Thomson ti

[Elefantino]

Thomson's titanium seatpost made its debut at Eurobike, but so did this:

https://cdn-cyclingtips.pressidium.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/thomson-titanium-Eurobike-2019-tech-coverage-1.jpg

"Thomson is doubling its frameset range (a MTB hardtail was first) with the addition of a gravel bike. About six months away, the new frame will be made from 3/2.5 titanium tubing and offer room for up to a 700x42mm or even wider 650B tyres. It’ll be available in five stock sizes and cost approximately US$3,000. For those that know Thomson as an American-based aluminium stem and seatpost manufacturer (they’re far more than that these days), this frame is not made in America."

Verrrrry innnnnnnteresting.

[weisan]

Nahhhh....they have so much waste material coming out of that newly-designed seatpost, they figured they will go ahead and build a bike out of it, that's as far as it goes...

[FlashUNC]

It have the same ability as other Thomson stuff to be beautifully machined but crack if you even look at it wrong?

[Duende]

It have the same ability as other Thomson stuff to be beautifully machined but crack if you even look at it wrong?

Ouch! But this did make me laugh!

[colker]

Thomson´s big deal is their longer craddle which gives better suport and grip for saddle rails. Saddles don´t slip and rails don´t bend.
Titanium or aluminium makes no difference if you have a 30.9 seatpost.

[zzy]

The finish on that frame is awful - some polishing and a fine scotchbrite pad is badly needed. Is the post CNC'd?

[Dekonick]

The finish on that frame is awful - some polishing and a fine scotchbrite pad is badly needed. Is the post CNC'd?

I was thinking the same thing. Serotta would NEVER have let a frame leave the shop looking like that.

[sonicCows]

The finish on that frame is awful - some polishing and a fine scotchbrite pad is badly needed. Is the post CNC'd?

Looks more like smudged oily fingerprints to me

[Dino Suegiù]

Weren't these unveiled already at NAHBS in March?

A First Look at Thomson’s New Titanium All Road Bike and New Titanium Seatpost (https://theradavist.com/2019/03/a-first-look-at-thomsons-new-titanium-all-road-bike-and-new-titanium-seatpost/)

LH Thomson goes titanium with prototype gravel bike, new ti seatpost (https://bikerumor.com/2019/03/15/lh-thomson-goes-titanium-with-prototype-gravel-bike-new-ti-seatpost/)

I wonder if these frames or seatposts will sell. Apparently the very few Lynskey-built bicycles did not do well at all. I don't quite understand why Thomson is entering this market, not being a titanium fabricator at all. It seems curious.


The finish on that frame is awful - some polishing and a fine scotchbrite pad is badly needed.
It might well be just another prototype, and then also handled by Eurobike visitors at that.

[Butch]

They showed this at NAHBS this year and they had a Ti MTB frame a few years ago. This one looks like it might be made by ORA Engineering in Taiwan, they use a similar internal routing weld on. Having toured their facility and knowing the materials they use, the frame will be much heavier than a US made frame and I would estimate it will feel that way. Another company I know that used ORA for road bikes a few years ago had a fair number of issues with cracked chainstays.

IMO the cost of US built from one of the better builders is worth it if you plan to ride a lot and keep the bike a long time. The ride quality, aesthetics and longevity make it worth it.

[GonaSovereign]

I suspect those are fingerprints from people touching the bike as they fawn over it. That's a good sign of interest.

Having said that, you can get a ti bike with domestic tubes made in Mass by Seven for a similar price, or a custom bike with butted and shaped domestic tubes out of No22 in upstate New York for a few hundred more. IMHO you'd need to be batsh*t crazy to not go the domestic route for essentially the same price.

Happy to see more brands building with ti.

[zzy]

If that much oxidization is a result of fingerprints, the reps really need to wipe it down with some frame polish more..