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Submitted by
Marquism1
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Mesa, CA
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | If I told you, you'd ride there and I can't have that... | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | Various | | Strengths: | Very light and they look cool. Titanium spokes on a mountain bike are quite bling. | | Weaknesses: | They break more easily and often than steel spokes. They're very expensive - 3x the price of the best steel spokes. | | Similar Products Used: | Every other spoke | | Bike Setup: | Wheels with these spokes in them | | Bottom Line: | I've used these spokes in some wheels that I've built and gotten them in new wheels built by a hi-end custom wheel builder. They are super light as you would expect and they look ultra-cool. I can't honestly say that I can detect any specific "feel" difference from steel, other than the wheels are obviously lighter.
But too many of these spokes have broken on me in the last few years, way more than steel spokes. I ride tough singletrack and don't jump much of anything, so the wheels aren't abused. I've never broken one in a radially laced pattern - only in crossed patterns and mostly on the rear. They break at the J bend, usually at a peak load time, i.e. climbing. At 3 bucks apiece and hard to get, I've just started replacing the Ti spokes that break with good steel spokes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a Weekend Warrior
from Muskegon, Mich.
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Owassippie | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Beakaway Bikes | | Strengths: | Weight. I know not much has been written about them in a while but they are going to make a come back.... | | Weaknesses: | Price is still the big factor. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock wheels with steel spokes... | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR. Pretty tricked out. | | Bottom Line: | My Wheel set is Hope Pro 2 hubs, Mavic 819 rims, and of course Marwi Gold tye spokes. At 1700 grams, they are pretty light. At 235 lbs I'm not a small guy. They haven't gone out of true or had any problems with them. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nick k
a Cross Country Rider
from new hope, pa
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | new hope cyclery | | Strengths: | vey light, very strong, looks cool too | | Weaknesses: | sort of expensive | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | front wheel-real disc hub, velocity deep v rim and marwi ti spokes | | Bottom Line: | the wheel i built is not only strong but definately one of the lightest disc wheels i have ever held. these spokes are bad ass | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Maciej Pike-Biegunski
a Racer
from Naperville, IL
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Highland St. Rec, Highland, MI | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light, cool looking, shock absorbing | | Weaknesses: | A little flexy, expensive | | Similar Products Used: | Various SS spokes | | Bike Setup: | 2001 S-Works Hardtail with full XTR, XTR hubs laced 3x on Mavic 517 CD rims with brass nipples | | Bottom Line: | These are the same weight as DT Revolution or Wheelsmith XL spokes, but they aren't as flexy. They look cool and dampen vibrations more than other spokes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zacky
a Cross Country Rider
from Champtown
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Minnesota River Bottoms | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$32.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Good stuff, very light, coolest looking spokes ever. Built up with light hubs and rims, results in stupid light wheel. Yes these spokes actually do have a different feel than steel spokes, just like spinergy spokes wheels feel different. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive, people thinking your a Hippie. | | Similar Products Used: | DT Comps, DT Ti's, DT steel, Wheelsmith, Spinergy Spox | | Bike Setup: | Trek 9.9, XMO Ti, Raceface: next lps, rings, team headset. Titec 118, Moots stem (yeah the $400 one), King hubs laced to Sun Sub IV's, Ritchey speed max, Arch Supremes, XTR: Brake Levers, Front D., XT: Cassette (XTR's wear way too fast), Sram Gemini Pro Shifters (the jury is still out on these, plasma rear d, World Class Ti BB, Time Atac Carbons | | Bottom Line: | Since know one has posted anything about these spokes for two years, I thought I should reinterate how good they are. They are very good. They are a little hard to get now, but your LBS should be able to order them straight from Marwi. Yeah they are a little expensive, but if you are buying ti spokes you are an adict that spends way too much money on your bike.
For the guy who berated all of use saying that you can't feel the difference between ti spokes and steel ones, have you actually ridden them? Ti spokes will feel flexer in hard cornering and accelerating, but will give a smoother ride over all. It's your choise wether you like that feel and want to save money.
For some people, riding is a zen like experaince, and you can tell any change in a bike thus you can tell the difference in materials. Saying that Ti spokes don't feel different is like saying that a carbon frame feels no different that a steel or ti or alum or scandium frame. Thats just stupid.
But, most people don't ride like that. I own both a 9.9 and a Gt Zaskar, normal people can't tell the difference, but mountain bikes aren't normal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RICK
a Cross-Country Rider
from WILLIAMSBURG,VA
Date Reviewed: October 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
secret trail, | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Light, smooths things out, durable. | | Weaknesses: |
None that I can find... except, maybe, the cost...even at full retail, you get what you pay for with these titanium spokes! | | Similar Products Used: |
Generic steel, butted and not-butted. | | Bike Setup: |
I have these Ti-spokes on a road bike front wheel w/Campi hub and Mavic rim. | | Bottom Line: | I took this (road)front wheel for a demo-ride...it belonged to a friend, who owed me money. The first 20 feet of road, in front of my house, was so much smoother, with these spokes, that I immediately accepted a trade for the wheel. On a road ride with a friend, to prove a point, I switched front wheels with him. Within a few yards, he had a grin....Hey, this IS smooth!
A few days later, he called me up and asked what torque settings he needed for the Marwi Ti spokes, as he'd ordered enough to build himself...and his wife...a couple of wheel sets. These spokes are noticably smoother, immediately so, on a road bike, no less! I've had the wheel over a year and the guy I got it from had it a good while and raced on it. As far as I know, it's never needed to be trued, and I have hit some pot holes. If you can afford them, two thumbs up! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Racer
from charlotte
Date Reviewed: September 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
bentcreek | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
strong, lite, makes for less rotating weight. | | Weaknesses: |
price | | Similar Products Used: |
carbon spokes, steel | | Bike Setup: |
obed, manitou sxti, raceface cranks, xtr components, mavic ceramic rims | | Bottom Line: | i've had these spokes on my old wheel set for two years now and never broke one spoke. i love them.! i'm in the process of building a new set to put on my spare obed, i wouldn't spend the money on this again if they didn't do well. they are lite and because they are lite they reduce the centrifugal force produced by the wheel in rotation....translated a lite wheel during rotation. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MhaarQ
a Downhiller
from Philly
Date Reviewed: July 30, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: |
lite, shhock absorbuncy | | Weaknesses: |
eggspensive | | Similar Products Used: |
everything else | | Bike Setup: |
velocity aero 48's w/ phil wood hubs | | Bottom Line: | yes you can feel a difference. I guess some people are a little less sensitive than others. For instance, if you've ever rode mag wheels and switched to spoked wheels, or went from a lesser spoked wheel to a greater spoked wheel, you will notice a difference in flex, steering sharness, etc. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Couch
a Cross-Country Rider
from Kalama, WA
Date Reviewed: July 30, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
siouxan | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Super light, Durable.
Cheap compared to a new wheelset, cost per gram saved, and the acceleration you gain. | | Weaknesses: |
None here. | | Similar Products Used: |
DT 14/15 | | Bike Setup: |
Ventana MPFS(OldYeller) XTR-217, SID, Synchros, Race-face, etc. | | Bottom Line: | Wanna shave 1/2 lb.+ off your wheelset?
Well worth the extra cost , ride great, tune these just like all others- every month or two.
(Go triple-cross, barely save enough to justify the added flex radial-lacing gives you.) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Palmquist
a Racer
from Florida
Date Reviewed: April 6, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Extremely Light and gives a softer ride when used for the rear wheel which is nice when you are useing a rigid harsh aluminium hard-tail | | Weaknesses: |
Price | | Similar Products Used: |
DT Revilutions | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale Cad 3/Fatty SL
Trek 9900/SID SL | | Bottom Line: | These are a quality investment for numerous reasons. 1) They are the lightest spoke on the market and the weight that you are saving is on the most importiant part of the bicycle, the wheels ( less rotating weight means faster accelleration) 2) If used on the rear wheel thay will soften your ride noticeably (My first bike was a Cannondale that was entirely too stiff for my lowerback and would constantly give me a pain that would on occasion shorten my rides these spokes helped aliveiate the problem) 3) The ti-dye spokes look dam cool.
I have now built two sets of wheels useing these spokes and I do believe thay are ideal for the rear wheel, thew allow a little vertical flex but do not flex noticeably under torque. They also seem to be perfect when they are used for the front wheel when they are radial laced. When they are built using a three cross pattern thay are a little flexy lateraly. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Hartzell
a racer
from Lebanon, New Hampshire
Date Reviewed: November 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Built a set using the ti-dye spokes. Wheels are as light as mountain bike wheels get, and for the price, cheaper than the heavier counterparts. They are incredibly stiff and strong. I very rarely have to true up these wheels. I've done every type of terrain and even trials riding on these wheels and they are still true, round, and alive to tell the story.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Speed
a cross-country rider
from VA
Date Reviewed: October 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I built up a set of wheels using Chris King hubs, 517s and Ti spokes and they were increadibly lite. I shaved about a pound off of my bike with these wheels. I bought the spokes because I wanted the best and the litest. Well they are the litest. As far as the best, well they're a little brittle, I have broken 3 on the rear. They were on the non-drive side so it wasn't from the chain falling into the wheel. I have had no problem on the front wheel and the wheels have stayed remarkably true with only a minor tweak here and there. Some credit for weight savings must go to Chris King and Mavic. Over all, if you have extra money and want a kool set of hoops, they're not bad. They are liter than CrossMaxs and cheaper as well. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roger Winther
a cross-country rider
from Norway
Date Reviewed: September 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Bought Matrix rims, CK hubs and Marwi Titanium spokes, put it together and ended up with one of the lightest wheelsets available in ths world. Stronger and better than the famous Crossmax that also are overpriced. (not that price really matters). I have been giving these wheels very rough treatment for the last year and have not touched them since i put them on my Mantra. For a rider that rides rough terrain i can recomend them. | | Overall Rating: |
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