Best Titanium Road Bike

[timsmcm]

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[timsmcm]

If I could find a big head tube 54 / 55 serotta pronto that's what I would be jumping on.

[macaroon]

Originally Posted by doomridesout

I used to not get the appeal. Then I got a Moots Compact, which changed my attitude. There are prettier bikes out there, but when you're looking to buy a machine for riding, Moots makes some of the most well-rounded, no-nonsense bikes out there. The industrial aesthetic grew on me immensely once I realized what the deal was. It's a tool, not a trophy, which is how I think titanium bikes should be treated.

I get the sentiment, but the fact a bike is made out of titanium kinda makes it a nonsense. As for them being a tool; I've never seen one at a race.

[Mikej]

Originally Posted by timsmcm

If I could find a big head tube 54 / 55 serotta pronto that's what I would be jumping on.

I honestly have to say, I don’t feel the 44mm ht does anything. My Eriksen is so stout up front, I couldn’t imagine it or want it any stiffer. Even my old Eriksen MTB had a straight 1-1/8 ht and my new 44mm didn’t even show on my radar. But I get it, it’s marketing and we all fall for it. That guys giant Mosaic has a 1-1/8, wonder how he feels? Nice Mosaic btw - how tall are you?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by m4rk540

Lance rode one and Eddy contracted with them. The top of the line Litespeed is pretty spendy.

That was the Litespeed of old, Marc Lynskey, the ones LA and Merckx worked with. Not the same ABG Litespeed of today.

Ahh, I see already mentioned-post#89

[m4rk540]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

That was the Litespeed of old, Marc Lynskey, the ones LA and Merckx worked with. Not the same ABG Litespeed of today.

Ahh, I see already mentioned-post#89

I get that but Litespeed sold its factory and intellectual property. Most employees on the floor stayed on. ABG didn't purchase just a brand or name as Competitive Cyclist did when it bought Merlin. Also, a few years back Litespeed was the title sponsor of an elite US team.

I'm convinced most racers would take a T1 over a Mosaic or Firefly regardless of the geometry being stock.

[froze]

Originally Posted by TMD

I am currently riding a steel Serotta from 10 years ago. I'm in the market for a new road bike and am seriously considering titanium over a run on the mill carbon one. I'm looking for a bit more performance over comfort. What brands/models could hold their own against a carbon road bike on a fast group ride?

There have been so many responses and different opinions your head is probably spinning, or you stopped spinning and have already bought one! If you haven't bought one You need to figure out how much are you willing to spend to get the bike. You need to figure out if you want a bike made in the USA or if that's a non issue for you. I do know this, that the more you spend the less you get back percentage wise on the quality of the bike. For example if you spend say $6,000 vs $3,000 the percent of suppose improvement will only be 5% MAX! And the more you spend the less that percentage gets. By the way that percentage of increase works for all bikes regardless of material.

Having said that, if your budget is really on the low end then Bikes Direct has really nice Motobecane TI bikes probably at the best prices that can be found for a TI bike. But if you want a nice TI bike that is made in the US I would look at Lynskey, I own one, and I think it was the best buy of all the bikes I looked at. I had looked at and test rode a friends Motobecane TI bike but Bikes Direct were sold out at the time I was going to buy and they didn't get them back in for almost 2 years so I got the Lynskey on a sale price. Lynskey also came out with a low costing line of bikes, I don't know too much about them but they should be fine bikes. But since you want more performance rather than comfort I would look at the Lynskey R470, but that is a racing bike and comfort is sacrificed for that purpose. You can read about it here: http://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/679...60-disc-review

Don't forget that Lynskey was the original owner and creator of Litespeed, he sold to a company that later found out had crappy customer service and warranty service, which pissed off Lynskey because that was his baby, so in direct competition and to throw some dirt in Litespeed face he started a new company and named it after his last name. Lynskey is the foremost Titanium builder in the world, he created techniques that are now being used by a lot of other builders.

I've had my Lynskey since 2013, it was the lowest costing one they had at the time called the Peloton, this is the best riding bike I've ever tossed a leg over, of course my bike is a sport geometry and not a racing geometry which is why it's so comfortable. I did make some upgrades before I took possession of the bike from Adrenalin and that was replacing the Lynskey CF fork (not sure who made that fork) with a Enve 2.0; replaced the low end FSA headset with a Cane Creek 110; replaced the rear 105 derailleur with Ultegra; and replaced the regular Shimano cables for DA9000 cables; those upgrade parts only cost me the difference between the standard and the better part, so it was actually cheap to do. Plus I bought some odds and ends so it would be ready to ride when I got it assembled.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by froze

I do know this, that the more you spend the less you get back percentage wise on the quality of the bike. For example if you spend say $6,000 vs $3,000 the percent of suppose improvement will only be 5% MAX! And the more you spend the less that percentage gets. By the way that percentage of increase works for all bikes regardless of material.

Not everyone is buying for "performance" as the ultimate metric.

Sometimes spending the extra money on a custom is about supporting the trade, connecting with a builder, getting something unique, enjoying the process, getting a personal fit, having a BSA instead of PF30 BB, keeping it local, joining the fraternity/sorority of custom bike pals, or....who knows what all else.

A few grand is a lot of money. And yet it isn't. How many people buy a new car and spend $5K to get the model with adaptive cruise control - never use it - and get nothing in return 3-yrs later when selling it? Or insert XYZ other way you can spend a few clams and get nothing in return...

If you want something fancy and custom, go for it. You don't have to explain yourself or justify your purchase to anyone here.

[bigbill]

I bought a 2009 Serotta Fierte Ti off this forum about two years ago because it closely matched the Argonaut I had lost in a fire. All I needed was a longer seatpost and the Argonaut parts went right on. I intended to use is as my road trip bike because it's unpainted and all I could really trash on it were decals. A scotchbrite fixes up any scratches. It's nothing special ride-wise, just competent and predictable handling, like I'd expect from Serotta. These days, I ride it like it was stolen on the weekends unless I'm on the BLE. It's just a really good bike.

It's 9 years old and I'm a big guy riding on rough roads, one day I'll find a crack, likely around the bottom bracket. I didn't pay a lot for it and even now, I feel like I've gotten a full return on my investment.

[Matthew]

That Spectrum with the orange panels is amazing. And that Mosaic is incredible as well. I personally love Moots. Have two myself. And absolutely they can be raced. I have a Meivici and a Colnago EPS and the Moots does not give up much in the performance department to either bike.

[timsmcm]

Originally Posted by Mikej

I honestly have to say, I don’t feel the 44mm ht does anything. My Eriksen is so stout up front, I couldn’t imagine it or want it any stiffer. Even my old Eriksen MTB had a straight 1-1/8 ht and my new 44mm didn’t even show on my radar. But I get it, it’s marketing and we all fall for it. That guys giant Mosaic has a 1-1/8, wonder how he feels? Nice Mosaic btw - how tall are you?

Im not really worried about stiffness, I just like that frame. I have a Serotta legend ti with compact geometry. It is an outstanding machine. The only other frame that could replace it as my #1 would be a Serotta Pronto. Maybe one day I will find one in my size.

[Hellgate]

333fab. If you like Seven, you'll love 333fab. Mine has SR mech and Shamals.

OS DB tubes, T47 BB, Breezer DOs, Enve fork, massive chainstays. Butter smooth ride.

[timsmcm]

Oh man that's a beauty.

[zennmotion]

Life is too short for me to read this entire thread, but Spectrum has been suggested at least once and I would concur. It would be designed by Tom Kellogg to fit whatever features and handling characteristics you wanted, and more importantly fit you- I would trust Tom's fit over any shop anywhere, and his knowledge of Ti and design are unmatched. Make it any colors you want or no colors. Wait time would be a reasonable few months. Built by Seven. I will admit I don't have one of his Ti bikes, but the fitting he did for my steel all-road was amazing, and this from a guy who has never had a fit issue from a stock 56cm bike. It may not be the cheapest option, but certainly not the most expensive either. Even if I had to fly to central PA to do the fitting, or work with Tom remotely I'd get in Tom's queue- I think the value added over buying directly from Seven would be absolutely worth it.

[ajhapps]

I have a Seven that I bough used, and love it. Their customer service is top notch. Definitely on the top of my list if I ever pony up for a custom bike of my own.

A good friend out here has a No22 bike, and its really nice. Super stiff and racey if that's what you're looking for. Not a bad turnaround for off-the-shelf. She's the fastest person I know, and definitely got faster on that bike.

I lust after the Mosaics I see out there... so, so nice. One day.