by Dan Towle

Feature

Material World —Titanium (Ti)

In this issue we continue with the third installment of a four-article series on bike frame material. This month Dan addresses the advantages and disadvantages of titanium frames.

If you asked me 10 years ago to make a bet on the preferred frame material of 2009, I would have said titanium. It has been used for building high-end bicycles since the 1970s (and probably earlier if one did some looking). It only took me about five minutes to come up with this advertisement from August 1975 for a Ti frame that was going to “change the world of cycling forever.” Titanium rides great, doesn’t need paint, and the sun won’t damage it. [See sun reference in the Material Article – Carbon Fiber in June BP.]

Early Ti frames proved to be a disappointment for me because the metal was so strong, they were built too light. Too light, you ask? Yes, too light. Titanium is very strong, but also very springy. I remember getting some tubes for $1 each at Boeing Surplus and setting one across a pair of milk crates. I jumped up and down on the thin-walled, super light tube to bend it several inches, but it sprung back every time. No matter how hard I jumped, the tube wouldn’t bend to its “crumple point” (technical bike shop terminology). Well, when a bicycle frame is built from titanium to its ultimate “light-weightness” (more bike shop technical terminology) it acts like this thin-walled tube. This results in a frame that’s very light, but rides like a wet noodle. My first experience on a Ti bike was an “uber light” frame in the ‘80s. This colored my judgement until I rode a heavier Merlin Ti frame in the late ‘90s.

Note that Titanium didn’t take off like I thought it would, as steel evolved so much that we can now build steel frames that ride great and are lighter than three pounds. That darn evolution, I didn’t take that into account.

Modern Titanium Frames

Photo by Courtesy of Moots / Michael RobsonThe Moots Psychlo-X is crazy for 'cross.

At the shop, we offered Ti frames in the late ‘80s for a short time. We only recently started selling them again (back by popular demand).

You can still find some “uber light” Ti frames advertised out there, and even see a few of them on the road. Most of them, however, are built around three pounds or so and ride very much like a high-end steel frame. Although it’s completely possible to build a Ti frame well below that, if you’re my weight, height and riding style, you’ll prefer a Ti frame that’s 3 – 3.25 pounds.

Cost

Photo by Courtesy of Moots / Michael Robson

Well, I would say that titanium is on par with carbon fiber as far as custom frame pricing goes. Expect to pay between $2,500 to $4,000 for a custom-made titanium frame and fork built to your specifications.

Ti is difficult to machine and requires a lot of extra steps to be taken during the welding process. The material is not as readily available as steel or aluminum and is much more expensive. When you purchase a Ti frame you’re paying for the added labor cost. The materials run about three times that of a high-end steel frame.

Durability

Photo by Courtesy of Moots / Michael RobsonTitanium 29er - perfect for single speed mountain biking.

A little more myth busting — In the bike industry, most people think of titanium as indestructible. While I believe that titanium is the most durable of all modern bicycle frame materials, it’s not completely indestructible. This winter alone we’ve fixed three cracked titanium road bike frame of various makes. Some of the cracks were due to extreme circumstances, but some were just from regular wear and tear. As far as misalignment goes, the material has such a memory that it’s very difficult to bend it out of shape permanently.

I would expect a Ti frame to last forever. The bikes have been around for the last 40 years, and I have no horror stories to report: when they break, they break like a steel fame. A tube might break at the welding point, but I have never seen a Ti frame sever in half and result in a catastrophic failure.

Versatility

Ti is a versatile material to work with, although its limited availability and difficulty to machine result in compromised aesthetics in my opinion. If my prediction would’ve come true, there would be hundreds of different dropouts and tubing manufacturers vying for our custom business, but that just wasn’t meant to be. Even so, I would consider titanium a versatile material that is great for just about any type of bicycle.

Repairability

There’s probably more shops in the U.S. insured and set-up to repair titanium frames than there are carbon shops, however that number is still very limited. We have been able to fix Ti frames that come to us for repair, but the ease of the job is somewhat limited to the materials available. For instance, if we need a certain tube diameter to maintain the original look of the damaged bike and that diameter is not available, then we have to improvise. This can result in a different look, maybe even a “wow, has that been repaired?” look, but nonetheless it’s fixed. As long as you are in a fairly large modern city, you can most likely get a Ti
frame repaired.

Riding Characteristics

If the frame is built heavy enough for the rider, then the riding characteristics are fantastic. Ti frames ride smooth, they’re responsive and stable. As I mentioned before, if the frame is too light then the ride is like a wet noodle. We have lots of customers who ride Ti and love it. Titanium and steel are my personal favorites for ride characteristics.

[Editor’s note: Next month Dan will complete the material article series with the pros and cons of steel frames.]

Dan Towle is the owner of R+E Cycles (Rodriguez). He has been fitting, fixing, building, customizing, selling, and loving bikes since the 1970s. He, and his entire staff, can be found at R+E Cycles in Seattle. www.rodcycle.com.