Confession

[Kirk007]

A challenge is that saying you never road a ti bike is about the same as saying you never road a steel, or carbon or..... It's less about the material and more about what the builder does with it and what you are looking for. That said, my general impression from riding a few ti bikes from the 90s - Serotta Legend, early 2000s - Hampsten by Moots, and now - Spectrum, is that the early ti bikes have nice resilience, maybe a bit damper ride than steel, and with a bit more rear end compliance than say a Max steel bike. So, like smaller diameter steel but lighter. Modern ti bikes can be very stiff, as one would suspect looking at the tubeset diameters and shaping. My perception of differences is most keen when climbing or accelerating. Hard to put into words - just a little softer? Smoother? Not saying slower.

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[tv_vt]

I will just say I love my ti bikes. If I could only have one bike, it would be made of titanium.

[bironi]

Just find someone on a group ride your size and make the proposal.
Most are fine to let someone else get a taste.
My experience anyway.
Show your appreciation for their bike and the result is usually generosity in return.
Try it, you'll like it.

[rwsaunders]

I owned a Legend for a few years that I should have never sold. The ride was awesome and I never worried about dirt, grime, worms, chips and road salt with the finish.

[m_moses]

My impression is that titanium is like steel but better.


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[Dave]

I had a polished litespeed ultimate. The ride was awful.

[GParkes]

Originally Posted by weisan

Parkes pal, I won't go that far to say that you will die "empty and broken" so no you won't...because if you are one of the "steel is real" people, than you already know and have experienced what a top-shelf bike rides like.

HOWEVER....personally, I do recommend that you gave Ti a serious consideration because :

1. Variety is spice of life

2. High quality used Ti bike can be had for nickels on a dime

3. Because of those two very reasons I mentioned above, it begs the question to anyone who haven't ridden a Ti bike...."why not?"

The last thing I would add is, just as there are a variety of reasons why certain steel bikes ride better than others, the same is true with Ti. So, if you do make the jump, treat it as you would in search of the "one", give it a fair shake - if you do that, I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

And to reinforce once again, you don't have to spend a lot to experience what a good Ti bike feels like, you just have to find the "one" for you....I paid $800 for a 2003 Merlin Agilis a few years ago. It has become one of the "best riding" bikes I ever had. It is the "one" for me, the search is over. I am not moved at all by people who said things like "but you haven't tried a Moots. or a 22"....lucky for me, I have ridden so many different bikes that I have developed the acumen for filtering bull$hit and able to discern what is and what isn't true.

I have a carbon TT bike and ridden carbon road - OK. Cannonball alu, served its purpose. Have had two Serottas, and currently own (and will be buried with) a gorgeous full custom Kirk from DK (doubt anything will match its ride). I build my own steel frames for daily driver, group rides, and road racing (which I no longer due). As I have another tubeset getting ready to go in production to replace a 7 year old fillet brazed bike, I can say I have no plans to buy anything Ti. I can build four frames for the cost of a new Ti, two frames for used Ti. But, I'm curious about riding one. Sadly, no friends have Ti......

[m_sasso]

Funny, I currently have a small 54 cm, DA equipped 99 Litespeed Ultimate and it rides wonderfully along with 12 other bicycles, including 2 other Ti bicycles.

[John H.]

If you haven't ridden a ti bike and you don't miss it- Don't sweat it.
There are lots of ways to ride- lots of types of bikes to ride.
We all like what we like.

I have also ridden 30+ years- I rode and raced on lugged steel and box section tubulars when they were state of the art.
Rode every other state of the art product in that 30 year period.

For me- Old bikes are nostalgia. I have no desire to ride a lugged steel bike or any old equipment. I like the new stuff- Carbon, discs, DI2, tubeless.

It doesn't mean that I am right or that others are wrong-

[weisan]

Originally Posted by GParkes

But, I'm curious about riding one. Sadly, no friends have Ti......

Like they say, curiosity kills the cat.

Just as I expected, you are already in the "my ride is sublime" category so all you are doing is introducing some variety into your riding.

It's up to you, really. Nobody can tell you what to do next.

Just know that it takes a bit of luck and sometimes even a couple of tries before you find the right one. The "I have never heard anything bad or anyone unhappy with their Moots" or substitute moots with any brand names for that matter is truly bull. There's no guarantee. Might be easier to re-sell but that's about it.

The ball is in your court.

[booglebug]

After a 25 year hiatus from riding and racing in the 80’s on steal, came back to riding 7 years ago on steel and then I rode my first Ti frame, a Seven I found on eBay. Not knocking steel as I still ride a Curtlo but kinda like this Ti stuff, big fan of Seven, have 2 Road and 1 gravel. Now saying that I have bought and sold several but have settled on a few that fit the bill. The low maintenance and steel like ride is hard to pass up, now saying that you can get a Ti frame that rides stiff or like a noodle, but the right Ti frame is top of the line for me.

[Tickdoc]

I’ve not ridden a solid thru and thru titanium, as both of mine are hybrids (ti/carbon) but both are different as night and day and both ride great. Steel is great. Carbon is great, aluminum was even great for me back in the day.

I honestly can’t tell which is best because there are so many factors that play into it. The best frame with the wrong wheels will ride like $hit in my experience....same thing with the wrong tires.....handlebars....tape....the list goes on. Geometry and fit? Also huge.

One thing I really like about ti, especially in raw form, is that it doesn’t rust. It doesn’t need to be washed constantly, and it just works.

Too many facotrs to ever say one material is better than the other in my experience.

[fogrider]

Originally Posted by Dave

I had a polished litespeed ultimate. The ride was awful.

...so I'm not sure what that means...will every Ti bike will ride be awful?

I was riding with a buddy that was on his Merlin. Another rider on a Merlin starts telling us, that his Merlin is the only bike he has needed or wanted in the last 20 plus years...so he was on what looked like one of the original Merlins with an aluminum fork and threaded fork (and yes, box section rims, 32 spokes)...he had fallen in love with that bike and it still fulfilled his imagination of what a bike should be...I'm glad he found his "soul-mate" of bikes, but couldn't help but think he has been under a rock for the last 20 plus years...

Clearly things have changed over the years and builders are have "improved" their skills, and trends have changed. I have a bike frame with almost every material...3 steel bikes, an aluminum, 2 carbons, a Ti, and a scandium...I'm still looking for a wood frame and magnesium. Not every steel bike is great and not every Ti bike will be right for everyone.

But its not just about materials, rear axles have changed, headsets, bottom brackets, tires have gone tubeless, electronic shifting, brakes have gone to disc...

[bigbill]

I had a polished Basso Ti (Litespeed Classic) that I raced from 93-96. It had a white Kestral fork and 8 speed Dura Ace. I had been racing a Raleigh Team 753 but drank the Ti koolaid that was going around in the early 90's. It wasn't a good race bike, kind of flexy and too laid back on the geometry. I sold it on consignment and bought a Merckx MX Leader.

I was all steel after that, even got a custom steel Argonaut but lost that in the Southwest Frameworks fire in 2016. Later that year I saw a Ti Serotta on this forum and it was almost an exact match to the Argonaut. I bought it and all the parts just went right on, all I needed was another seatpost. It's a better bike than the Litespeed. I used it when I traveled and during the worst parts of the Texas summers when I'd sweat all over a bike. It served a purpose. Now it's clamped on my KICKR and I use it for Zwifting.

My main rides are a Pegoretti BLE and a Nobilette GT.

[laupsi]

agree w/most of the comments listed, many truthful testimonials. my only add is that most current Ti frames represent a smaller manufacturing process and in that process you'll find quality. most of what we read/hear from mass bike brands is simply hype to get the latest/greatest tech and advanced manufacturing out the door. The current material of choice happens to be carbon. My Ti bikes, Pronto, Fondo and mixed, Ottrott are all Serotta's, they all have unique ride characteristics, they all ride "great" in my opinion.

Last year I purchased a new carbon "wonder bike" from a smaller Italian manufacturer attempting to gain market share. Like my other carbon frames, all mass produced, it rides well, but not like my Ti frames and for various reasons. I've never ridden a Parlee, but imagine carbon bikes produced by Parlee ride very nicely too. Parlee excels in building carbon frames.

If the marketing tells us a good bike has to be stiff, many of us buy in. If aero is the "holy grail" again, in! If marketing says electronic shifting is the way to go, sell our mechanical stuff, gotta get electronic. Same w/disc brakes and the list goes on and on. The solution to beating the masses is to ride as many or as few bikes as you like, but build a mental platform of what a good ride entails and ignore the marketing. my guess is that you'll find it's more about the process and your own personal experience and less about the material.