[bradg]

I am the original owner of a Titus FCR circa '97 and would like to add disc brakes and horizontal dropouts to the frame. This frame is used as a single speed these days via an ENO rear hub. I am not fond of the Titus disc/SS rear end but I do like the Paragon rear end but don't know who to have do the work. Any suggestions? I don't care who it is, I just want killer welds and a straight frame and not too much down time waiting for it to return! Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[restlessrider]

It can be done, but will cost a lot. That kind of project can take as much time as building a new frame. Don't be surprised if enthusiasm is low from prospective builders

 

[Thylacine]

Your best bet is probably Dave Levi of TiCycles in Oregon. It's a real pig of a job, so don't be surprised if it can't be done, or it can be done but due to the position of the stays it won't be optimal or particularly pretty.

 

[pyranha]

It CAN be done

It certainly can be done, and gets done pretty often. I do partly agree with previous post that it is a painful process and a lot of guys will not do it. I have done a couple in steel and it is certainly not a money maker for me. The job becomes orders of magnitude easier if you are also replacing the seat stays.
Most people(non builders) do not understand why it is such a pain, but if you hold a set if sliders up to an existing frame, and line them up with existing wheel position, you will see the attachment point for the seat stays is, in general, pretty far above the existing stays. There are a couple ways to solve this, but all require a lot of hand filing and fit up time.
It would be AWESOME if Paragon would make some retrofit version of the sliders. If they would make a version with extended seat stay tabs it would solve the problem in most cases.

 

[bradg]

Thank you for the insight. What about just adding disc tabs to the seat stay and sticking with the ENO hub? I have seen the ENO disc adapter but I thought it looked like it might be squeelly and prone to needing adjustment. I don't know anyone who uses one on a Ti frame though. Anyone with info about that setup? Any Ti frame builders who retrofit directmount (non-IS) disc tabs? Thanks again for the help! I tried to insert a pic of the rear end but I haven't figured out how to do it yet!

 

[pyranha]

in general, it is a pretty simple task to add a disc tab. Anyone building Ti MTB's will know how to do this. It's about an hour job including adding a reinforcement between the chain and seat stays. As a general reference on price(in steel), if you brought the bike to my shop I would hit you for about 75 bucks. With steel you would need to deal with paint. In your case(I assume) you have raw ti and do not have to worry about it. Ti materials will be only marginally more expensive. Paragon gets less than 20 bucks for their disc tabs. If you value your frame, have someone reputable/respectable do the work. There are lots of great builders out there and I am sure one not far(relative) away. Best of luck!

 

[bradg]

Thanks Pyranha, I just checked them out and that looks like the simplest option, and now that I think about it, the ENO adapter requires an ISO mount and won't work with direct mount tabs. I live in Boise and am not aware of any Ti builders here but I will check out the Boise Bike Project to see if they have any local connections. Do you think a brake side chainstay/seatstay reinforcement piece a good idea?

 

[pyranha]

I always add reinforcements when I can. It only takes a few extra minutes and gives me peace of mind. The necessity is, of course, debatable. There are also exceptions....i.e. using low rider type drops from Paragon, etc.