|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
titanium recommendation?
Hello there.
I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20 years old . I am interested in carbon or ti. and there seems to be a lot of info on carbon bikes. But I am having a difficult time finding recommendations of Ti bikes. Itc ould be because of my price range, I dont know. I want to spend 1500 to 2300 or so. the less the better. I dont need the best out there, I only ride for pleasure, about 100-200 miles a week, and I do a century or two each year. Anyone out there have good or bad things to say about a particular Ti bike they have or know about? any info would be helpful. |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"Bob Terrwilliger" wrote:
I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20 years old . Is that all? Mine is over 20 years old. I am interested in carbon or ti. and there seems to be a lot of info on carbon bikes. But I am having a difficult time finding recommendations of Ti bikes. I only ride for pleasure, about 100-200 miles a week, and I do a century or two each year. Ti won't rust and an unpainted Ti bike won't scratch. Other than that, what will a Ti bike do that your current bike won't? Not much. For a lot less money, you could upgrade the drivetrain on your current bike and have the best of both worlds. I happen to like the geometry, clearance, and look of the '80s bikes much better than current models. Art Harris |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:53:43 -0500, "Arthur Harris"
wrote: Ti won't rust and an unpainted Ti bike won't scratch. Other than that, what will a Ti bike do that your current bike won't? Not much. For a lot less money, you could upgrade the drivetrain on your current bike and have the best of both worlds. I happen to like the geometry, clearance, and look of the '80s bikes much better than current models. Art Harris Well. I guess I didnt give enough detail. My current bike is a trek 1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. I guess at the time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew ( I do know my belly has) but the bike just doesnt seem to fit. It seems small. And it beats me to death. I want something that will fit. and something that will help smooth out the rodes just a tad. And something that will last me another 15-20 years. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Bob Terrwilliger wrote in
: I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20 years old . I am interested in carbon or ti. and there seems to be a lot of info on carbon bikes. A lot of the "info" you hear is really marketing hype to justify the lofty prices of some of those bikes. Especially in the more moderate price ranges, there is not much performance difference between bikes made from the different popular materials. Some will handle differently from others, but the differences are more because of geometry and tubing diameter and componentry than because of frame material. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 16:04:05 GMT, Bob Terrwilliger
wrote: On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:53:43 -0500, "Arthur Harris" wrote: Ti won't rust and an unpainted Ti bike won't scratch. Other than that, what will a Ti bike do that your current bike won't? Not much. For a lot less money, you could upgrade the drivetrain on your current bike and have the best of both worlds. I happen to like the geometry, clearance, and look of the '80s bikes much better than current models. Art Harris Well. I guess I didnt give enough detail. My current bike is a trek 1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. I guess at the time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew ( I do know my belly has) but the bike just doesnt seem to fit. It seems small. And it beats me to death. I want something that will fit. and something that will help smooth out the rodes just a tad. And something that will last me another 15-20 years. I have a Trek 1000 (or is mine a 1200?) and I now have a LeMond. The LeMond is so much better than the Trek that it's amazing. For one, the geometry is much better. Everything fits better and works better. It's harder to find 7 speed stuff anymore, and I need the triple chainring now. I can't go back to down-tube shifters, though I've kept my Trek for indoors "riding". -- Bob in CT |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Yeah, look out for the hype, particularly about titanium. I just
pulled this quote off the Litespeed homepage: "Buy the TERAMO on Friday morning, get it out of the box Friday night, get up Saturday morning and start winning races!" If that's not bonafide BS, I don't know what is. (http://www.litespeed.com/bikes/2005/teramo.aspx ) I know Bicycling magazine just came out with a buyers guide that might be helpful. It would at least give you an idea of road bikes that are in your price range, as well as what materials they're made of. Personally, I tend to ignore the buyers guides because I'm both cheap and reluctant to be swayed by a source that has to please its advertisers. However, there may be a few nuggets of insight for folks like you who are buying their first bike in a long time. At the top end of your budget you could probably get a close to top-of-the-line road bike that's both comfortable and very fast. But for $1500 you could probably do well, too - all depends on how fast you want to go and how much you just gotta have those new, fancy components. Comfort should be addressed by fit and frame material. If you specify that you want to avoid aluminum frames, you should be able to find something comfy. Some road riders are happy with an aluminum frame but add a carbon fork for dampening the bumps, so that might be an option, too. Fit is diifferent for everyone so a trip to a well-stocked, quality bike shop would probably be good, too. A good shop can look at your size and weight and probably match you with something that'll work. I'm a mountain biker riding an aluminum hardtail. For me the weight benefit of aluminum over steel is worth the bumpier ride, but if I were logging long hours in the saddle on a road bike, I would probably go the carbon route if I had the money. If not, I'd go with maybe aluminum frame/carbon fork option. YMMV, of course. Good luck. -Bill H. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Well. I guess I didnt give enough detail. My current bike is a trek
1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. I guess at the time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew ( I do know my belly has) but the bike just doesnt seem to fit. It seems small. And it beats me to death. I want something that will fit. and something that will help smooth out the rodes just a tad. And something that will last me another 15-20 years. Sounds like you need a really good bike shop (particularly one that's great on fit) more than any one particular frame material. As for the differences between Ti, Carbon, Steel and Aluminum, best bet is to try them and see which has that something that makes you want to ride more. You might want to take a look at this article on our website- www.ChainReaction.com/roadbiketestrides.htm before you head out; it's brand & material neutral, and will give you a good idea what to look for. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com "Bob Terrwilliger" wrote in message ... On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:53:43 -0500, "Arthur Harris" wrote: Ti won't rust and an unpainted Ti bike won't scratch. Other than that, what will a Ti bike do that your current bike won't? Not much. For a lot less money, you could upgrade the drivetrain on your current bike and have the best of both worlds. I happen to like the geometry, clearance, and look of the '80s bikes much better than current models. Art Harris Well. I guess I didnt give enough detail. My current bike is a trek 1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. I guess at the time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew ( I do know my belly has) but the bike just doesnt seem to fit. It seems small. And it beats me to death. I want something that will fit. and something that will help smooth out the rodes just a tad. And something that will last me another 15-20 years. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 16:04:05 GMT, Bob Terrwilliger
wrote: On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:53:43 -0500, "Arthur Harris" wrote: Ti won't rust and an unpainted Ti bike won't scratch. Other than that, what will a Ti bike do that your current bike won't? Not much. For a lot less money, you could upgrade the drivetrain on your current bike and have the best of both worlds. I happen to like the geometry, clearance, and look of the '80s bikes much better than current models. Art Harris Well. I guess I didnt give enough detail. My current bike is a trek 1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. I guess at the time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew ( I do know my belly has) but the bike just doesnt seem to fit. It seems small. And it beats me to death. I want something that will fit. and something that will help smooth out the rodes just a tad. And something that will last me another 15-20 years. Your bike is seriously undersized. I'm 5'9" and 30-31" inseam and the Trek 1000 56cm is just about perfect for my size, though I probably could ride the next size up (58?). Uh, I don't know about it 'beating you to death'. Mine gives a pretty smooth ride, using 26mm tires, though my model has a carbon fork. OTOH, if you have as much as $2300 bucks to spend, then I'd suggest getting a bike in the 15-17lb range. Some people report they can ride routes they found the hills too tough with a good carbon. If I were you, I'd test ride both Ti and Carbon framed bikes in your price range and see which feels best. I'm not sure how long a Carbon frame is supposed to last. jj |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
"Bob Terrwilliger" wrote:
Well. I guess I didn't give enough detail. My current bike is a trek 1000 aluminum. It is a 56cm. I am 6'2" and 205 lbs. OK, that's a good reason! I guess at the time I got it, I liked it. I dont know if I grew ( I do know my belly has) but the bike just doesnt seem to fit. It seems small. And it beats me to death. I want something that will fit. and something that will help smooth out the rodes just a tad. And something that will last me another 15-20 years. You definitely need to get a properly sized bike. It's amazing that you're doing the mileage you are with such a mismatched bike. I'm 6'3" / 195 pounds and ride a 63 cm c-c frame. I don't think a light weight bike is going to make much difference, but the right fit will. As for frame materials, you might want to read Sheldon Brown's article on the subject. See: http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html Tire width and inflation pressure have more effect on ride quality than frame material. Make sure you get a bike that has enough clearance so that your tire options aren't limited. Good luck in your search. Art Harris |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Bob Terrwilliger wrote:
Hello there. I am in the market for a new bike. My current bike is almost 20 years old . I am interested in carbon or ti. and there seems to be a lot of info on carbon bikes. But I am having a difficult time finding recommendations of Ti bikes. Itc ould be because of my price range, I dont know. I want to spend 1500 to 2300 or so. the less the better. I dont need the best out there, I only ride for pleasure, about 100-200 miles a week, and I do a century or two each year. Anyone out there have good or bad things to say about a particular Ti bike they have or know about? any info would be helpful. Mark Hickey, who frequents this website, is too good a guy to recommend his own company, so I will. For a enthusiastic rec. ride, I like the Habanero Ti bike. I purchased one for my wife 2+ years ago and she loves it. She puts a few thousand miles on a year. If you are looking at spending several grand for a frame, then this may not be for you. There are better finished Ti frames out there, but you do pay for it. At $800 a frame, I feel Habanero is a very good deal and was please with the service. -- Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado remove "mydebt" to reply |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
FS: New Titanium MTB/Road Parts | Kristan Roberge | Marketplace | 0 | October 18th 04 04:54 AM |
FS: New Titanium MTB and Road parts | Kristan Roberge | Marketplace | 2 | July 11th 04 03:36 AM |
Frame making thread | cyberbellum | Unicycling | 15 | June 22nd 04 04:49 PM |
FS: New Titanium Bolts, axles, derailleur pulleys, more | Kristan Roberge | Marketplace | 0 | January 12th 04 01:02 AM |
FS: New Titanium Bolts, Axles, Pulleys, Posts, BBs | Kristan Roberge | Marketplace | 0 | January 5th 04 02:18 PM |