[garboui]

after have ridden many aluminum frames and now a steel frame i am hooked on the feeling. i am one of these people that like change and i want to loose a little weight frame wise i was thinking of going ti. my main concern is if a ti frame would be comparable to strength as a 725 or 853 cro mo frame. and what are the ride characteristics of it like i have heard that ti is more flexy than steel is this true?

 

[RVM]

It's more important on how they're built

instead of what they're built from.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/EFBe/frame_fatigue_test.htm

 

[derby]

Ti is more difficult to fab with

Yes ti is more springy than chromoly steel of the same thickness and design. It is much harder to bend, cut, and especially more difficult to weld with durability. It is not necessarily more flexy, that depends more on tube size, shear and triangulation design. It is a much stiffer metal than chromoly steel and bikes can be designed with smaller tubes with excellent durability and very light weight. It is harder to dent ti.

Be sure to get a "lifetime" warrantee from a company that will be around for a few years, because it can take a few more years of intended use for manufacturing defects to appear compared to other metals. Ti fabrication is much more durable than steel when fabricated with high expertise.

Ti is beautiful and will stay that way for a long time with little maintenance.

- ray

 

[garboui]

i like the non corrosive properties of ti but is it a much nicer ride than steel.

 

[derby]

i like the non corrosive properties of ti but is it a much nicer ride than steel.

The ride quality depends more on the build design quality. 20 years ago I rode a rigid steel Ross (Mt. Rainier) mountain bike, rather heavy and mass produced. I rode a ti Litespeed Obed-FS which was a 3 inch full suspension bike, and not a very good example of a Horst link (BB pivot was too low by at least 1/2 inch).

I sense that a similar design steel bike has a more shock absorbing quality for better traction in rough conditions, ti is naturally springier and may not hold traction quite as well. But fork and tire quality would override much of the noticeable differences. Often ti designs are more advanced in engineering with ovalized down and possibly ovalized lower seat tubes to reduce BB flex. Using a modern splined BB compared to square taper does more to reduce cranking flex than the tube engineering.

Racers are going to carbon fiber and modern composites with superior stiffness and damping for the weight of ti or aluminum, so ti is really for looks and feel more than highest performance now. And ti is durable, when welded with top expertise it is probably more durable than any composite or carbon. The future of mountain bikes will likely be carbon fiber and plastic or ceramic composite based for the high end rides. Ti is already classic, old-school, but timeless in uniqueness and prestige.

I want a fully rigid, naked ti 29'er as an alternative ride to a cutting edge full suspension XC mountain bike for my non-racing interests.

- ray

 

[older guy]

after have ridden many aluminum frames and now a steel frame i am hooked on the feeling. i am one of these people that like change and i want to loose a little weight frame wise i was thinking of going ti. my main concern is if a ti frame would be comparable to strength as a 725 or 853 cro mo frame. and what are the ride characteristics of it like i have heard that ti is more flexy than steel is this true?

Ti has all the characteristics of Steel except that it is LIGHTER, impervious to rust, corrosion and virtually maintenance free. THIS IS WHY YOU SPEND MORE FOR TITANIUM.
The ride, like what Derby said, would be dependent on the bike's geometry and the kind of tubes used. So a nicer ride would depend on who made it and what kind it is made of. This is true with steel and titanium.

______
older guy

 

[telenick]

my main concern is if a ti frame would be comparable to strength as a 725 or 853 cro mo frame. and what are the ride characteristics of it like i have heard that ti is more flexy than steel is this true?

Hi garboui,

I can't see there being a problem with Ti for strength. Heck, the whole Ti bike thing came about because of out of work aero space engineers who had been using the material for aircraft as a replacement for aero space cro-moly. It offered a lighter and stronger alternative to cro-moly.

As far as the flex of a tube... as said above, it's the specification of the tube more than the material that creates the flexiness. For example, the main chasis of a bike is where bike stiffness is determined. The chasis is the down tube and seat stay. The remaing tubes are thought of more to determine the compliancy and "feel" for the road or dirt. To get the desired performance for each tube's job, variations in the spec for each tube is tweaked. Thinner here, butted there, thicker up to this point, etc.

Having said that, Ti is chosen for longevity and durability and road feel. But it isn't necessarily going to be the huge weight saver. It is also the most expensive way to shave grams. Although cost may not be an issue for you.