Titanium bikes...

Fugs!!

Hi folks.

It's nearly new bike time for me and I'm seriously considering a Titanium road bike but, I dont know anybody who owns one. I'd love to hear your opinions. I'm no racer but I can do big miles.

Cheers

8valve

Nice unbuilt Van Nicholas Ventus frame hanging in a certain bike shop in Carrick....just saying. :-)

Might even be some carbon forks lying around that would suit, as well!

Fugs!!

8valve wrote: »

Nice unbuilt Van Nicholas Ventus frame hanging in a certain bike shop in Carrick....just saying. :-)

Might even be some carbon forks lying around that would suit, as well!

Oh you tease. I might have to pop up for a look.

jimbobaloobob

Was only talking to a guy yesterday with a litespeed titanium for sale that he doesn’t use.

I’ve a litespeed ghisallo myself. Raced it for years great machine. Solid and light.

Wishbone Ash

Fugs!! wrote: »

..., I dont know anybody who owns one. I'd love to hear your opinions...

Mercian Pro of this parish has a Van Nicolas. He might spot the thread soon.

Wanderer78

Fugs!! wrote:

Oh you tease. I might have to pop up for a look.

Feck off now you, I sold you a beast of a bike years ago!

benneca1

Lovely bikes got an Enigma myself dream ride

Oberkon

I’ve a van Nicholas titanium . Titanium is very compliant . I find it very comfortable compared to other bikes I’ve had, particularly on bad road surface . Combine it with a nice set of tubeless tyres and you have a very nice set up for Irish roads. In terms of speed its not as quick as my aero bike . You work for the watts, but the comfort means I can fly over bad surfaces .

Now put a nice titanium bike with carbon wheels and tan wall tyres and you have a very sweet looking bike !

Mercian Pro

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Mercian Pro of this parish has a Van Nicolas. He might spot the thread soon.

8valve wrote: »

Nice unbuilt Van Nicholas Ventus frame hanging in a certain bike shop in Carrick....just saying. :-)

Yes, I bought my VN Ventus in 2016 and have covered over 40k km on it since then. Van Nicholas only made the Ventus for a few years as its popularity hit the sales of their more upmarket and expensive frames. At the time, frame only cost about £800 and Fatbirds even included carbon forks at that price.


As it says on the seat tube, "Nothing looks, rides, lasts like titanium"! The looks are decidedly retro with similarly sized tubes as steel but with neat welds instead of lugs and the classy natural finish. The ride is certainly smoother than any aluminium or carbon bike I have had without being anyway spongy and it has been well tested on many rough downhills in NCD and elsewhere. Four years is too soon to be vouching for its durability but, unlike carbon, I have no worries about possible invisible damage following a couple of crashes. The only negatives are the limited clearance for any tyres larger than 25mm and the lack of mudguard mounts.



On the Angel of Mons audax a couple of years ago I joined up with a group of eleven heading for Castlebellingham. Eight of the group were riding titanium frames and I suspect the combined milage of the Ti bikes must have been well into the hundreds of thousands. All were different makes but everyone I spoke with was perfectly happy with their choice. If you are into doing big miles, titanium is the way to go.

Thud

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Firefly-All-Road-frame-one-off-with-anodized-mountain-art/153950079524?hash=item23d823ca24:g:VKQAAOSw4Stez0at

if you have a few k lying about

Wanderer78

Thud wrote:

if you have a few k lying about

Plenty of lads out there spending that on bikes, tis nuts though

Alanbt

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Yes, I bought my VN Ventus in 2016 and have covered over 40k km on it since then. Van Nicholas only made the Ventus for a few years as its popularity hit the sales of their more upmarket and expensive frames. At the time, frame only cost about £800 and Fatbirds even included carbon forks at that price.


As it says on the seat tube, "Nothing looks, rides, lasts like titanium"! The looks are decidedly retro with similarly sized tubes as steel but with neat welds instead of lugs and the classy natural finish. The ride is certainly smoother than any aluminium or carbon bike I have had without being anyway spongy and it has been well tested on many rough downhills in NCD and elsewhere. Four years is too soon to be vouching for its durability but, unlike carbon, I have no worries about possible invisible damage following a couple of crashes. The only negatives are the limited clearance for any tyres larger than 25mm and the lack of mudguard mounts.



On the Angel of Mons audax a couple of years ago I joined up with a group of eleven heading for Castlebellingham. Eight of the group were riding titanium frames and I suspect the combined milage of the Ti bikes must have been well into the hundreds of thousands. All were different makes but everyone I spoke with was perfectly happy with their choice. If you are into doing big miles, titanium is the way to go.

I’d echo the thoughts on the ventus. Have mine about 4 years too and really like it still. Got it on same deal from fatbirds!
Have a high end carbon frame too but I think if I had to keep one bike it would be the ventus.
Have some carbon wheels with tan wall tyres for summer and alu rims for majority of the time. Ride is nice and smooth but the clean look of titanium really appeals to me aesthetically, which is important (not all about performance, sometimes it’s about the kick you get from looking at the bike).

Dexif

I built up my J Guillem Major just over a year ago. Fantastic bike so far. Very comfortable but still feels fast...

Oberkon

Dexif wrote: »

I built up my J Guillem Major just over a year ago. Fantastic bike so far. Very comfortable but still feels fast...

3t discuss wheels I presume ? Ive the same set on a 3t bike . Really good, spin up quick with a very loud Freehub thst scares the bejesus out of people ,very handy as it wakes the phone zombies up as you pass them!
Mine are Non tubeless Sadly

Fugs!!

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Feck off now you, I sold you a beast of a bike years ago!

No idea who this is..


Cheers everyone. I think ye have me convinced.

Wanderer78

Fugs!! wrote: »

No idea who this is..


Cheers everyone. I think ye have me convinced.

an old acquaintance, hope you re still looking after that trek mountain bike, and yourself!;)

MyAccount

I have a J.Guillem Formentor. Bought the frame a couple of years ago to replace a crash damaged frame.

The Formantor is stiff, so maybe not the fabled Ti "magic carpet" ride so rave about - that said while not over relaxed, the geometry is not as aggressive as some of my my bikes, and is compliant and seems to soak up road buzz -
slightly on the heavy side compared with some of my other bikes but I love it on long rides unless it a very hilly day - that said it handles well and still feels fast... unless on mad gradients, but advancing years, and other stuff may be a factor here too and is not as fatiguing as some of the super stiff stuff in the garage.

Love the different raw finish of Ti. Fantastic bike so far.

Fugs!!

Wanderer78 wrote: »

an old acquaintance, hope you re still looking after that trek mountain bike, and yourself!;)

Ah nice one B. All good buddy. Haven't seen you in 15 years I'd say.

Wanderer78

Fugs!! wrote: »

Ah nice one B. All good buddy. Haven't seen you in 15 years I'd say.

rockin l, all good hear, hope you re well

Dexif

Oberkon wrote: »

3t discuss wheels I presume ? Ive the same set on a 3t bike . Really good, spin up quick with a very loud Freehub thst scares the bejesus out of people ,very handy as it wakes the phone zombies up as you pass them!
Mine are Non tubeless Sadly

Yep, find them very good. Was looking for an all-rounder at a decent price. Picked them up on a CRC sale so was even better!

Trekker09

I had a VN Aquillo and loved it. Simple, classic lines and a stunning finish, allied to a lush ride and agility I wasn't expecting.

Will definitely get another one, should never have sold it!

magicbastarder

that begs the question - why *did* you sell it?

Trekker09

magicbastarder wrote: »

that begs the question - why *did* you sell it?

....a BMC SLR01 frameset became available to me at a very attractive price! I tried to reason with the Mrs but she was having none of it.

Finnrocco

I have a Merlin Agilis, did Tour of Flanders on it a few years ago, was perfect.

Only bike I would never sell

Effects

8valve wrote: »

Nice unbuilt Van Nicholas Ventus frame hanging in a certain bike shop in Carrick....just saying. :-)

Might even be some carbon forks lying around that would suit, as well!

Got a link to that one? I've been riding on a borrowed titanium bike the past week and have fallen in love with it!

harringtonp

Jays. Can't believe this. All so positive and not a single dissenting voice.

My sole experience of titanium was a single bike hire day in Majorca. Shop told me people raved over them and they were going to get more for the following year.

Well I found it noticeably sluggish on hairpin corners compared to the carbon bike I'd hired from the same shop a couple of days previously

Won't argue with comfort or sponginess but when I'm out of the saddle and putting watts through the pedals I like the bike to react instantly. Remember deciding after never again

sparky_marcus

Why fork out for Titanium with all the potential weld issues down the road when steel has come on so much, Reynolds 853 or 931 stainless FTW

Fugs!!

sparky_marcus wrote: »

Why fork out for Titanium with all the potential weld issues down the road when steel has come on so much, Reynolds 853 or 931 stainless FTW

What weld issues? Surely you can have weld issues with steel also.. I love titanium as a material having worked with it years ago I became quite mesmerised by its properties.

Fugs!!

harringtonp wrote: »

Jays. Can't believe this. All so positive and not a single dissenting voice.

My sole experience of titanium was a single bike hire day in Majorca. Shop told me people raved over them and they were going to get more for the following year.

Well I found it noticeably sluggish on hairpin corners compared to the carbon bike I'd hired from the same shop a couple of days previously

Won't argue with comfort or sponginess but when I'm out of the saddle and putting watts through the pedals I like the bike to react instantly. Remember deciding after never again

I'd prefer to be comfortable if cycling for 8 or 10 hours tbh but, I'll take note of your opinion.

comete

Fugs!! wrote: »

What weld issues? Surely you can have weld issues with steel also.. I love titanium as a material having worked with it years ago I became quite mesmerised by its properties.

You probably know as well as anyone then the complexities of welding titanium. There are horror stories of welds around bottom brackets cracking, and very few bike builders willing to take on repairs due to the complexities.

The cost is the main reason I never investigated titanium, but I have a 2020 volare 931 and love it.

Mercian Pro

comete wrote: »

You probably know as well as anyone then the complexities of welding titanium. There are horror stories of welds around bottom brackets cracking, and very few bike builders willing to take on repairs due to the complexities.

The cost is the main reason I never investigated titanium, but I have a 2020 volare 931 and love it.

I found it quite difficult to track down reliable information on the failure of Ti welds. Most of the articles I found seemed to be based on a very limited number of actual defects. I agree that finding someone to repair a Ti frame could be a problem but, with a lifetime guarantee from Van Nicholas, hopefully I will never need to go looking for a welder.


On the issue of price, I see that the Volare 931 frameset is listed at £2,300 on the Genesis website. I would be surprised if there aren't a fair few Ti framesets available at or below that price. They do list the Croix de Fer in Ti at £200 more than the Volare but I don't really know how the two frames compare. Both look terrific as I'm sure you know comete.

comete

Oh no, it was £1600 rrp including the full carbon fork, but i found one that was 20% off.

A close friend of mine is a bike builder and has very recently started building ti frames, but the cost is fairly eye watering.

brownian

Fugs!! wrote: »

I'd prefer to be comfortable if cycling for 8 or 10 hours tbh but, I'll take note of your opinion.

I'm with HarringtonP on this one. My Van Nic hangs in the shed. TBH it's much more fun to ride on my carbon bike - much zippier, much more response when you put some power down. I rode two Van Nics for about five years, before I got a carbon bike. The difference blew me away.

I did ride to Dromod and back (150 each way) last Christmas on the Van Nic, as my carbon bike was elsewhere, and I got there and back no problem...but it was less fun.

If comfort is your thing (and it's mine), you can go with fat tyres, with a leather saddle, with a split seatpost, with elastomer-loaded stem, and still keep the key 'get up and go' of a carbon bike.

Like everything else in cycling (more or less) there's a lot of subjective preference. A Ti bike is hard to wreck, and hard to scratch (if you go bare, which you should!). I amn't convinced about the ride - maybe others just ride really harsh carbon bikes ? Anyway - ride one for a weekend and see. If you want to borrow one for a day, by all means drop me a PM - my Van Nic hangs in the shed...

MyAccount

think it depends on the geometry and tubing diameter and in the case of some of the more recent stuff tube profile - my Ti is more than stiff enough and certainly stiffer that my 653 bike

magicbastarder

Mercian Pro wrote: »

On the issue of price, I see that the Volare 931 frameset is listed at £2,300 on the Genesis website.

to be fair, genesis prices have gone through the roof though; the equilibrium 20 disc was £1500 five years ago, now it's an eye watering £2400.

sparky_marcus

magicbastarder wrote: »

to be fair, genesis prices have gone through the roof though; the equilibrium 20 disc was £1500 five years ago, now it's an eye watering £2400.

Indeed but good value second hand out there, got a Volare 853 last month with Ultegra group for £900, rides like a dream, after being on alu for 15 years the steel is incredible. Again with 931 stainless and the weight/finishes being achieved why pay more Ti, I hazard you could get a custom built Rourke 853/931 stainless cheaper than a off the peg Ti, course you wouldn't be as "cool"

thehangtenguy

I have a van nicholas the last 6 year and would agree with a lot of what is being said here interms of comfort particularly on rougher roads. Not sure how much that’s down to material or geometry. It’s not the fastest bike I have but It’s the bike I would use for a longer day in the saddle or on rougher roads despite only fitting 25mm tyres. I love the aesthetic of a Ti frame with skinny tubes. I brought mine to the cobbles of Flanders last year and I think it was the perfect bike for the weekend. With a lifetime warranty on the frame I don’t think I’ll ever sell it.

Wanderer78

Fugs!! wrote:

What weld issues? Surely you can have weld issues with steel also.. I love titanium as a material having worked with it years ago I became quite mesmerised by its properties.

I can also understand your admiration for titanium, I loved working with it also, by far one of the most interesting materials out there, extremely malleable etc, but it's important to remember, we were working with the high grade stuff, I'd say the lower grade, in fact I'd say all of it, would probably be a nightmare as a bike. It would be a great project for yourself, but probably a pain in the hole in reality, for your cycling needs. I ll text you later, sorry up to my eyeballs all week

magicbastarder

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I loved working with it also

what were you doing with it?

Wanderer78

magicbastarder wrote: »

what were you doing with it?

manufacturing components for the aerospace industry

Fugs!!

All very interesting thanks folks. I've alot of pondering to do.

Mercian Pro

Fugs!! wrote: »

All very interesting thanks folks. I've alot of pondering to do.

A few more things to ponder as well as frame material:

• Geometry - relaxed or competitive
• Brakes - rim or disk
• Tyre clearance - road or gravel
• Extras - mudguard/pannier eyes
• Group-set - electronic or manual
• Do you love it?
• Price!

Wanderer78

you can also get extremely thinly rolled aluminum frames, seen one in one of our lbs's a couple of years ago, at first glance, it looked like a carbon, the welds were fantastic on it, wouldnt like to be welding it though, id say you could easily destroy it, wonder would something like that be robot welded? the walls were so thin, i could push in the metal, very light to

Fugs!!

Mercian Pro wrote: »

A few more things to ponder as well as frame material:

• Geometry - relaxed or competitive
• Brakes - rim or disk
• Tyre clearance - road or gravel
• Extras - mudguard/pannier eyes
• Group-set - electronic or manual
• Do you love it?
• Price!

I've considered alot of those factors alright.

This is where I'm at. I have a good carbon race bike which over done long spins on but it's a race bike. Its nimble light exciting and for me comfertableish. I'm very attached to it as I've cycled everywhere on it. It's actually the best thing I've ever bought. Changed my life for the better.

For bike packing I have a carbon flat bar giant. Its superb and very very comfy. Its lovely on the local greenway too.

So I'm looking for something to do audax type events on. 200+ km rides. I did my first 200k audax this year and loved it. The race bike was good but towards the end I felt sore and was longing for a more upright position. I love titanium but as some have said "the lack of excitement" is a bit off putting for me.

I'd love a titanium but some of the carbon endurance bikes look very tempting.

smacl

Fugs!! wrote: »

So I'm looking for something to do audax type events on. 200+ km rides. I did my first 200k audax this year and loved it. The race bike was good but towards the end I felt sore and was longing for a more upright position. I love titanium but as some have said "the lack of excitement" is a bit off putting for me.

I'd love a titanium but some of the carbon endurance bikes look very tempting.

Just a thought, but a lot of the audax routes cover l-roads in very poor condition and some have gravel & grass, e.g. three aqueducts. I reckon Ti or steel could be a better option than carbon in that scenario.

Large bottle small glass

I've done a nice bit of audax over the years, and now almost exclusively ride the worst of L or county roads and can't tell any difference in comfort between alu road bike, Genesis steel bike and a Ridley cx.

I can tell the difference between a bike that doesn't fit me and between 23mm tyres at 8 bar and and 28mm tyre at 4.5bar.

I test rode a Van Nicholas in Killarney once; the rep was in store at time I called. Went of for a good spin. When I came back he asked did I appreciate the "titanium feel"; I told him it felt exactly like my €1000 Lapierre

Wanderer78

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

I've done a nice bit of audax over the years, and now almost exclusively ride the worst of L or county roads and can't tell any difference in comfort between alu road bike, Genesis steel bike and a Ridley cx.

I can tell the difference between a bike that doesn't fit me and between 23mm tyres at 8 bar and and 28mm tyre at 4.5bar.

I test rode a Van Nicholas in Killarney once; the rep was in store at time I called. Went of for a good spin. When I came back he asked did I appreciate the "titanium feel"; I told him it felt exactly like my €1000 Lapierre

his new best friend!

smacl

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

I've done a nice bit of audax over the years, and now almost exclusively ride the worst of L or county roads and can't tell any difference in comfort between alu road bike, Genesis steel bike and a Ridley cx.

I can tell the difference between a bike that doesn't fit me and between 23mm tyres at 8 bar and and 28mm tyre at 4.5bar.

I test rode a Van Nicholas in Killarney once; the rep was in store at time I called. Went of for a good spin. When I came back he asked did I appreciate the "titanium feel"; I told him it felt exactly like my €1000 Lapierre

Good to know. I always route through l-roads and gravel by preference where the big difference for me is tyres. 40mm gravel tyres on my main CX bike and 25mm on my road bike which is almost exclusively used with the turbo. After that is saddle, B17 for me on all bikes. Looking at n+1 myself and fancied the idea of Ti but may now reconsider.

delynet

PlanetX have couple of Titanium options. This and they also have a Gravel bike

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXHURV3R8000/planet-x-hurricane-shimano-ultegra-titanium-road-bike

Mefistofelino

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

I've done a nice bit of audax over the years, and now almost exclusively ride the worst of L or county roads and can't tell any difference in comfort between alu road bike, Genesis steel bike and a Ridley cx.

I can tell the difference between a bike that doesn't fit me and between 23mm tyres at 8 bar and and 28mm tyre at 4.5bar.

I test rode a Van Nicholas in Killarney once; the rep was in store at time I called. Went of for a good spin. When I came back he asked did I appreciate the "titanium feel"; I told him it felt exactly like my €1000 Lapierre

My fleet and I feel personally attacked!

cletus

Here's an interesting video, although I expect that the conclusions drawn won't be too popular on this thread :D:D