titanium recommendation? - Page 3 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-11-2005, 05:15 PM

"Bill H." <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1110559642.279358.40150@l41g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...
..
>
> Comfort should be addressed by fit and frame material. If you specify
> that you want to avoid aluminum frames, you should be able to find
> something comfy. Some road riders are happy with an aluminum frame but
> add a carbon fork for dampening the bumps, so that might be an option,
> too.
>
Bill---

Lots and lots of people have logged millions of miles on Cannondale
touring bikes, and they have big ol' aluminum tubes and aluminum forks. The
material is not the issue, I think. It's a matter of geometry and fit. :-)

03-11-2005, 08:33 PM

> No..the cheaper the better! thanks for the recommendation and will
> look into it.
>
> I do feel bad about going to a LBS just to get a proper size bike if I
> plan on finding the cheapest place to buy it. ( does that even make
> any sense?)

It often doesn't work that way; fit isn't always something that gets nailed
in one session. A good LBS might be worth a lot more than whatever savings
might be had elsewhere, because they're going to go out of their way to make
sure your bike doesn't live its life in the garage. Fit is often dynamic;
what seems OK on a trainer or brief test ride might prove otherwise as you
add on the miles. It's not about frame size per se; the trick is how to set
up a given bike for the particular rider. Seat setback & height; handlebar
reach, width & tilt; seat-to-handlebar drop and saddle choice all come into
play when fitting somebody to a bike. I'm sure I left something out, but it
was a pretty long day today at the shop, with the stunning weather bringing
in a lot of people for bikes.

But my point was that all those adjustments I spoke of go far beyond frame
"size" and often require fine tuning down the road. That can make the
difference between a garage decoration and something that you can stand to
walk past without wanting to get out and ride.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

03-11-2005, 09:50 PM

> >I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20
years
> >old . I am interested in carbon or ti. and there seems to be a lot
of
> >info on carbon bikes. But I am having a difficult time finding
> >recommendations of Ti bikes. Itc ould be because of my price range,
I
> >dont know. I want to spend 1500 to 2300 or so. the less the better.
I
> >dont need the best out there, I only ride for pleasure, about
100-200
> >miles a week, and I do a century or two each year.

>
> Ron

After riding a GT steel bike for 7 years I just bought a Litespeed
Siena--compact frame/ carbon seatstays. I do lots of centuries,
double metrics and double doubles--all real hilly, and I was getting
envious of the 16.5 lb bikes while I was on something pushing 22 lbs.

I tricked out the Litespeed, replacing most of the parts (for example
RealDesign fork is supposedly harsh, so I upgraded to a Reynolds Ouzo
Pro), and bought from a LBS--but I've seen a stock Litespeed Siena at
REI with year old wheels for @$2700

Was the new bike it worth it, and is ti a magical material? The Siena
is not the lightest ti out there as it has oversized tubes, and I
didn't want something whippy. It came in slightly over 18 lbs, so I
still lost 3-3 1/2 lbs from my old bike. On long climbs it feels
better, but hard to tell. On short sprints/ climbs that I can power
over rollers the acceleration is better than on my old bike.

On the flats acceleration also seems a little better, but I would be
hard pressed to prove that I am going any faster. I haven't taken the
Litespeed out for 100 mile syet so don't know if more comfortable than
my GT 853 steel bike--but so far I haven't noticed any great "legendary
ti feel;" in fact the steel bike may be a bit more comfortable. (but
I'm still moving the seat around on each ride--now pushed way back on
the tight frame.)

The biggest bang for the buck I've gotten has been on the
downhills--the Litespeed tracks sooooo much better than the GT, I'm not
scrubbing speed/ riding the brakes like I did on the GT. I feel like
I am in total control. However this goes back to fit/ size/
geometry--not the bike's material itself.

Of course ti doesn't rust or scratch--but I negated the latter by
having the bike painted orange--logically dysfunctional but
asthetically necessary for me.

Best of luck...