Pro's n con's of

[skiezo]

Looking at getting a all road/lite gravel frame built.
One is stainless steel and another builder is strait gauge Ti.
Just looking at the pros n cons of each material on a wide tire bike.
Weight should be close between the two I'm guessing.
SS would be fillet brazed vs tig for Ti. Any issues with hi stress areas between the two?
Ride quality between the two materials?
Just looking for opinions between the two materials. What you like n don't like of each.

[lavi]

Can't speak for stainless...but it's gotta be similar to non-stainless.

I have both a Ti AND a Steel AR/gravel bike.

I really like my steel bike. Really like it. My Ti bike (straight gauge (Hampsten/Bingham Built)) KILLS my steel bike. No comparison between ride quality. Ti bike is also much lighter. However, a good portion of this is carbon fork on the Ti and full steel fork on the other. With them being different forks, maybe not the best comparison.

If I were the only response (which I won't be), for performance and ride quality and efficiency (the Ti bike jumps like a carbon bike), it's Ti.

I would also hazard that for the long term, Ti would be easier to maintain? Ti is also more dent resistant than steel...if that matters.

[NHAero]

As you say, weight can be similar, and with the same wheels, fork, and geometry I doubt anyone could tell which is which blindfolded if each is properly designed for your weight and riding style. So I would pick based on which builder would be best to work with for you. The best folks working in either material will do a wonderful job (I have a straight gauge Ti all road, and had a stainless steel one previously.)

Originally Posted by skiezo

Looking at getting a all road/lite gravel frame built.
One is stainless steel and another builder is strait gauge Ti.
Just looking at the pros n cons of each material on a wide tire bike.
Weight should be close between the two I'm guessing.
SS would be fillet brazed vs tig for Ti. Any issues with hi stress areas between the two?
Ride quality between the two materials?
Just looking for opinions between the two materials. What you like n don't like of each.

[fredd]

I’d go steel if a nice rim brake steel fork were on the menu. Otherwise, Ti seems to do most of the stuff SS does, but better.

But again, the builder will probably make a bigger difference than the material by itself.

[yinzerniner]

Originally Posted by NHAero

.... I would pick based on which builder would be best to work with for you. The best folks working in either material will do a wonderful job

Originally Posted by fredd

.... the builder will probably make a bigger difference than the material by itself.

Pretty sure that's the answer. Any builder worth their salt will make a heckuva machine with either material that will last near forever. However a stainless steel bike is even a bit more niche than Ti if you're looking for something special. Whether that's worth the slight weight penalty (can't be more than a couple hundred grams) is up to you.

Also if you're into aesthetics then stainless steel has a brighter finish than Ti, which is more on the light-grey side.

[brewsmith]

Both are great.

My custom Bingham and Kirk Onesto were ordered about a year apart, with pretty different (builder specd) geometries but similar tire clearance. The Kirk rides more like a road bike, nimble, yet capable, while the Bingham with whisky fork has more of a planted feel trucks through terrain. I think a lot of that is chocked up the the front end an trail, so my advice would be to find the builder that aligns with your riding style most, materials be damned.

[PaMtbRider]

The builder will make more of a difference than the frame material. With that standard Paceline reply out of the way, it depends. How much do you weigh / how big are you? Disc brakes? With the current trend of oversize everything I think it is very easy to get an overly stiff bike for a lighter person. I think this is especially true for head tubes and carbon gravel forks. Try to find a carbon disk brake fork with 1-1/8 steerer.
My Ti Zanconato is a stiff frame with a stiff carbon fork. It is wonderful with 38mm+ tires on wide rims at low pressure. Not so much with 28mm tires at higher pressure.
My Kirk JK Special uses stainless main tubes, a steel fork, rim brakes, and typically runs 28-35mm tires. Not great for muddy rides and real chunky gravel, but handles everything else wonderfully.