Wittson Supressio build

[Prawn]

Santa dropped by with a ‘new’ frame. He explained that he had forgotten about me in 1992 and wanted to give me something from that era: A ti frame. (I was tempted to explain that titanium was obsolete and that carbon was better, but that seemed churlish so I took the frame with a smile.)

Upon closer inspection the frame was for rim brakes. (Remember those?) As luck would have it, I had a lot of parts left over from pre-disc days so after some rummaging it all came together - 22mm tubs included!

Problem: Weight is about 7.3kg. What should I change?

Wittson - initial build

[alistaird]

Santa's been kind and finally remembered. It's an age thing with him...

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[none]

I doubt extended seattube frame was around back in 1992, but possible.

Does it have tappered headtube? Pretty sure that was not around 1992 either. Most road bikes still have 1" steertube in 1992 era.

I would flip the front quick release lever to the non-drive side as most rim brake wheel application.

You've got yourself a very nice titanium bike, likely last longer than you can ride it.

[Prawn]

Quite right - it isn’t actually from 1992. (That’s just me making a silly reference to the era of titanium.) It’s made by Wittson and is a current model. Head tube is interesting: The top is a standard 44mm tube with a press-fit cup (Chris King Inset 1) while the lower-half tapers outwards to provide a seat for a 47mm bearing (Cane Creek). Fork is an Enve 2.0.

[none]

I think it's quite sad to think titanium frames are obsolete.
They have great attributes for daily use bicycles, no need to worry about rust or corrusion, no paint to scratch or chip, no concern of getting them dirty and have to wash it frenquently.
Ride quality is quite nice for its weight and sturdy enough to withstand impact and come out undamaged vs aluminum, steel or carbon frames.
As a bike that require minimal maintenance & care to operate, it's hard to beat a titanium frame.
Ride it, get it dirty & wet, leave it and repeat.

[NiFTY]

Ti. Not disc. Not aero. Just throw it out. If you try and ride around the block it'll probably catch fire.

[jbaillie]

A lot of really great Ti frames being built up on this forum, most of them are rim-brake too. Imaking20, RyanH and Godzuki26 each have had threads for really nice Litespeed builds recently.

[Prawn]

Agree! I've found their build projects to be both helpful and inspiring. LItespeed T1 and T2 frames look great, and their geometry is nearly identical to my Tarmac (which I see as a plus), but they are quite an investment. My frame is a Wittson Suppresio. There was a review of it here: https://cyclingtips.com/2017/07/wittson ... me-review/ In fact, I have the frame featured in the article.

[Prawn]

The quest to reduce weight continues. THM Fibula brakes have shaved 180g. I have the prior generation version, and found that they were straight-forward to install and no shortage of stopping power. Thay said, they seem to be quite sensitive to wheels thast are not perfectly true and centred (i.e. wobbles in the vertical plane of the wheel). My old wheels are off by more than the allowed 0.2mm, and this caused a somewhat terrifying pulsing when coming to a halt down a steep hill. Clearly new wheels needed...

[Prawn]

Current build: (...a few estimates in the list)

[Prawn]

Very happy with the weight... however...

WEIGHT is now 6.7kg - not bad for a Ti frame. Major change is DT Swiss RRC 32 Tubular wheels with DT180 hubs. The pair wieght just over 1kg.

HOWEVER there is a terrifying pulsing on the front brake. It is most pronounced when comiong to a stop on steep downslopes. At first I thought it might be the headset being loose - but it isn't. Then I thought it might be a high spot on the new wheels... but the same thing happens with other wheels... and again with after turning the wheels around... same thing. It appears to be a problem with the THM brake: If I put weight on the bike, hold the the front brake on, and rock the bike back and forward, I can see that the brake caliper itself moves back and forward. This may be creating an oscillation whereby the brakes effectively increase and decrease braking pressure. The brake in mounted to an Enve 2.0 fork, and the THM tensions and positioning are correct. I weight 70kg.

Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions? My next step is probably to put a dura ace caliper back on the front.

[Wingnut]

I see issues with THM brakes repeatedly so would go to either EE brakes or other manufacturers.

[jbaillie]

Dollar for dollar I think the Fouriers CNC brakes are tough to beat. Similar to the old Planet X ones (they stopped making/selling them), lighter than Dura Ace and a lot cheaper.

[KCookie]

I change between 3 sets of wheels two lightweights and AX Lightness and I have pulsing with all of them and again with my THM front brake, can't seem to notice the rear though. I've just got used to it now. What does help is to clean the brake track with Acetone, it's surprising how dirty they get.
Personally if I was to start a build again I would definitely get the EE brakes over THM any day.

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[leicaman]

Very nice Ti bike. I recently got myself a T2 and love it