain Bikes. Super Fast and strong, handles rough terrain and sand like a dream. The ride is incredible! The frame design/suspension smoothes out the roughest roots! The harder you push this bike the better it rides. This bike rocks!!
Weaknesses: Are you kidding??
Bottom Line:
If you want the best buy a Racer X. I did a ton of research prior to purchasing this bike and am glad I did! Research it for yourself and see what mountainbikers have to say. This bike far exceeds my expectations. It is smooth and cat quick, solid and well built! It handles like a dream and has easily tamed all the rooty trails I have thrown it on! I am very pleased with all of the components on this bike especially the wide tires when riding in the soft Florida sand. This is not a cheap bike but you get what you pay for and when you want the very best expect to pay a little more. When you get done with the rest and ready for the best...buy the Titus Racer X, you will be glad you did!
Similar Products Used: Cannondale, Specialized, Kona.
Bike Setup: Shimano XT throughout, Chris King Headset, Titec Hellbent Handlebars, Thompson Elite Stem, Avid Brakes, Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals, Duke Fork, Fox Float RL Racing Shock, Bontrager Seatpost, Wilderness SST Saddle, Rhyno Lite Wheels with Ritchey 2.35 Millenium Tires!
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Sturbridge,Ma
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2002
Strengths: It handles like a dream.It's stiff and tight with no flex that i can feel.It goes uphill or downhill just the way you want it to. New Englands rocks roots or mud don't slow it down.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that this bike is a great investment.Chris at Titus spent some time with me to get this frame to fit me as I have long legs and a short body.The frame fits me like no other bike that I have ever had.Thanks to Jason at the Southbridge Bicycle Shop for the excellent job that he did with the setup of this fine bicycle.It weighs it at a tad under 27 pounds. I would recomend this bike to anyone who wants a fine durable great handling bicycle.
Similar Products Used: Trek y5,Specialize fsr,Titus evolution which I still have.
Bike Setup: Sid sl forks,shimano xt,hayes hydrolic brakes, time pedals raceface lowriser bars,wtb headset.
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Submitted by
David Clark
a Weekend Warrior
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2002
Strengths: Awesome !!!! Titus pays attention to detail.EX. large frame is designed for a heavier rider.The welds,perfect.It would be hard to match the stiffness of the frame.
Weaknesses: Nothing,check it out for yourself.
Bottom Line:
I never thought that I would get another full suspension bike again.This bike is just awesome,perfect for me.The suspension is stiff no bob.The geometry is tricky Top tube 24'Fuel 90 24.6'.RX has more room and you don't feel like your going to touch the clouds. Titus pays attention to detail,money well spent. I definately never thought that I would spend that kind of $on a bike.Guess what? The bike sold itself.Great job Titus !!!!!
Favorite Trail: Swallow Falls,Deep Creek State Park
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At: Dirty Harry's
Similar Products Used: Trek Fuel 90,Suger 2 etc etc.
Bike Setup: Marathon S 100 w/eta,XTR components,thomson stem& seat post,Hayes hydo brakes,King headset etc etc.
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Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2002
Strengths: This bike is sweet. The welds and overall craftsmanship is flawless. Every part is machined and sculpted to provide a lightweight and strong frame. The frame is light stiff and has a perfect balance of stability and agility.
Weaknesses: Are you kidding??!!
Bottom Line:
This bike climbs better than any other bike I've ridden including hardtails. The quality and craftsmanship are outstanding. The bike as is weighs 24.5 lbs with plent of room to go lower. The frame alone is 5 lbs but is incredibly stout. The box section stays and x link for 02 make the rear end incredibly stiff laterally which means no flex as all. This bike begs to be ridden hard and shows little signs of wear after health doses of abuse. For virtually all XC oriented riding this is one of the bests bikes out there. Descending is effortless and smooth, the rear end will handle anything from small chatter to large hits with style. It pushes me to ride every trail faster and with increased confidence. The folks at Titus are great and were incredibly helpful at every step of the way. If you have the cash and want one of the best bikes money can buy, chech out the racer x.
Bike Setup: xt/xtr, thomson post, easton stem/carbon bars, selle italia max saddle,king headset, avid 7 brakes and levers, sid sl, fox rl, xtr/bontrager valiant wheels, mythos xc tires, eggbeaters.
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Submitted by
jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2002
Strengths: Light, durable, and just plain beautiful. It climbs better than a hardtail, eats up those high speed bumps, and decends better than I could have ever imagined. Not to mention it loves to be launched in the air!
Weaknesses: Are you kidding?!?
Bottom Line:
You can easily build this bike into a lightweight XC bike for racing or all around trail bike. It handles insanely well in corners at mach speeds and climbing is a welcomed pleasure. Do the bike justice and build it with a shop that really knows what they are doing! I just finished the 24h of Adrenalin and I expected to feel a whole lot worse - thanks to the great suspension design of the Racer-X I'm not too worse for the wear.
Similar Products Used: Klein Adept Pro, Yeti AS-R.
Bike Setup: Lightweight racing/XC: Rockshox Duce Race Fork, XT drivetrain w/ XTR rear deraileur, mavic x-515 ceramics w/ Avid Black OPS Brakes, Ritchey WCS Stem/Seatpost, King headset, Easton carbon bars, Salsa Grips, Selle Italia TT saddle, Continental Tires.
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Submitted by
Pearce
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2002
Strengths: Super deisign, custom built for me. After destroying 5 Trek Fuel 90 frames, in one year,I decided to get the Racer X. The welds are outstanding and the frame is very rigid, it climbs well and handles very crisply. At my Wieght (300#) and height 6'4", can't think of another bike that would stand up to the XC riding I do. The total bike weight is less than 27#, not a big issue for me but it may be for some.
Weaknesses: None so far, I check the welds every ride (paranoid from Trek failures) and the bike is SOLID.
Bottom Line:
AWESOME bike, the folks at Titus have put together a great FS bike. After 2 hours of hard riding I still feel great in the saddle and I'm not afraid to run hard on a downhill track.
Similar Products Used: Jeykle, Fuel 90, 98, 100, Rocky Mountain FS and Hardtail
Bike Setup: All XTR, Thompson stem and seatpost, Time ATAC peddles, Richey bars, Avid mechanical discs, Sella Gel seat, lockable rear shock, Trailblaster XC tires. After numerous setups with various bikes this setup has me completely satisfied. The bottom line on the bike was $3900, not a bad price for the comfort and confidence I now have with this bike.
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Submitted by
Steve Belt
a Cross Country Rider
from Scottsdale, AZ
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2002
Strengths: Climbs like a goat. Very stiff. Perfectly sized. Beautiful welds.
Weaknesses: Stickers are coming off, as a result of the high rate of speed the locals rocks keep hitting them...like that matters.
Bottom Line:
My bike is a Ti version, with the X-link. It was custom designed for me, my physical size, and my front fork. I worked with Chris (the owner of Titus), to design the bike perfectly, and I couldn't be happier. A lot of kudos need to go to Rage as well, for the great job they did building up my bike, and the post-sales support they've given me since.
The bike is just a dream to ride, on dang near anything I have the guts to ride. It's climbing ability is outstanding. It's XC prowess is superb. The bike loves to go fast, and it do so with ease. The only trail in Phoenix the bike isn't perfectly suited to is National, but that isn't a trail I ride frequently. For basically every other trail in Phoenix, the Racer-X is sweet, and that includes Trail 100, McDowell, Hawes, Pima/Dynamite, Desert Classic. You name it, I've ridden it, and ridden it fast and clean.
If you've got the $$$, and you like to ride XC, you are going to be hard pressed to buy a better bike than a Ti Racer-X from Titus.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Marathon S 100mm; Race Face Next LP crank with ISIS bottom bracket; XTR rapid rise, cassette, brakes, hubs, and levers; XT front der; Mavic 517 wheels; 959 pedals; MonkeyLite bar; Thomson seatpost; and FSA stem. You know, typical build.
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Submitted by
Diab RABIE
a Cross Country Rider
from INDIAN TRAIL, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002
Strengths: Durability,Stiffness, Performance in all conditions, fast.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
this is 2000 version with cartrige bearings.No x link. And i still think the bike is awesome. I have riden it alot and hard and it is solid. Changed bearings recently because i felt guilty not. Ti is great. If you get a scratch you just rub it with scotchlite pad with alittle wd 40 and like new!!!! Titus takes good care of you. I hear they are coming out with a on the fly rear suspension switchblade. good company. Should buy it if you want fast, stiff, light, versatle bike.
Bike Setup: Fox float rl, chris king wheels andheadset,monkey lite sl, xtr,thompson, eggbeaters,racefacenext cranks,vertical pros, avid ultimate levers and ti single digit brakes.
