I have worked in the bicycle industry since 1992, I have had opportunity to ride or own just about
any other frame material for bicycle frames.
I currently have bikes that are carbon, steel, aluminum..
but I chose titanium because of it is relatively light, no need for paint, no worry for rust and I don't have to wash the bike if it gets dirty.
The PROs don't ride titanium frame because they don't need to keep riding a single bike year after year.
The pros are paid to ride the bikes that will promote sales for the sponsor bike manufacturer.
My oldest ride is a 2001 Litespeed Ultimate that I bought in 2004, I've pedaled over 73k miles with it and it still rides & looks as the first day I got it.
I ride it in all weather conditions, rain, snow, salt, mud, gravel.. only clean the bike once or twice a year, very little care is needed.
I bought a Lynskey disc frame for under $500 back in 2017,
with wider tires & disc brakes and slightly more relaxed riding position,
I look forward to many more years on this Lynskey.
My TT bike for the last 6 or 7 years is a 2004 Litespeed Blade that represents the pinnacle of titanium frame manufacture, with its raw material,
shaped tubes and just man-hour involved in producing the frame:
-6/4 sheets of ti welded together for flat main tubes,
-rear wheel cut out on the seat tube,
-tappered & shapped headtube/toptube/chainstays,
-curved & flattened seatstays,
-every single tube on this frame is worked in someway, (similarly with the Litespeed Ultimate)
all that work require many years of trial & error experience (with expensive material) only Litespeed have.
No other titanium frame manufacturer have similar experience producing frame with those features..
probably because it is too involving and not cost-effective to offer those features on a single titanium frames for the masses.
Even custom titanium frame builders are not likely to have the experience to produce frames with such features with 6/4 ti.
I even have a titanium hardtail, been neglecting it since I bought the Lynskey, mostly became an errand bike for short trips to the grocery store.
