Origin Cyclery Posted February 18, 2015 Share We are keen to hear what you guys think of Titanium frames and this option through the various disciplines in the SA cycling. We will soon offer Titanium frames and complete bikes from Skyde, a French manufacturer http://www.skydecomp.fr. Your input will help us determine our approach to this market. For your most valued input , we will choose one lucky poster for a prize/product of their choice valued at R500 from www.performancebikes.co.za Winner will be decided at our discretion on 1 March 2015. The prize is not cash redeemable. Below are pictures of a couple of Skyde bikes as well as an interesting chart on the different frame materials and their properties.Please feel free to also post pictures of your own Titanium bikes and the reason Titanium is your choice of frame material. Cheers from the Performance Bikes team! Klipspringer and Meerkat82 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rock Posted February 18, 2015 Share I'm afraid joe average just wants a shiny carbon frame with internal cable routing from China... Ti always has a problem with its premium price tag, I for one would rather spend a little less on high quality steel. That being said am yet to own a Ti frame, hope to own one before there are really none left. Hairy, Morwa, Bizkit031 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flippa Posted February 18, 2015 Share It's definitely a premium product in a quite a small niche. The frames look really good, which is important, however, most consumers see the round tubing/lack of hydroforming and dismiss it as old fashioned. Is the tubing butted or do they use straight gauge tubing? Where are the frames welded? There is a little more cachet in frames welded by Lynskey, Seven or Merlin compared to a nameless factory in Taiwan or China, even if the difference in quality is only a perception. I ride a Ti hardtail and prefer the feel to that of aluminium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil6 Posted February 18, 2015 Share I'm afraid joe average just wants a shiny carbon frame with internal cable routing from China... Ti always has a problem with its premium price tag, I for one would rather spend a little less on high quality steel. That being said am yet to own a Ti frame, hope to own one before there are really none left.Same here. Love my steel frame but the price tag on a titanium frame is too rich for my blood. But would love to own or ride one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJR Posted February 18, 2015 Share I have a soft spot for titanium bikes. I own a 25 year old one that will still be going strong when all the aluminium has been recycled into beer cans, the carbon bloats a landfill and all the steel has been devoured by rust worms. The material is brilliant, but it needs to be the right type and grade of titanium and the manufacturer needs to know how to work with it. It is difficult to weld, difficult to paint and it takes some skill and experience to work with it. The aerospace welders know how to. A titanium frame, designed well, made from the right titanium, welded correctly, will outlast most other bike frame materials. As for performance, I think it can hold its own with carbon, and leave steel and aluminium in the dust. (All the above is just my biased 2c ) Wayne pudding Mol, Danger Dassie, Origin Cyclery and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bag68 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Hi there, I have a stunning Ti/Carbon mix, Had it for 6years already and still get compliments on its look. The beauty of Titanium is the colour of the metal, No need for fancy paint work. The strength to weight is unrivalled. when you want to put the power down, you get a great response from its stiffness. well worth the extra dollars for such a top material. Origin Cyclery 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOEKVLAG Posted February 18, 2015 Share For any cyclist the number of bikes to own is always n + 1 (everybody knows that ). For me it's more a case of n + 3 though - damn there's just so many options out there! After seeing the pic of that fat bike I think I can combine Fat, SS and Ti and get back to n+1! Its a real beaut! Edit: Spelling Edited February 18, 2015 by HOEKVLAG Origin Cyclery 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origin Cyclery Posted February 18, 2015 Share It's definitely a premium product in a quite a small niche. The frames look really good, which is important, however, most consumers see the round tubing/lack of hydroforming and dismiss it as old fashioned. Is the tubing butted or do they use straight gauge tubing? Where are the frames welded? There is a little more cachet in frames welded by Lynskey, Seven or Merlin compared to a nameless factory in Taiwan or China, even if the difference in quality is only a perception. I ride a Ti hardtail and prefer the feel to that of aluminium.The frames are completely manufactured by Skyde in France. If you visit their website (link above) you will see that they use only the best components when building completes. I have attached a close up of their Ti welding for you to judge. On their tube specifcations they use Double butted, hydro-formed http://www.skydecomp.fr/technologies-4 Hairy, T-Bag68 and DJR 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouxtjie Posted February 18, 2015 Share What does that chart mean...is the high bad or good Cause steel is DEFINITELY not stiffer than carbon???? Anyhow here is my input or yea ol frame material question Carbon lighteststiffesthas compliance ito comfortcan be molded into weird and wonderfull shapesBUTfails catastrophically expensive Alulight enoughcan be molded into weird and wonderfull shapescheap as chipsBUTNot compliantDifficult if not impossible to repairwant factor is low SteelStrongVery compliant(Steel is real and all that)Can be repairedWant factor is highBUTHeavyNot cheapMight be too flexy for out and out racing snakesCannot be molded into weird and wonderfulls TitaniumStrongestStiffer than steel yet stays compliantScratch proofBUTExpensiveHard to shapeHard to repair(if you ever need to) Best is relative Best based on a budget : AluBest based on "strength" and longevity : Titanium Best for racing : Carbon ChunkyMonkey, Origin Cyclery, Sandro and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marius Posted February 18, 2015 Share The only one that will possibly sell in small nrs are the fat bike, there is no market for Ti bikes, everything as to be Carbon and be branded with a Specialized or Cannondale logo. imho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rouxtjie Posted February 18, 2015 Share PS, best <> favourite... My steel bike puts a smile on my face...OP are there any plans to bring in steel bikes? Gandalf and BaGearA 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origin Cyclery Posted February 18, 2015 Share What does that chart mean...is the high bad or good Cause steel is DEFINITELY not stiffer than carbon???? Anyhow here is my input or yea ol frame material question Carbon lighteststiffesthas compliance ito comfortcan be molded into weird and wonderfull shapesBUTfails catastrophically expensive Alulight enoughcan be molded into weird and wonderfull shapescheap as chipsBUTNot compliantDifficult if not impossible to repairwant factor is low SteelStrongVery compliant(Steel is real and all that)Can be repairedWant factor is highBUTHeavyNot cheapMight be too flexy for out and out racing snakesCannot be molded into weird and wonderfulls TitaniumStrongestStiffer than steel yet stays compliantScratch proofBUTExpensiveHard to shapeHard to repair(if you ever need to) Best is relative Best based on a budget : AluBest based on "strength" and longevity : Titanium Best for racing : CarbonThanks RouxtjieThe chart is for discussion purposes only. The higher the score the better. The flaw which I notice is that it is dated 2008 which does not take into account huge advancement in carbon modulus (stiffness). Thanks for your input. What does that chart mean...is the high bad or good Cause steel is DEFINITELY not stiffer than carbon???? Anyhow here is my input or yea ol frame material question Carbon lighteststiffesthas compliance ito comfortcan be molded into weird and wonderfull shapesBUTfails catastrophically expensive Alulight enoughcan be molded into weird and wonderfull shapescheap as chipsBUTNot compliantDifficult if not impossible to repairwant factor is low SteelStrongVery compliant(Steel is real and all that)Can be repairedWant factor is highBUTHeavyNot cheapMight be too flexy for out and out racing snakesCannot be molded into weird and wonderfulls TitaniumStrongestStiffer than steel yet stays compliantScratch proofBUTExpensiveHard to shapeHard to repair(if you ever need to) Best is relative Best based on a budget : AluBest based on "strength" and longevity : Titanium Best for racing : Carbon Edited February 18, 2015 by Performance Bikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf Posted February 18, 2015 Share Definitely looks good.From what i hear ti can be quite expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origin Cyclery Posted February 18, 2015 Share PS, best <> favourite... My steel bike puts a smile on my face...OP are there any plans to bring in steel bikes?Not at this stage ... even the Ti thing is daunting but seems the first poster has some link to Steel? Bloody hijacker :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted February 18, 2015 Share I think there will be a small market of riders who have tried most bikes and have a good feel for what they are looking for. My personal opinion is that a Ti frame is a long term investment. The price tag would help one hold onto the frame for a good many years, but it goes deeper than that. Ti frames are generally clean designs (think classic frame lines) and become a timeless classics, yet again, the rider who is buying or interested in buying a Ti frame will not be swayed with "the latest and greatest" new trends. Keep the design simple with good geometry and allow for flexibility in the headset dept to allow straight and tapered steerer forks, threaded external BB's and just plain simple elements that work! How you dress the frame up is entirely up to the rider, but yet again, if the bike in an investment piece, then the quality of the built bike would more than likely of a high end. Get a competitive price, try and maybe add groupset's or components at a discounted price point when buying the frame from yourselves and be patient. I do believe there are riders out there who will be looking for good Ti frames. Don't be scared of getting demo bikes out that people can try first hand, I do also believe that your best approach to sell is word of mouth and through bike shops or individuals who have experienced the frames. Then follow all of this up with exceptional service and all should fare well. All of the above would apply to me if I could set aside a good few Z.A.R ...... but my day will come, and so too would my frame. Been on a couple of steel frames now, and they just feel right .... so the Ti frames should be perfect. Best wishesHairy Edited February 18, 2015 by Hairy DJR, Origin Cyclery, goodluck Phil danger and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partydave Posted February 18, 2015 Share I reckon the market is way too small. Elke Jan Raap en sy maat wil 'n carbon he, but they won't want to ay the premium for Ti. But hey, maybe it catches on and the Spez group will move over to anything with Ti in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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