I want a titanium......

[Royalrider]

Or do I?
I currently own a Raleigh Royal from circa 1980 and a Claude Butler Spectre from around 2000.
I am a pleasure cyclist who enjoys 'pottering around' cycle paths eg High Peak Trail,Sherwood Pines etc and roads which enable me to get to those trails. I do around 20/30 miles on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. I have no ambition of racing, or bouncing about on rocky roads and whilst I fancy the idea of a cycling touring holiday the reality is it probably won't happen.

What I do fancy, however ,is having the best tool for the job which would make those hills a little less strenuous and the flats more 'silky' without having to be doubled over and flat backed at 52 years of age!!and have been seduced by the adverts for titanium. I have looked at the van Nicholas Amazon and the Sunday September.

So my question is are these the right bikes for the riding I have described. If so which of the two or have I missed another that would be just the ticket?
The Royal is great for the road but it does'nt have the silky smooth indexed gears the Spectre has and vice versa the Spectre is fine on the towpaths but harder work on the roads. I am looking for the best of both and light as well. (I am aware of hybrids and my cycling buddy has a Dawes Discovery 501)

 

[redfox]

The right bike is the one that brings you joy and encourages you to do just a bit more than the time before. If the Amazon floats your boat then go for it (I know I would if my wife would allow it)

 

[ASC1951]

You don't need to be a Cycling Superhero to justify a new titanium bike. Two immediate positives:-
- titanium doesn't corrode
- it will look good and give you an excellent ride, so you will go out on it more.

As to the cycling tour, you don't need to be a Cross-Continent Superhero, either. At its simplest, you start by putting a toothbrush and a change of kecks in a small bag and setting off at your own pace for a B&B an appropriate distance away; repeat until you get home. If you take to it, you can invest in panniers and camping kit, go further, faster, for longer; or go on an organised outing and pay people to do the non-cycling bits for you.

The world is your whatsit. But only on a short term loan.

 

[giant man]

i am in exactly the same situation as yourself, I am looking for a ti frame but which one? There are so many, my only advice is to try as many as you can before making your final decision.

 

[walker]

The right bike is the one that brings you joy and encourages you to do just a bit more than the time before. If the Amazon floats your boat then go for it (I know I would if my wife would allow it)

as RFox said.

If you want a new bike go and get one.

I would suggest these manufacturers though:

Enigma
Lightspeed
Sunday
Van Nicolas


what frame you go for is down to your budget

 

[doyler78]

as RFox said.

If you want a new bike go and get one.

I would suggest these manufacturers though:

Enigma
Lightspeed
Sunday
Van Nicolas


what frame you go for is down to your budget

Lightspeed!!!!!!! Their titanium frames and customer service have got an awful slagging for their customers over the last 6 months. Cracking frames. Months to get repairs done. Customers having to chase things directly. Getting shoved around from one person to another and on and on. Bikeradar and cylingforums will yield a few threads from dissatisfied customers.

Planet X's new frames have just been reviewed 220 triathlon magazine and they were given 10/10 and beat all the above competition in their opinion as well as being the best value. Has to worth a look.

I am seriously considering this instead of my carbon framed Planet X that I was all set to get only they are taking so long to sort out their stock issues that I have started to rethink my decision now. I have asked them to provide me with details of their warranties so that I can factor that in. Last thing I want is a bike which a manufacturer doesn't have the balls to stand over if things go wrong.

 

[dodgy]

It's actually Litespeed, and I only corrected it to help anyone who might want to search for it They do seem to have a poor Customer service record.

Dave.

 

[walker]

It's actually Litespeed, and I only corrected it to help anyone who might want to search for it They do seem to have a poor Customer service record.

Dave.

cheers Dave, I was unaware of any customer service problems, I only know of their frame quality, and how their bikes ride.

As for the planet X, I forgot they recently released a Ti Frame. This would also be a frame to look into.

 

[doyler78]

It's actually Litespeed, and I only corrected it to help anyone who might want to search for it They do seem to have a poor Customer service record.

Dave.

Quite right

 

[Steve Austin]

Might be worth looking at the Condor ti bike or the planet X bike

 

[Van Nick]

You might want to see this thread about Litespeed titanium road bikes.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12538098&highlight=cardboard

I've been considering an Enigma Etape, which might fulfil your requirements

http://www.enigmabikes.com/etape.htm

 

[ASC1951]

I would suggest these manufacturers though:

Enigma
Lightspeed
Sunday
Van Nicolas


what frame you go for is down to your budget

Or if you are prepared to be more hands-on with your requirements:-

www.xacd.com.cn

 

[RedBike]

I've been lucky enough to have owned the Van Nich Chinook and a few other very similar bikes. I'm not sure they would be particularly suitable for the likes of the high peak trail. I never ride these trails using my road bike for the simple reason that I find them too rough.

As i'm sure you know the tyres (particularly the width) arguably have far more influence on the ride comfort than the frame. Narrow 23/25mm tyres just arn't very comfortable on broken tarmac / gravelly surfaces. Yet this is all you can fit on these types of bike.

IMO if comfort is a priority then you'd be better off with a touring / hybrid type bike with wider 32/35mm tyres.

 

[Royalrider]

Thanks all for the comments to the original post.

The reality is the sort of ride I do when I go out starts off on the road, because of where I live, I then seek out the paths ,towpaths and trails (to avoid the heavy traffic) but inevitably have to return using roads. I was wondering if the advertising about the Amazon is true ie 'If you could only have one cycle for all occasions....... 'as I completely take your point about tyre width and comfort Redbike.

Titanium seems to offer comfort,strength, lightness (even for the trail type rides) and I want to get it right at this sort of price as it will probably be the last bike I buy!!!
I am not sure I would want to be that hand on but thanks for the interesting link ASC1951

I

 

[bobajobrob]

If you want to go off road then the Amazon would be ideal as it allows you to fit fat tyres with canti or v-brakes. The Amazon is a touring/CX frameset, so will be quite happy on the rough stuff.

Also have a look at the Yukon, that allows you to go up to 28c tyres with mudguards and deep drop calipers, e.g. Shimano or Tektro. The Yukon is an audax/light touring frameset. I use mine for some light offroading and it's fine, but the Amazon would be better suited if you ride much bumpy stuff.