First Ride: Titan Cycles Titanium Belt Drive Fixed Gear

[MaraudingWalrus]

Frame is done, heading off to get it's PVD coating now. That should be done in another couple days. Pretty stoked!

[MaraudingWalrus]

Just got the first photos....it's quite subtle,very understated.

[yarg]

Nice!

[notsew]

That looks rad!

I don't know much about PVD coating. What are they putting on there to make it do that? I mean, its not a paint right, its like a plating?

[Drmojo]

quiet like my electric car
Belt drve fixed will be my next bike
I enjoy my 650b mechaincal disc brake Raliegh
Compass Babyshoes
Alfine 11
no lube required
I will stay tuned Walrus
Wish you were my size
I did dig your belt Cdale
And the IF recently for sale here

[MaraudingWalrus]

Originally Posted by notsew

That looks rad!

I don't know much about PVD coating. What are they putting on there to make it do that? I mean, its not a paint right, its like a plating?

I've read about it several times, but don't have a full grasp on it. There are multiple different processes that fall under the umbrella. But basically some material is vaporized into a chamber (sometimes this chamber is a vacuum), then it resettles as a thin film around the object being coated, and this film is potentially super abrasion resistant.


But yes, a plating, not a paint.


If I recall from something I read, frost settling onto something in the morning is technically physical vapor deposition process.

It's sort of like powder coating, except rather than paint, the material that's actually doing the coating is metal.

That's my ten cent way-too-simple summary that may or may not be completely wrong

[m_sasso]

If you are interested in the process lookup "sputter coating" evolved from a method of SEM specimen preparation. During my time as a dental researcher at a large Canadian university we evaluated the growth of connective tissue on sputter coated Ti prepared samples simulating dental implants. A good friend, running buddy was an electronics researcher at the same university and he and his lab did the sputter coating preparation for our Ti samples. We had an SEM in our research department with a sputter coater however at the time it only accepted specimens on a much smaller scale.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Originally Posted by m_sasso

If you are interested in the process lookup "sputter coating" evolved from a method of SEM specimen preparation. During my time as a dental researcher at a large Canadian university we evaluated the growth of connective tissue on sputter coated Ti prepared samples simulating dental implants. A good friend, running buddy was an electronics researcher at the same university and he and his lab did the sputter coating preparation for our Ti samples. We had an SEM in our research department with a sputter coater however at the time it only accepted specimens on a much smaller scale.

Yes! That's one of the types I'd read about. Interesting stuff for sure. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Shipping was complicated/delayed by the storms in the northeast. Tracking number sat idle since March 16 saying "processed through facility in Xiamen" with my contact at the factory having indication that its flight had landed in NY. Tons of traffic and flights got messed up/delayed and there must have been a huge backlog.

Tracking updated last night and it's cleared the facility in NY and indicates it'll be delivered to the shop Saturday.

Should be able to build it up Saturday/Sunday provided the last of my other parts show up in a timely manner.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Frame didn't show up, and the tracking number no longer indicates an expected delivery date.

Simply says "In transit" and that's been processed through the ISC facility in New York.

From reading a whole bunch of angry comment threads online, it appears that it hasn't been scanned since the 10th. It may still be in transit, and it's possible it doesn't get scanned again until it just shows up one day....or it's lost and gone forever. We'll see.


In the meantime I just won an ebay bid for a left hand/front Sram hydraulic Rim brake setup.

[sandyrs]

Originally Posted by MaraudingWalrus

Frame didn't show up, and the tracking number no longer indicates an expected delivery date.

Simply says "In transit" and that's been processed through the ISC facility in New York.

From reading a whole bunch of angry comment threads online, it appears that it hasn't been scanned since the 10th. It may still be in transit, and it's possible it doesn't get scanned again until it just shows up one day....or it's lost and gone forever. We'll see.


In the meantime I just won an ebay bid for a left hand/front Sram hydraulic Rim brake setup.

Wow, that really sucks.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Got it in! Here's a photo of the headset (and the steerer tube in the background).

Will update later today with pictures of more of it.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Got the frame in today!

Frame weighs 1600g, fork 750g. Headset 127g. Headset and all bits (aside from the bolt) are also all ti.


Don't quite have all the belt drive bits in, should be here this week. Might build it up tomorrow with a chain, I've got a small mountain of wheels, etc to get it rolling.

[MaraudingWalrus]

[spinarelli]

Jeff Jones was on this podcast and had a few interesting things to say about manufacturing Titanium in Asia, Taiwan especially. Worth listening to.

https://www.behindthehandlebarspodca...es-jones-bikes