Koyote

I've not owned a ti bike, but anyone who is considering one should check out Moots.

OT: indyfabz , I've seen the photo of your bike a few times, and am wondering about your height? Looks like a tall headtube. (Not that I'm knocking it - my custom frame probably has an even taller headtube to accommodate my height and a damaged back.)

primov8

I built up my first Ti bike less than two months ago. I went with a 2020 Lynskey Helix Disc-brushed finish and I'm glad I finally went Ti as this was something I've been contemplating for years. It has not disappointed me one bit. Handling is sharp which is a key factor on whether or not I decide to keep a bike. It just reacts so smoothly that even when pushing hard out of the saddle, I almost feel its a bit too well behaved.

AJ1515

I became a bit obsessed with Ti while teaching on the Southie/North Dorchester border and being walking distance from Firefly cycles. Those guys can make a bike.

Found a small British company, Aphelion Cycles, and had them build this track/single speed during the summer. Absolutely love it. Since this picture, I've put on a 48t Mojo chain ring--both stiffer and lighter weight than what Aphelion supplied. I've got 25mm GP5000 on the Ellipses, and the ride is so, so nice.

Bassmanbob

Thanks all for your input so far. I'd love to hear more about No 22, Moots and Seven bikes. I think it is Seven that routinely does custom frames. I may be interested in that. I'm 5' 5.5" with short legs and extremely inflexible. I started a stretching routine six months ago which has helped somewhat, but I'll never be a yoga instructor. Even as a high school track and football player, I was the guy who could never touch his toes during team stretches.

As far as color is concerned, I love the plain bare titanium steel with either an etched or braised logo... but those No 22 anodized frames are super sexy.

Koyote

Seven builds mostly in ti, and they do custom. Good stuff -- my cousin and his wife have four or five between them. Independent Fabrication is another one that does ti on a larger scale, but still custom. Moots, too -- but I think they do some off-the-rack sizes with taller stack and shorter reach, which might accommodate you at a better price. You'll find geometry tables at their website.

chaadster

The tubes are sooo fat! It looks like a sprint missile! Kudos.

Firefly are off-the-charts awesome. They externally butt tubes in-house, have a 3D printed yoke, sick dropouts, construction skills second to none, and the best finishes in the biz, period. When I get real money...

DangerousDanR

I bought my first Ti bike to have a bullet proof winter commuter. It is a Lynskey Ridgeline hardtail mountain bike. Set it up as a 27.5+ bike and it was a great winter commuter. I bought a Lynskey because the frame was on eBay for around $500.00. It was absolutely delightful as a commuter and it is also my summer trail bike.

So when I saw that their R350 (in a 61 cm effective top tube) had similar geometry to my 1981 Peugeot CFX-10, which has been just right for almost 40 years, and the R350 rim brake version was (you guessed it) on sale for cheap, I bought it. It gets maybe 3,000 miles a year and is my main summer ride.

It is a great bike. It is quite a bit lighter than my Peugeot. And it doesn't do the speed wobble above 30 MPH like the Peugeot does.

indyfabz

I’m 6’2”. I also have somewhat odd dimensions. Not only do I have a relatively short inseam (I generally wear 32” pants because I will trod on 34s), my calves and thighs are about the same length. A disproportionate amount of my height comes from the waist up, but I also have relatively short arms (34” dress shirt sleeves fit fine). That’s why I’ve gone custom with my last two road bikes. The previous one was an IF steel frame.

robbyville

if looking at custom don’t forget Speedvagen. Mine is steel/carbon but they have beautiful Ti
https://www.speedvagen.com/full-custom-ti-2019

Litespud

I bought a used Lynskey-built 2000 Litespeed Vortex in 2003. Its been my almost-sole road bike since. Full 6/4 Ti construction, standard 73/73 geometry, frame weight ~ 1350g. Bought it because I had a cheaper LS before, so I was familiar with the stock sizing and geometry, and the Vortex was a dream bike for me. Got the frame on eBay in perfect condition with a CF fork and a King headset for ~1/3 RRP of the bare frame and built it up with parts from my old LS and some new upgrades. My standard riding is longish (50-100 miles - did a century this morning) solo and (hopefully again soon) group rides over rolling terrain. I can still get “heritage” model year-specific decal sets, so a couple of times I have stripped it to the bare frame, applied new decals, and it looks like new again. This will be my main bike as long as I can throw a leg over the top tube (I’m almost 58) 😀

scuzzo

i got a litespeed vortex 2007 DA10 group, hand built custom wheels.. the bike is amazing... every time i ride it, reminds me of why i like to ride my bike... ever since i had it i have not one pang of buyers regret,, i dont race so weight is not of prime importance,, i wanted a timeless bike that i can just hang a group on if or when my DA10 wears away... and i wanted a bike that was on the bucket list... a bike you dont see all too often.. and one that looks freaking cool.. nope i would buy a used litespeed again for a bit past a grand.... any day...

Paul Barnard

That's the first built Urbano I have seen. Very nice.

Stickney

I bought a Litespeed Tuscany 15 years ago and haven't regretted it a bit. In fact, the LBS still is amazed on how nice it looks 15 years later. I bought a bikesdirect TI cyclocross bike about 8 years ago which I like very much.

I went with TI as a switch from the alum bike I rode for years. I opted for TI over steel due to the roads and weather where I live (chip seal, rocks, and road salt). I opted for TI over carbon as I was a bit fearful of damaging the frame from a garage accident (with young kids I've lost track of the number of times my bikes have been hit, banged against, etc). That was probably an overblown fear, but at the time it seemed not unwise.

My bikes are not babied. They get dirty and dusty. I live on gravel and I love that I don't have to worry about paint chips or corrosion. A quick wipe/wash and it's amazing how nice your bike looks.

jadocs

Litespeed T2

Very happy with it. Superb ride quality, Matt finish is easy to maintain (scotch brite). It will never go out of style, drivetrain and wheels can always be upgraded to keep up with technology.

upthywazzoo 

Not a great or recent image, but this is a custom frame from Waltly Ti that approximates (my now retired) Lemond Zurich, just with disc brakes and longer wheelbase due to additional clearance for up to 700x47c tires. I had the (possibly misguided) notion of wanting to take the Lemond geometry offroad. I got to customize everything, which was awesome, and the price was excellent--easily less than half the cost of say--a Lynskey GR Pro. Very happy with the finished product.

rossiny

All this reading convincing me . I been thinking about a titanium and what to get. I saw a Vortex come up some what local with the di2 shifting. I currently have started a Trek 930 drop bar conversion started and want to put a touring fork on it also .
I also am repacking bearings on a minty Raleigh Super Course MK II I picked up, so I need to spend a bit of money on those..
I may be selling my 924s that I thought was going to keep,, so who knows which way I'll go.
I'm always amazed with people that can handle multiple hobbies and finance and have time for them..

chaadster

I just sold a pair of 928 S4 which were taking up time and money from cycling— bought a T-Lab Ti fram from some of the revenue!— so I know where you’re coming from!

David in Maine

I’ve had my custom Seven for a year now. I, share indyfabz unusual dimensions (almost exactly it seems!) and never had a road bike that was a perfect fit. I decided my 50th birthday earned me a custom frame. I tend to hold on to bikes for a long time, and I always wanted to try ti. I worked with the fitter at Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, Ma. I had them build up the complete bike for me including hand built wheels. Seven will dial in the stiffness to your weight, size, and desired ride quality. I wanted comfort for long randonneur rides, but also enjoy fast group rides. I also wanted rim brakes with room for wider tires. I couldn’t be happier with the whole experience! I absolutely love the bike!

Frank72

I bought a used bikes direct ti bike in 2018. It was a 2013 or 2014 and came with mid range Shram components. It's a 58 and fits me perfectly.

I took everything off and put on Shmano105 stuff, a new set of wheels and carbon fiber seatpost and bars. It rides super smooth and is a joy to ride.



.


​​​​

xseal

I recently got a Moots Routt RSL, off the rack sizing included ability to get a nonstock stack. Frame was still expensive but I’ve been very happy with the ride and don’t regret anything. If I had to do it again I would.

veganbikes

I have three titanium bikes currently all frames. My first was a Foundry Chilkoot, second was the Salsa Timberjack Ti and the last is a Habanero 26" MTB. I got the Chilkoot because I wanted to build a road bike and that frame looked right and was a decent price. The Timberjack was not at first intentional the frame I had planned on getting (non-ti) went out of stock and I saw this and liked it and have always wanted a Salsa and have known some folks with their Ti frames and every loved them and my Foundry was probably from the same factory so it was a good choice. The Habanero was because I wanted to get some parts hung on a frame and I just didn't find any good used ti bikes I really wanted and I said well let's ask Mark at Habanero his bikes are decently priced and his website is old school, this bodes well so I emailed him and asked for a dusty, crusty frame with all the requirements and he said yeah and was excited so I knew that was the one to go with.

If I had the money Firefly would be my top choice, their work is amazing and right up my alley. Though my next purchase is likely to be. Ren Cycles Yarak (with some custom geometry and a few features here and there). He does really excellent work and the price is decent and it is what I have been wanting and haven't seen anyone who makes one that looks as good.

Moots, Seven, Independent Fabrications, No.22, Engin, Bingham Built...are all builders I would gladly choose and if I had the money I would probably own pretty much all custom frames from mostly American builders. Nothing is nicer than a frame built for you whether it is geometry or custom features or both it is nice to have.

Andy Somnifac 

There was a Lynskey R210 Custom built up with Ultegra 6600 in a local shop many years (2010? 2011? something like that) ago. I have no idea who'd ordered it and why a custom-ordered frame was on the rack @ a shop that didn't typically deal with used bikes. Apart from a scratch in the paint, it appeared completely unridden. The frame fit me pretty well.

I was a regular @ the shop and helped out from time to time and managed to work a deal where I'd work at the shop evenings and weekends and my "pay" would be subtracted from the balance of the bike. I never even asked what my "rate" was, I just knew it was working in my favor because the balance was plummeting faster than I ever expected it should have. I didn't question it.

I still have the frame, though I've upgraded the components. The scratch in the paint is a distant memory since I've stripped the paint off of it in the intervening years. Who paints a Ti frame anyway?

And that's how I got my Ti bike. And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been eyeing a new R300 from Lynskey for a more modern geometry and components.

jadocs

Man...I really really like this.

Fox Farm

I ride a Merlin (before Litespeed bought them) from 2001. 20 years later and a few group updates I still ride it regularly. Super bike and I would be very sad if something happened to it. Probably weighs 18 pounds, maybe a little less when i put my climbing wheelset on it. It is a magic carpet ride and I always come home with a smile on my face, shaking my head and thinking that this thing is still the cat's meow. No, not as light weight as my carbon bike, not as stiff, but super handling and all day comfort. 20 years old frame and strong and very durable. I say to the OP, get one and you will be happy. Not knowing what the budget is, it is hard to advise. Lynskey would be a good choice and they are pretty well priced. If you can drop a lot of money, Moots RSL is very nice too.

JonnyV

2017ish Lynskey R250 that I built up with Ultegra Di2, mechanical disc brakes. I got it because it was a good price and a more relaxed geometry than my Fuji Altamira. Been a great bike and Lynskey was a great company to deal with.