If you can pop for the extra $$, go Ti. It won't rust so you can ride in rain and snow without worries.
Steel or ti?
I cant decide. I have a 26 spot brand single speed and love the ride, but have decided to buy a 29er.I'm looking at another Co. made Spot frame or a Lynskey pro 29. Spot rides nice, can have belt drive,is colorado made, and is a little cheaper. Lynskey is ti, can be used as a SS or a geared bike and looks cool. I have not ridden the lynskey but my last two ti bikes where way flexy( moots ybb sl, dean sl. sl being the reason for the flex I'm sure.)
Any thoughts or rants about these two frames?
Any thoughts or rants about these two frames?
1 - 20 of 59 Posts
some people (myself included) ride steel bikes in the rain & snow and don't worry about it :eekster:
I've owned a steel 29er, not ti
After reading shudderingly too many e-reports on both, on all there is to know about them, all I can say is, you need to do some of the same and then decide for yourself
Sorry, there is no definitive answer in the swathe of opinions
After reading shudderingly too many e-reports on both, on all there is to know about them, all I can say is, you need to do some of the same and then decide for yourself
Sorry, there is no definitive answer in the swathe of opinions
a good steel frame is good and a good Ti frame is good. go with your gut feel
That is the question, how does one know if they found a "Good" frame? If your going custom then there are any number of pretty shots of frames Ti, Steel, Bamboo... I would ask around and see what people think of their rides and if possible ride a few bikes. Ti has a different feel that Steel just by the nature of the material, but a good builder can make either material stiffer or more flexy than the other in the way the tubes are manipulated.FoShizzle said:a good steel frame is good and a good Ti frame is good. go with your gut feel
If your having a frame built call the builder and see what their take on riding is, or if it is a production job call and speak with the owners. If your seeing eye to eye with which ever frame you decide then check your gut it is most likely right.
+1.some people (myself included) ride steel bikes in the rain & snow and don't worry about it
I have both a steel and titanium frame from the same brand (On One Inbred 29er Slot Dropout) with almost identical geometry. The titanium frame is Lynskey-made for On One. The tube diameters are different, of course, to compensate for different characteristics of the metals. Both are 29ers and tried them both SS Rigid.
The steel rides beautifully. It is solid, very stiff, and rides very smooth. After riding the steel, I switched out all components, fork, and wheels and put them on the titanium frame and rode the same trail to feel the difference.
The titanium felt very stiff as well, especially during standing mashes, but much more compliant than the steel. The titanium is much more agile than the heavier steel frame, so handling on singletrack is great to ride with the titanium. Climbing on both frames were equally stiff and felt the same — weight in the factor is negligible.
The steel is very comfortable and rides like a tank. Titanium doesn't feel as solid and probably more flexy than the steel, but it is still very solid and stiff at the BB. The flex in titanium probably made it more compliant and comfortable and felt more "alive" on the trail than the steel. And because of the 2 lbs weight savings, the bike is more maneuverable than the steel.
The added bonus for titanium is that it is very low maintenance. I would worry about rust forming in scratches in the paint of the steel — even if it doesn't affect the integrity of the frame — but with titanium I give it no thought at all about scratches and dings. Wonderful for a true low maintenance SS bike.
The steel frame now hangs in my LBS, but if I did not have the titanium frame, I would be just as happy to ride with steel.
The steel rides beautifully. It is solid, very stiff, and rides very smooth. After riding the steel, I switched out all components, fork, and wheels and put them on the titanium frame and rode the same trail to feel the difference.
The titanium felt very stiff as well, especially during standing mashes, but much more compliant than the steel. The titanium is much more agile than the heavier steel frame, so handling on singletrack is great to ride with the titanium. Climbing on both frames were equally stiff and felt the same — weight in the factor is negligible.
The steel is very comfortable and rides like a tank. Titanium doesn't feel as solid and probably more flexy than the steel, but it is still very solid and stiff at the BB. The flex in titanium probably made it more compliant and comfortable and felt more "alive" on the trail than the steel. And because of the 2 lbs weight savings, the bike is more maneuverable than the steel.
The added bonus for titanium is that it is very low maintenance. I would worry about rust forming in scratches in the paint of the steel — even if it doesn't affect the integrity of the frame — but with titanium I give it no thought at all about scratches and dings. Wonderful for a true low maintenance SS bike.
The steel frame now hangs in my LBS, but if I did not have the titanium frame, I would be just as happy to ride with steel.
Where did the 2lbs of weight saving come from?...... the tires?
I would not be surprised if there's a 2lbs difference between steel and ti Inbred frame weights
Me neither. As much as I love my steel Inbred, it is a tank. I have never been able to weigh mine bare but I would not be surprised if the 19.5in frame was closing in on 6lbs although it is probably closest to 5.5lbs (just guessing still)perttime said:I would not be surprised if there's a 2lbs difference between steel and ti Inbred frame weights
What do you ride a 23" frame?boomn said:Me neither. As much as I love my steel Inbred, it is a tank. I have never been able to weigh mine bare but I would not be surprised if the 19.5in frame was closing in on 6lbs although it is probably closest to 5.5lbs (just guessing still)
19.5" as I said. They are just overbuilt frames. I had to do some quick searches to figure out where I was remembering some of the info from and I found a poster here who weighed his Inbred at 2700g or 5.95 lbs! I don't know what size that was, but 21" is the largest they make. Like I said, I would not be surprised at all if my 19.5" was somewhere between 5.5 and 6 lbsthaphillips said:What do you ride a 23" frame?
In comparison I found a poster on this forum with a 3.67 lb Lynskey Ridgeline (closest standard frame they make) in size Large. That is over a 2+1/4 pound difference between those two examples!
yes, it would be interesting to compare a top end steel frame to a Ti frame. Light steel usually comes in at roughly 2kg.boomn said:19.5" as I said. They are just overbuilt frames. I had to do some quick searches to figure out where I was remembering some of the info from and I found a poster here who weighed his Inbred at 2700g or 5.95 lbs! I don't know what size that was, but 21" is the largest they make. Like I said, I would not be surprised at all if my 19.5" was somewhere between 5.5 and 6 lbs
In comparison I found a poster on this forum with a 3.67 lb Lynskey Ridgeline (closest standard frame they make) in size Large. That is over a 2+1/4 pound difference between those two examples!
I find this very interesting; as I am always considering what is the upper limit of pricing on steel before buyers will just change to Ti
But I see no discussion of cost here -- I have found that in most cases people will prefer Ti over steel if the price is real close
How close would price need to be in Ti frame before you would switch to Ti over high grade 4130? Or another way to say it how much would you need to save on steel over Ti to buy a nice steel frame? {assuming equal grade of workmanship etc}
Plus - added interesting question: Do you think steel is coming back? {I sure hope so}
But I see no discussion of cost here -- I have found that in most cases people will prefer Ti over steel if the price is real close
How close would price need to be in Ti frame before you would switch to Ti over high grade 4130? Or another way to say it how much would you need to save on steel over Ti to buy a nice steel frame? {assuming equal grade of workmanship etc}
Plus - added interesting question: Do you think steel is coming back? {I sure hope so}
The steel frame is about 2500 grams, titanium frame 1500 grams. So there is about a kilogram, or about 2.2 lbs of weight difference between the two.
As for how high the price of steel will have to be before moving to titanium, I can't speak for 4130 steel as I have never ridden one. But now that I have compared Cromoly steel and titanium, and assuming the build quality or workmanship is roughly the same, I would pay the premium for titanium.
A 4130 steel frame I've seen is close to $1,000 while a non-custom titanium frame can be around $1,300 on the lower end. I'd save for a month or two for the titanium than think about "what it could have been" if I bought the 4130 steel.
As for how high the price of steel will have to be before moving to titanium, I can't speak for 4130 steel as I have never ridden one. But now that I have compared Cromoly steel and titanium, and assuming the build quality or workmanship is roughly the same, I would pay the premium for titanium.
A 4130 steel frame I've seen is close to $1,000 while a non-custom titanium frame can be around $1,300 on the lower end. I'd save for a month or two for the titanium than think about "what it could have been" if I bought the 4130 steel.
But in the case of a previous poster, he had an Inbred ($265) and a Lynsky made Inbred Ti (guessing at least $1500). If cost is a factor, does the Ti frame ride $1235 better? I understand comparing a custom steel frame with high end tubes to a Ti frame is a closer comparison.
Not really.Coach417 said:comparing a custom steel frame with high end tubes to a Ti frame is a closer comparison.
Maybe comparing a nice stock steel frame to a nice stock ti frame (like the TInbred), or custom steel frame to custom ti frame.
Of course... comparing custom frames is pretty futile: they are all different, after all.
I'm in the same boat. I'm having a Seven hard tail built up. Right now I'm waiting on final prices....but I'm leaning towards the Ti. I weigh in @ 250lbs. I'm told Seven will engineer everything for ME not the norm. And its a lifetime guarantee to ME.
Ti will never rust, not thats its really ever been a concern. It's polished so there's no paint to scratch. And most importantly I've broken too many frames that they're debating even selling me steel. Although they assure me that they can build a steel bike for me.
Steel. I'm told you'll love the ride. It's going to weigh 1 - 2 lbs heavier. The extra weight is of NO concern. So I'm still debating this very issue myself.
$$$$ Its $600 or $800 more for the Ti with no hidden costs. I spoke to a couple builders who had varying costs. Seven has fixed costs on every frame. No BS! Good luck!
Ti will never rust, not thats its really ever been a concern. It's polished so there's no paint to scratch. And most importantly I've broken too many frames that they're debating even selling me steel. Although they assure me that they can build a steel bike for me.
Steel. I'm told you'll love the ride. It's going to weigh 1 - 2 lbs heavier. The extra weight is of NO concern. So I'm still debating this very issue myself.
$$$$ Its $600 or $800 more for the Ti with no hidden costs. I spoke to a couple builders who had varying costs. Seven has fixed costs on every frame. No BS! Good luck!
As many have said before in many other threads, material doesn't really matter. You can make a titanium frame as stiff as you want by increasing thickness and tube diameter, or introduce flex into a steel frame by reducing thickness and tube diameter. End of the day, it is the frame builder and his/her skill with that metal that really matters.
Steel does have greater stiffness an yield strength than Ti, but at the expense of weight. If weight really doesn't matter and you're afraid of breaking your frame, then steel may be the metal for you.
In the case of my comparison of the cheaper steel Inbred with the Lynsky-made Ti Inbred, I guess it came down to the frame builder and what they believe how a bike is to perform. Despite both having very similar geometries, the Ti Inbred ended being the bike that was built to maximize the strengths of titanium to make a bike that performed better for me. Perhaps if Lynsky made the steel Inbred then the ride characteristics would be similar and my choice would have been more about the weight and price rather than the ride quality.
It really is about the frame builder and how they are able to understand the characteristics of each metal and how best to effectively use those characteristics to give you your ideal performing bike. If you want some flex or a stiff bike, a good builder should be able to make it from either steel, titanium, or even aluminum. Of course there will be trade offs with weight and price, and of course maintenance and longevity.
Steel does have greater stiffness an yield strength than Ti, but at the expense of weight. If weight really doesn't matter and you're afraid of breaking your frame, then steel may be the metal for you.
In the case of my comparison of the cheaper steel Inbred with the Lynsky-made Ti Inbred, I guess it came down to the frame builder and what they believe how a bike is to perform. Despite both having very similar geometries, the Ti Inbred ended being the bike that was built to maximize the strengths of titanium to make a bike that performed better for me. Perhaps if Lynsky made the steel Inbred then the ride characteristics would be similar and my choice would have been more about the weight and price rather than the ride quality.
It really is about the frame builder and how they are able to understand the characteristics of each metal and how best to effectively use those characteristics to give you your ideal performing bike. If you want some flex or a stiff bike, a good builder should be able to make it from either steel, titanium, or even aluminum. Of course there will be trade offs with weight and price, and of course maintenance and longevity.
1 - 20 of 59 Posts
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Top Contributors this Month
View All
ilmfat
790 Replies
DIRTJUNKIE
467 Replies
Sparticus
353 Replies
Recommended Communities
