£££s or ££££££s

[Zanelad]

I’ve long promised myself a titanium road bike to celebrate my retirement. Now that my retirement is looming closer I’ve started to think in detail about the bike. For a long while I’d planned on a Van Nicholas, final spec to be decided, but at least I’d sorted the manufacturer. Now I've started looking more seriously, others have come to my notice and even the one decision I thought I'd made seem fluid.

To help the research, I’ve been reading the many posts on here about titanium bikes and there seems to be a lot of love for the more affordable bikes such as the Planet X’s Hurricane , and also bikes from Ribble. Their Endurance Ti, is one I really like the look of, especially with the Shimano 105 Di2 option. (Another decision, but one that can wait).

This has caused me to ponder on just how “better” a much more expensive bike would be over the cheaper options. Has anyone on here owned both? One from the saver range and one from the finest? Although the cost is not a major part of the decision process, I don’t want to spend unnecessarily, but neither do I want to regret deviating from my original plan save money and come to regret it

“The quality l remains long after the price is forgotten” as a Mr Royce once said.

Your comments and amusing asides welcome.

 

[Jameshow]

I'd make sure it's double butted. Some of the cheaper titanium frames aren't.

 

[cougie uk]

What have you got now ?

I'd probably not go for say a top tier groupset. The ultegra is 95% as good as Dura Ace.

Hard to compare frames - I have the Tempest. It's a lot heavier than my PX CF bike and the tyres are 7mm wider so it's slower but it's a lovely ride and can do roads and trails too.

What do you want to do on the bike ?

 

[T4tomo]

I stopped bloke on a Tommasini Ti just so i could have a better gander at it. it was bloody lovely. we'd passed in opposite directions quite quickly an hour or so earlier and our opposite direction loops met again more slowly so I could resist. i imagine it wasnt cheap, but the etchihng detailing on the frame was gorgeous.

Dolan are also worth a look

 

[vickster]

I looked at pretty much every Ti option for £5k and below about 5 years ago…I knew it would have a SRAM Rival 11speed groupset, Spyre mechanical Discs, a handbuilt wheel set, and take mudguards and a rack (didn’t need a silly expensive groupset or wheels).
I visited Enigma, Reilly, Spa, Fatbirds, Corridori, Pearson’s, Sigma. Test rode a bunch.
Also looked at J Laverack at a bike show

I didn’t consider PX, Ribble, Dolan as it wasn’t practical or possible to see them and test ride. And the shorter warranties were a bit off putting too.

Seven and Moots were just too much!

In the end, Sabbath AR1 met all my needs and was around 2.3k in the end, the other closest contender was the J Guillem Orient, gorgeous but no rack mounts and Iirc the front fork at that time didn’t have mudguard mounts.
It is now more a winter/gravel bike and I use other bikes in the summer. It just offered the best value for money, was comfy to ride and a handsome well finished frame (the other Spa offer, the Elan finishing was certainly less tidy and smooth but some folks love theirs).

My heart really wanted a Condor Gran Fondo but it was too expensive..and then discontinued! 🦄

Finally one came up on eBay last year and I snapped it up for about a grand…
So now I have 2 Ti bikes

 

[cosmicbike]

I have a Van Nic Yukon as my road bike, funnily enough bought from @vickster some years ago. A very comfortable machine and I find 11 speed 105 more than adequate. All bar one of my imperial century rides have been completed on it, fitted with 28C tyres you can still get guards on if needed.

 

[PaulSB]

I have the Kinesis ATRV3 running 105, 35mm gravel tyres and full mudguards in winter. It's a fabulous bike and ticks all my boxes which were:

• Winter
• Gravel
• Touring
• Summer if my Cervelo off the road

It easily fulfills each of those and would also make a good utility bike and commuter. With 35mm gravel tyres I can ride on road at up to 21/22mph so it's quick. Once you've started to narrow done your list look at the important minor points. My Kinesis takes up to 43mm, guards, rack mounts, 3 x bottle mounts, fork mounts.

Note Kinesis, Reilly and Dolan are all using the same frame - to my surprise. I know people with Reilly and Dolan and we've had all three side by side to compare. The very minor differences on the frame are cable entry points. The forks are different, the Dolan has quite limited clearance and, I think, only takes 35mm tyres.

 

[ianrauk]

I have a Van Nicholas Ventus, my main roadie bike. It's 10 years old now, it still looks beautiful and feels like its a brand new bike every time I throw my leg over the top tube to go for a ride.
I also have a Planet X Tempest and a Planet X Hurricane, both for commuting and touring duties, my work horses.
I love them both.
The PX frames were originally designed by Mike Reilly, famed Ti designer also of Enigma bikes.
I took my PX to a bike mechanic I know who said the frames were as good if not better made then some of the bigger known brands.

 

[Zanelad]

What have you got now ?
What do you want to do on the bike ?

I've got a Giant Fastroad E+ that I commute to work on and get out for an hour or two at the weekend and a Ridgeback Flight that serves as a winter bike.

Half day rides will probably be the norm, but I'm hoping to be able to get some longer rides, maybe even away for a couple of days. Based at a hotel, none of that backpacking cum camping nonsense . That will depend on our daughter looking after mum though and with three children of her own that cannot be guaranteed.

 

[cougie uk]

I've got a Giant Fastroad E+ that I commute to work on and get out for an hour or two at the weekend and a Ridgeback Flight that serves as a winter bike.

Half day rides will probably be the norm, but I'm hoping to be able to get some longer rides, maybe even away for a couple of days. Based at a hotel, none of that backpacking cum camping nonsense . That will depend on our daughter looking after mum though and with three children of her own that cannot be guaranteed.

Would you want some bike packing abilities then ? Even if you're staying in a hotel you'd need clothes etc.

 

[StuAff]

I have the Kinesis ATRV3 running 105, 35mm gravel tyres and full mudguards in winter. It's a fabulous bike and ticks all my boxes which were:

• Winter
• Gravel
• Touring
• Summer if my Cervelo off the road

It easily fulfills each of those and would also make a good utility bike and commuter. With 35mm gravel tyres I can ride on road at up to 21/22mph so it's quick. Once you've started to narrow done your list look at the important minor points. My Kinesis takes up to 43mm, guards, rack mounts, 3 x bottle mounts, fork mounts.

Note Kinesis, Reilly and Dolan are all using the same frame - to my surprise. I know people with Reilly and Dolan and we've had all three side by side to compare. The very minor differences on the frame are cable entry points. The forks are different, the Dolan has quite limited clearance and, I think, only takes 35mm tyres.

As a fellow ATR v3 owner, I have to agree, it's terrific, my minor QC issue notwithstanding (my frameset did not include a crown race- now sorted FOC). However, those frames are not identical- they share many of the same features, unsurprisingly, but geometries are different.

 

[PaulSB]

As a fellow ATR v3 owner, I have to agree, it's terrific, my minor QC issue notwithstanding (my frameset did not include a crown race- now sorted FOC). However, those frames are not identical- they share many of the same features, unsurprisingly, but geometries are different.

That's interesting, can you expand on this please? To the untutored eye, mine and two friends, they look identical. In simple terms please.

 

[Venod]

My Ti ownership which I have posted about many times before.

1 Airbourne (became Van Nic) Zeppelin, my first foray into Ti and I was hooked, sold in a moment of madness to a mate, who still rides it and keeps it in a lot better state than I did, it still looks new.

2 Sunday Cycles (became Sabbath) very light triple butted, cracked on the top tube just behind the head tube, welded up at work and ran on fixed for a while, sold it on and its back on gears I believe.

3 Kinesis Gran Fondo, great frame but really only suitable with 23mm tyres and guards, I did run 25s but they were very close, of course nowadays the same frame probably has more clearance, sold the frame.

4 Van Nic Chinook, another great frame but limited to 25mm tyres, no guard or rack mounts, sold as a complete bike.

5 OnOne (PX) Pickenflick a CX frame but a bit more relaxed than a traditional CX, with no guard and rack mounts, it was the cheapest Ti frame I have bought but IMO the best, it has had loads of off road miles on it, still going, I still have it.

6 Spa Elan, the heaviest Ti frame I have had, but its a joy to ride, its a do it all frame, currently my wet weather winter ride with permanent guards, and is quite happy with a bit of rough stuff.

So in my experience I see no difference in the build of cheaper v more expensive Ti, the difference's may come in the frame warranties, and that is something to take into consideration.

Don't know anybody with a Ribble, but I do know a few with PX and they are a nice frame.

 

[StuAff]

That's interesting, can you expand on this please? To the untutored eye, mine and two friends, they look identical. In simple terms please.

That's interesting, can you expand on this please? To the untutored eye, mine and two friends, they look identical. In simple terms please.

Imagine, for a moment, Kinesis's frame factory in Taiwan builds a Tripster ATR v3 to AN Other frame dimensions. The dimensions of a Reilly Gradient, for example. So, all the features of the Tripster frame, like the fancy seatstays, same tubing made by the same people, fork the same, but different tube lengths and angles. It's built up to the same component specs of your Tripster, set up to fit you correctly, and given to you to test and compare.
It won't ride like your Tripster. It won't ride like a Gradient either. The latter, because it's made differently. The former, because of the geometry. Your riding position, even when set up correctly, will be different- you'd probably need a different stem length, a different number of spacers, and different amount of exposed seatpost, which will all have subtle effects. Your weight distribution will be different because of those differences. And because of that weight distribution, and the geometry, it will handle quite differently. It might be 'better' or 'worse' in some respects, but certainly different.

Good explainer here https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/sizing-and-fit/road-bike-geometry-explained/

 

[PaulSB]

@StuAff - thank you. 👍