Dio

skip ti and get a fiberglass frame

Norcal_Cyclist

+1 for Moots. I've been looking and researching the ti frames, and have it down to a Moots. Now I think I sold my Madone, and will be ordering my Compact VaMoots as soon as I get confirmation the Trek is going away.

SpongeDad

Mostly I would recommend going out at riding them. Better to ride an IF or a Merlin than buy a Moots or a Seven you've never had any experience with.

Custom is another $tory - that's a matter of trust in the builder. A friend of mine was extremely happy with his custom Seven given the atttention to building the bike to his ride preferences and fit.

I do tend to see Ti more often under older butts (including my own).

bigskyTi

Depends on riding style, budget, personal preference. Honestly you cna make a Ti bike anyway you want, but certain companies are limited to tube shapes.

Sonoma76

Double plus good!

I know the name of the woman who welded my Alaris together.

Dick Rhee

After test riding a few Merlins, an IF Crown Jewel Ti, and a Moots, I went with the Moots. The IF and Moots were equivalent in ride and finish, but at the time the Moots was about $500 cheaper. I'm very happy with my '05 Vamoots, although in hindsight I wish that I could have spring for the 6/4 version, which is somewhat stiffer.

RichinPeoria

Habanero, Performance ti; forget the big $$ stuff imho oh and

'eff Litespeed and their "warranty"

same with the bd bm

n8tron

I finally rode a ti frame for the first time. I think I'm in love! It's pretty much the perfect material for the type of rides I do. To bad it's so freakin expensive. Now I'm torn between finding the right bike that doesn't completely break the bank... Though since it's ti and will last forever I know I want to ge something that I will love forever... To bad you can't lease bikes.

Blacklab78

I'd love a

Baum Coretto



If I lived in the US i'd look at Carl Strong and Kent Eriksen. Moots are great for the welds but do not butt the tubes so they tend to be a bit heavier...

Dick Rhee

Surprisingly, Moots is showing off a new version of the Compact at Interbike with butted tubing and BB30. It looks nice, but I have to ask why they're pairing it with an Alpha Q fork for the frameset.

MUDDY88YJ

Well i think i am going to get an indipendent fabrications ti crown jewl does anyone disagree. Thanks

DeweyJuice

I recently rode the Moots CR. It is the only ti I've tried and it was very nice.

Grambo

IF Ti Crown Jewel + 1MM

c0lnago

Moots...6/4...they recently indicated they had enough 6/4 for a few Vamootseses.

herrflick

a ghisallo

https://www.light-bikes.com/bikegalle...ing.asp?id=747

milliron

I'd get a Lynskey. I've been real happy with my Lynskey Ridgeline 29er mountain bike.

calves2997

There is as much variability in the ride and stiffness within the above mentioned ti frames as there are between frames of different materials. For example my Litepseed blade rides much more smoothly then my Palmares, and both ride very differently than my Ultimate.
I prefer Litespeed because they seem to ( apart from Lynskey) have the edge of tube shaping and manufacturing. Probably because they use seamed Ti tubing. But I feel this makes the bikes stiff in places other Ti manufacturers have a hard time making them, although in the realm of Ti baike sthey are among the least comfortable.

If you are looking at Ti, then you are probably not into the lightest and fastest, but want someting that will last a while and not fully beat you up at the end of a century. If so a Merlin Extralight or Cyrene would do very well, for a fraction of the cost of a Moots Vamoots, Serrota Legend, Seven Eliyum, etc.

Pb_Okole

I've read through this thread now and have reached the following conclusion. Many of the people on this thread are so loyal to "their" brand that they have to denigrate others. The Indy Fab guys think that they are Indy Fabulous. The Moots guys are over the moon about their bikes.The same goes for all brands mentioned in the above posts. I just don't get why somebody has to run down other brands to make their point seem more valid. The fact of the matter is, they are all good bikes and while some may be better for a specific application none of them suck.
I have been riding ti bikes almost exclusively since 1991 and I can say without any hesitation that I would gladly ride any of the brands mentioned in this thread with great pleasure. In this day of carbon madness, if a company is still builds a ti frame there is a pretty darn good chance they know what they are doing.
The best advice I could give to somebody looking for a ti bike would be to get the right frame for your particular style of riding and size. If you are a big rider, you will probably be better off on a Seven Alaris or Serotta Legend or Litespeed Siena than you would a Litespeed Ghisallo or the new Moots Vamoots Compact SL. A friend of mine has a Ghisallo that he loves. It is the LAST bike in the world that I would consider riding. My LBS has a beautiful Lynskey that would be better for my size and power as would the Archon or Icon made by Litespeed. Just because the Ghisallo is not right for my application doesn't mean it is a crappy frame. Be realistic with yourself and don't try to build a 13 lb ti bike if you weigh close to 200 lbs. It aint the bike weight that is holding you back. I know cause I am one of those "plus size" riders.

bigtea

+1 on this well made point.

Cyclists should be very realistic about their size and style of riding. There are a lot of people who buy a bike that is appropriate for their vision of cyclist they will become (Cat 1 with 6% body fat) and the type of rides they'll be on when that happens (races).

Beaker

IIRC correctly, there was someone on BF getting one of these built a few months back. One of the best looking bikes I've ever laid eyes on.