Titanium Bikes - SA market

[Origin Cyclery]

Big thanks to Andrew and the guys at Performance Bikes for selecting my post as the winning post. I chose a fantastic orange flat bar for my new MTB build and some lock on grips. I was more than chuffed when I had exceeded the prize money by R40 and Andrew threw this in as well. 

 

The goodies arrived this morning by Courier, the FUNN components look the business, cant wait to get them on the bike 

Great pleasure enjoy!

[Origin Cyclery]

What sort of price we talking for road frame and fork?

 

Looks lovely, but also seems quite an aggressive geometry. Wondering if they plan on anything with a more Sportive / all day endurance geometry

Hi Walkerr

I will bring your question to Skyde's attention for them to answer. I am currently working with them on pricing as we have suggested certain spec for our market.

Keep checking here for detail indue course.

Cheers.

[walkerr]

Hi Walkerr

I will bring your question to Skyde's attention for them to answer. I am currently working with them on pricing as we have suggested certain spec for our market.

Keep checking here for detail indue course.

Cheers.

 

OK Thanks

 

I just noticed their road bike says a 31.6mm seatpost. Maybe you could check that too. Would be a showstopper for me as I am almost certain to need to be able to interchange with my existing Ti Burls which is 27.2 (unless they'll do me a buy-one-bike-get-one-free deal)!

 

-- Rob

Edited March 6, 2015 by walkerr

[GregM]

These frames look really good not to complicated in appearance but really attractive.

There will always be a niche market for something like a Ti frame and the guys who want it know they get what they pay for.

Hope to see them in the market soon, that fat bike looks really good.

 

good luck and 

 

[walkerr]

These frames look really good not to complicated in appearance but really attractive.

There will always be a niche market for something like a Ti frame and the guys who want it know they get what they pay for.

Hope to see them in the market soon, that fat bike looks really good.

 

good luck and 

 

It's hard to look at a different material once you have ridden a high quality Ti frame. I'm pondering new bike(s) sometime towards the end of this year / into next year, and as much as I love some of the carbon machines I keep coming back to Ti

Edited March 6, 2015 by walkerr

[DJR]

Titanium gained a reputation as a rare and exotic metal in the 1970s and 1980s because it was seen as a military strategic metal by both the USA and the USSR during the Cold War. It was used extensively in building intercontinental ballistic missiles, planes as well as spacecraft, by both countries. It is the most rust resistant metal on earth and was used by especially the USSR in their submarines. All of this meant that they stockpiled something that was already scarce, to keep it away from each other and possible rivals.

 

When it eventually became available for non-military use, it was nicknamed "unobtanium", a name later used in the Avatar movie. This was a direct result of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

 

There are several "stories" about titanium bikes that have become legend:

 

Several of Lance Armstrongs Trek bikes that he rode on mountain stages during his early Tours were titanium Litespeeds re-branded to look like Treks. Litespeed built aerospace bits before branching into bike frames.

 

The early Colnago Titanios were buit after Ernesto Colnago bought a scrapped Russian submarine and used the titanium from that at a time when it was not available to anyone else. A "swords into plough-shares" story if ever there was one. True or not,  I think it is a good story.

[walkerr]

I could easily find room for 2 or 3 more Ti bikes in my stable - and that still wouldn't get me close to N+1. The look doesn't appeal to everyone - it grows on you though. The ride on my 1 Ti bike is sublime. Have sat on it for close on 30hrs over the course of 1 weekend. The only part of me getting sore was a bad case of hot foot - which was obviously not the frame's fault

[walkerr]

 

Old picture now - looks a little different at present as it's configured for Audaxing not day rides.

 

Looking forward to getting it back to this sleeker and lighter form come September once the Randonneuring is done for the present.

Edited March 6, 2015 by walkerr

[DJR]

This is my 1992 Colnago Bititan. Sorry for posting it once again, it's just so pretty, I can't help myself.

[walkerr]

This is my 1992 Colnago Bititan. Sorry for posting it once again, it's just so pretty, I can't help myself.

 

No apologies needed!

[Wazza_pe]

I must chime in here and concur with my fellow ti lovers. 
Once you've ridden a good ti bike, you will fall in love. I have a pricey top-end carbon bike which just hangs on the wall (I've done about 100 kms in 3 years), because I can't help myself grabbing my van Nicholas titanium or sometimes a vintage steel bike. I intend on adding many more bikes to my collection, all of them steel and titanium.

 

Good luck to you guys, I hope you do manage to bring this range to SA.

[KERMIT THE UBOAT]

Heres what I think of Ti.....

Cacades master world champs course....

My Lynskey has seen many bikes come and go from my garage..... she aint going anywhere.

[KERMIT THE UBOAT]

somebody mentioned the clean simple lines 

eish I cant look at her enough

 

 

[TheJ]

Hottest Ti bike, ever.

 

[GoLefty!!]

Titanium gained a reputation as a rare and exotic metal in the 1970s and 1980s because it was seen as a military strategic metal by both the USA and the USSR during the Cold War. It was used extensively in building intercontinental ballistic missiles, planes as well as spacecraft, by both countries. It is the most rust resistant metal on earth and was used by especially the USSR in their submarines. All of this meant that they stockpiled something that was already scarce, to keep it away from each other and possible rivals.

 

When it eventually became available for non-military use, it was nicknamed "unobtanium", a name later used in the Avatar movie. This was a direct result of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

 

There are several "stories" about titanium bikes that have become legend:

 

Several of Lance Armstrongs Trek bikes that he rode on mountain stages during his early Tours were titanium Litespeeds re-branded to look like Treks. Litespeed built aerospace bits before branching into bike frames.

 

The early Colnago Titanios were buit after Ernesto Colnago bought a scrapped Russian submarine and used the titanium from that at a time when it was not available to anyone else. A "swords into plough-shares" story if ever there was one. True or not,  I think it is a good story.

If Ernesto bought a scrap Russian sub then I would stand at least 100 m away from that bike since the subs were they used titanium were the alpha class attack sub and the papa class of which only one example was built . The barracuda class was not sold off and was returned to service recently.

 

The alpha class is known for its great speed and unreliability. They also reduced the lead cladding around it's nuclear reactor to make the boat lighter, and increasing the crews exposure to radiation . Wouldn't want a bike manufactured from ex alpha class ti!!!

[Amberdrake]

Hottest Ti bike, ever.

 

Ti.png

Every time I see a soft tail bike I think hell that's not gonna last. Counting on flex in metal just makes me want to cringe. (Note I know that it works and will most likely last for a long time given that the frame calculations are accurate.)