# Upgrading from Al bike to carbon? Ti?



## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

I don't know if I ride enough or have been riding long enough to get a new bike. Just started riding last October with a new Al bike with 9 speed Tiagra/105 components, stopped riding for the winter, and started riding again in March. Currently I ride 4-6 days a week, 100-200 miles/week, averaging 150 miles/week, my longest ride was 2 weeks ago I rode 40 miles three times, last week I rode 73 miles, started riding to lose weight and I'm down about 25 lbs year to date, I weigh 218, 5'll" 54 yrs old.

Am I riding enough to enjoy and warrant a carbon or titanium bike?

I'm making the rounds talking to the local bike shops because I was thinking of getting a low end, full carbon bike with Ultegra 10 speed or at the minimum 105/Ultegra. Then I stopped at one bike shop that carries Fuji, Bianchi, and Litespeed. They said hands down, they recommend titanium over carbon bikes and specifically Litespeed. They said carbon is more popular but titanium is better, stronger and more consistent with handling from bike to bike, lasts longer than a carbon bike, and less chance of parts breaking off of it. He said when you have a carbon bike, the fasteners may not hold well. Again, he said, hands down titanium beats carbon all around including the ride. He said ride others carbon and then come back here and ride a Litespeed titanium and you won't choose the carbon.

Should I be looking at a titanium bike? Any other brands other than Litespeed that are titanium that I should be looking at? Specifically to keep the costs down I would be looking at the Firenze.


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## tigoat (Jun 6, 2006)

*titanium frames*

What is your budget? Do you need to rely on a local bike shop to put it together and doing maintainance, etc.? If you can do your own wrenching, then getting a frame or a bike from mail order maybe cheaper? Colorado Cyclist has 05 Firenze frames on sale and they have their own inexpensive ti bikes as well. If you are not into a particular brand name like Litespeed, then there are quite a few choices out there in the Firenze price range? Dean, Habanero, and TST are just a few come to mind but there are other to choice from as well if you do more reasearch. 




lawrence said:


> I don't know if I ride enough or have been riding long enough to get a new bike. Just started riding last October with a new Al bike with 9 speed Tiagra/105 components, stopped riding for the winter, and started riding again in March. Currently I ride 4-6 days a week, 100-200 miles/week, averaging 150 miles/week, my longest ride was 2 weeks ago I rode 40 miles three times, last week I rode 73 miles, started riding to lose weight and I'm down about 25 lbs year to date, I weigh 218, 5'll" 54 yrs old.
> 
> Am I riding enough to enjoy and warrant a carbon or titanium bike?
> 
> ...


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## axebiker (Aug 22, 2003)

You're riding PLENTY to enjoy upgrading your ride.

It's hard to go wrong with Ti. They are probably the lowest maintenance frames around, and their durability is without question. The Firenze is a fine frame. 

I had a bonded carbon Trek at one point - probably about 1996 or so. Very comfortable, but flexy, and it creaked like a mother!! I was riding mostly steel before that, with the exception of one short-lived stint with a Cannondale (ouch!!). After that, all Al bikes until I got my Tuscany and Teramo. It's all Ti for me on the road now. Probably for good unless I find a good deal on a steel bike...


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## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

Budget? As much as I need and as little as possible. I don't need Dura Ace but would like Ultegra. I do my own maintenance and would be willing to build it, even thinking of it. I don't need a name brand to stroke my ego, I just want a good frame so an off brand would be fine. I was even thinking of buying a carbon from Performance Bike, their brand is Tirreno and Scattante when they inherited the house brand when they bought SuperGo. The oldest operating bike shop in the country since the late 1800's, Kopp's, carries Fuji, Bianchi, and LiteSpeed and they recommend Litespeed titanium bikes. They try to talk people out of carbon BUT the carbon bike stores and the carbon bike owner's say why buy titanium, that's old technology, buy the new carbon, that's state of the art and can be designed and built to give a better ride. The aforementioned bike store, says when you start putting parts on to carbon, you can break and stress the carbon, so you take a chance of down the road, the carbon breaking and the frame being no good. With titanium, it's proven, and nothing is going to break and fall off of it and it's weldable by a good welding shop. A friend who just upgraded from an older Pinnarello to a carbon frame Pinnarello (spent $2,700 just for the frame!) says to ride both the titanium and carbon bikes and see which one I like the feel of it but he's says since I bought the carbon Pinnarello, I'm biased towards carbon because it's that good.


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## geraldatwork (Jul 15, 2005)

Just curious what aluminum bike you are riding now. I ride an aluminum bike with Ultegra components and am very happy with it. It does have a carbon fork and carbon seat stays which probably helps. I really don't feel that much of a difference (comfort wise) between my aluminum bike and an old Raleigh steel bike I still ride on occasion.


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## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

2005 K2 Mach 2.0, Al frame with carbon fork, 9 speed, Tiagra shifters, Tiagra front, 105 rear. Got it from Performance Bike as a 2005 closeout. I didn't want to spend alot of money because I didn't know if I would get into bike riding. Now I've been riding between 100-200 miles/week averaging 150 miles, this morning I did 36 miles, 2 weeks ago I did 73 miles. I put Candy C pedals on it and I'm riding with MTB shoes.


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## tigoat (Jun 6, 2006)

lawrence said:


> Budget? As much as I need and as little as possible. I don't need Dura Ace but would like Ultegra. I do my own maintenance and would be willing to build it, even thinking of it. I don't need a name brand to stroke my ego, I just want a good frame so an off brand would be fine. I was even thinking of buying a carbon from Performance Bike, their brand is Tirreno and Scattante when they inherited the house brand when they bought SuperGo. The oldest operating bike shop in the country since the late 1800's, Kopp's, carries Fuji, Bianchi, and LiteSpeed and they recommend Litespeed titanium bikes. They try to talk people out of carbon BUT the carbon bike stores and the carbon bike owner's say why buy titanium, that's old technology, buy the new carbon, that's state of the art and can be designed and built to give a better ride. The aforementioned bike store, says when you start putting parts on to carbon, you can break and stress the carbon, so you take a chance of down the road, the carbon breaking and the frame being no good. With titanium, it's proven, and nothing is going to break and fall off of it and it's weldable by a good welding shop. A friend who just upgraded from an older Pinnarello to a carbon frame Pinnarello (spent $2,700 just for the frame!) says to ride both the titanium and carbon bikes and see which one I like the feel of it but he's says since I bought the carbon Pinnarello, I'm biased towards carbon because it's that good.


Well, I have moved from a Trek 5200 to a titanium frame (literally swapping the same components) and I could not tell much difference in ride quality except they both rode much better than what I could perform. When comparing from one frame to another, make sure both use the same components in order to compare apples to apples. I have seen a lot of buyers testing different bikes with different components and then they pick out one and say one frame is better than the other from their testing, which is usually baseless when comparing one frame to another.


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