Steel, Stainless steel or Titanium ?

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DJT21
Posts: 381
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:35 pm

by DJT21

dim wrote:
Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:43 pm
I'd steer clear of Titanium .... from what I have read, the welds have to be perfect .... some people report welds that crack after a while, especially around the bottom bracket where forces are huge

so go with lightweight steel .... I like these:
Jaegher Interceptor:
http://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/797/ja ... tor-review
Lol @ Jaegher. I wouldn't trust them to build a straight frame; quality seems to be lacking!

Titanium is fine if it's built by a good builder. Carl Strong is a name that springs to mind.

I would fear stainless steel would dent too easily. It's also tricky to manufacture (like Titanium) so you'd need to find a good builder.

ichobi
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by ichobi

If i go by value for money alone, i wouldn’t be riding etap. All my bikes would be fitted with tiagra or 105. There are more to bicycle than performance per dollar spent, to me anyway.

Anyhow, how about Condor bikes? They have some reasonably priced stainless and ti offering. The acciaio or super acciaio are race proven. You can also ask for custom geo with very little extra charge compared to most custom bike brands.


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Last edited by ichobi on Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

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mattyNor
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by mattyNor

wheelsONfire wrote:Hey Stormur, let me know if you find someone building a custom frame for €1500.
I think it's a bit difficult actually.

Talking material, i would go for XCR tubing asking for a stiff front end and BB.
Or possibly Ti with same request. This should mean big diameter downtube and possibly toptube.
A tapered headtube rather than the 44mm I.D. (/50mm O.D.) they try to get away with.

I also would go for through axles and disc brake even if it was a road bike.

Stelbel have a nice bike, but it's 100/130 spacing.
I guess the UK builders ask less than the Italian.
Outside EU means a high taxing so i guess USA is out?
Stelbel will do any changes to their frames you request, mine was the first thru axle/flat mount Nina they did which then became their standard lol. I paid 3400Cad for frame (custom Columbus tubing but not xcr) and fork so not sure how that translates into Euro.

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stormur
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by stormur

There's plenty of options for 1500; Reilly, Orlowski, Rychtarski, Burls.. just to name the few. Both steel and ti. 2-3 hundred more ( can "survive" this ;) ) gives me fully custom geometry at some, for others it's even to much € ( Polish builders ) , it's not necessity for me, just it can't be "slopping"- this I can't stand.. or I do if it's "negative slope" .
From off the shelve it's enough money for DeRosa Corum f.e.( but not limited to ).

Disc brake is not an option. Already have disc braked bike ( under construction- weirdest bike I ever built for myself BTW ;) ) and don't need another: this I have doesn't have any issues caused by "modern" frames ( internal housing rattling, pressfit bb, flat mount, thru axles... And will serve as commuter and crosser.

I want road bike. Without +7-800g addtional weight ( to already not the lightest frame ) and ugly overpriced levers.
Drivetrain: it happened I have some DA9000 bits lying around ( was cheap, so bought it for "future" ) , choice has been made though( and I'm fortunate enough to say that Tiagra nor 105 won't happened to my bike :) if I couldn't say that it would be rather Veloce/ Centaur, for the same € performance is unbeatable in comparison).

Soldered frame ( steel ) is no bad thing. I would say it's better than welding at some point. Many framebuilders do it, succesfully.

Indeed, I've heard of issues with Ti bikes& welding; basically about all brands. Being not the lightest guy on bike it does somehow pushing me towards steel or alu ( 85kg, low cadence 1500W+ in short sprint ).

Another thing is you can read that "ti is for life" ( durability ? ) but "steel ride like no other" ;)

BTW Happy New Year !
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
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I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that ;)

NickJHP
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Location: Canberra, Australia

by NickJHP

Waltly will make a frame to your design and specifications: http://www.waltlytitanium.com/.

I don't have one of their frames but I know a couple of people who do and they're quite happy with them.

dim
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by dim

I went to a bike shop today to buy some tyre boots

.... and I spotted my next bike .... a Trek madone 9.5 ....

out of my budget right now .... but I will get one (used ) in a yers time off ebay

sometimes, you see a bike and you know that you will enjoy riding it and that it will be fast .... Canyon Aeroad does not appeal to my style (my son keeps on telling me to get a Canyon Aeroad)

Image

so what I'm trying to tell you is that you need to look at the bike in person .... if it excites you before you even put your arse on it look more closely ....
Trek Emonda SL6
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bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

I have a a few steel bikes and all get chipped but none have rotted. The only downside is weight but there is something nice about a skinney tubed steel bike.

cassard
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by cassard

I had the choice between Ti and Steel. I previously had a Guru Praemio-R Ti witch I loved.

I went to steel mostly for price difference now. Ti is very expensive in that last few years and Steel with a good rust treatment won't rust for a very very very long time.

For the weight, It's almost the same.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

I went from steel to titanium to carbon and now I'm back to titanium. I won't go back to carbon. Carbon bikes are light and look attractive but they lack the ride quality of Ti. To me the ride quality is more important than looks and weight. To each his own.

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

Just do a reasonably thick powder coat on steel. Skip the spray paint.

It won't chip easily.

/a

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WinterRider
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by WinterRider

dim wrote:
Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:43 pm
I'd steer clear of Titanium .... from what I have read, the welds have to be perfect .... some people report welds that crack after a while, especially around the bottom bracket where forces are huge
Key board 'queening :roll: .. ones reads lots of she*t on the net. Welds of all flavors can crack... just like carbon.. carbon forks et al. Titanium "queen chatter" mostly stemmed from the sub 3 lb ti frames... very thin tubes.

Weld quality and it's longevity is not an issue on the custom side. Me I just went used Litespeed... one owner estate sales.. like new bikes. Built when Litespeed meant quality..........
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

dim
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by dim

WinterRider wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 1:24 pm
dim wrote:
Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:43 pm
I'd steer clear of Titanium .... from what I have read, the welds have to be perfect .... some people report welds that crack after a while, especially around the bottom bracket where forces are huge
Key board 'queening :roll: .. ones reads lots of she*t on the net. Welds of all flavors can crack... just like carbon.. carbon forks et al. Titanium "queen chatter" mostly stemmed from the sub 3 lb ti frames... very thin tubes.

Weld quality and it's longevity is not an issue on the custom side. Me I just went used Litespeed... one owner estate sales.. like new bikes. Built when Litespeed meant quality..........
Not having a go at anyone, but I was very keen for a Ti bike when I saw my mates Enigma Titanium that was custom built for him to his body measurements.

A stunning bike and very expensive (Di2, expensive carbon wheelset etc Chris King bottom bracket, etc etc and everyting of the best with no expense spared).

Then I started googling and found many people reporting problems with cracked welds. So, based on that, I will stick with carbon.

here are two interesting articles explaining how difficult it is to weld titanium:

https://22bicycles.com/blogs/news/whats ... anium-weld

https://www.ibiscycles.com/support/tech ... advantage/
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WinterRider
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by WinterRider

dim wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:24 pm
WinterRider wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 1:24 pm
dim wrote:
Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:43 pm
I'd steer clear of Titanium .... from what I have read, the welds have to be perfect .... some people report welds that crack after a while, especially around the bottom bracket where forces are huge
Key board 'queening :roll: .. ones reads lots of she*t on the net. Welds of all flavors can crack... just like carbon.. carbon forks et al. Titanium "queen chatter" mostly stemmed from the sub 3 lb ti frames... very thin tubes.

Weld quality and it's longevity is not an issue on the custom side. Me I just went used Litespeed... one owner estate sales.. like new bikes. Built when Litespeed meant quality..........
Not having a go at anyone, but I was very keen for a Ti bike when I saw my mates Enigma Titanium that was custom built for him to his body measurements.

A stunning bike and very expensive (Di2, expensive carbon wheelset etc Chris King bottom bracket, etc etc and everyting of the best with no expense spared).

Then I started googling and found many people reporting problems with cracked welds. So, based on that, I will stick with carbon.

here are two interesting articles explaining how difficult it is to weld titanium:

https://22bicycles.com/blogs/news/whats ... anium-weld

https://www.ibiscycles.com/support/tech ... advantage/
Fair enough.

Think one finds .. good ti frames from sources w no issues. If welding ti wasn't technically challenged everybody would do it.. hence the few not competent doing such lead to this internet crap.. IE: all ti is challenged.

Just say outright... who what and where.

Carbon in my world ...aint. Failure mode of carbon isn't acceptable for me.
Litespeed 2000 Appalachian 61 cm
Litespeed 1998 Blue Ridge 61cm

Fitness rider.. 1 yr from seven decades age.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it.

darnellrm
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Location: NC, USA

by darnellrm

It is very common to see even older Litespeeds ( considered the masters by most ) with cracked welds.

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853guy
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by 853guy

I've spent the last six months flip-flopping on which of those three materials my next (and final) cost-no-object bike will be made from. I love steel (853 has been a favorite, as you can probably guess). And though I've toyed with the idea of stainless (in XCr form) and had a brief but short-lived infatuation with carbon (which I already own), I'm going to go titanium.

Yes, I too have seen cracked welds in ti frames. But as others have mentioned, individual data points are no more or less than that, and in any case, any frame that is not adequate to the task due to design and/or manufacturing defects cannot be used to paint all frames made from that material as therefore deficient.

That said, ti welding is a skill in-and-of-itself partly because of its reactivity but also because the welds are very easily contaminated by oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrocarbons.

So, more than likely, it will be built by these fine gentlemen here, in which they demonstrate how (and why) they weld their frames in a vacuum chamber filled with inert Argon.

http://www.nevi.it/video/titanium-bikes ... er-welding

Oh, yeah. And they look the business.

Best,

853guy

P.S. I reserve the right to both flip and flop in the next twenty four hours. Heck, it may be even less than that.

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