I bought my Ti frame second-hand three years ago. It's become my favorite bike.
When I wear out my primary commuter, I'll replace it with something in Ti. I haven't yet seen a carbon bike with rack and fender mounts. I need to bolt stuff to my bikes.
Titanium just fits my needs better. My primary use is transportation. My Litespeed goes to work half the time, and does errands. Unpainted Ti doesn't leave paint behind or collect scratches every time I lock up someplace. And around here, unpainted Ti is invisible to bike thieves.
From a fashion standpoint, the graphics-of-the-week, this year's tube shapes, and everything else contribute to carbon bikes looking dated in only a year or two. I can't count the number of times people have been blown away when I tell them my bike is 17 years old--18 now that the 2014s are out. "It still looks new," they tell me. Style never goes out of fashion.
Finally, showing up at a ride with new people on a Ti bike, with a light patina of road on it, tells folks exactly what they can expect of me as a rider, and that I won't have to be told to hold my line, or take my pull.
Hey, are those carbon wonderbikes trailing in my wake?
