# Titanium bikes overseas



## SPINDAWG (Aug 24, 2003)

Was considering getting the CT2 Bstay HP before giving the Dream the nod mostly because first off there is an considerable longer wait on the CT2 and they cost a little more than the Dream.Even though they are presented very well, do they deliver anything extra for the increased price?It seems to work harden about the same as the Alloys and is definately more flexible,they have the same rear triangle and fork so where can the gain be?They are also a tad bit heavier and regardless of what people think ,they can still be broken and can still oxidise.
Why is it that Titanium isn't that popular overseas?The Colnago factory has to start from scratch when making this bike as they keep none in stock.Is this an reflection of the numbers sold?Has titanium been forever cursed off because of Tchmill slagging off Litespeeds after a classic,when he was dropped on bad cobbles in Het Volk,and blamed the bike for lack of response and the titanium material has never recovered.
I was definately considering the titanium CT2 because of living next to Chattanooga Tn. and most of the riding buddies ride Litespeeds and Merlins and recommended the Titanium over the Aluminum,however can't seem to justify the increased cost and lengthy wait.Sorry for the rant just hate that Titanium is viewed as the wonder material and I can't see it.


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## C50 (Feb 8, 2004)

*Ti*

Even tho I have a Dream Plus and my C50, the Colnago Bititanio is still one of my favorites -- very good compromise between response, stiffness, and ride quality. It's been upgraded to a carbon Force fork at the insistance of someone who should know, and it still a pretty light bike.

Ti was just expensive and had some quality problems (even Colnago were cracking) in the early days, and aluminum was cheaper. Plus don't forget there were a lot a small crit's in Europe where you didn't want to risk your expensive bike, and even a lot of the pro's had an aluminum crit bike for some events. I can remember a few pro's who had Dream's with alloy campy cranks for some events instead of the C40 with carbon parts....

But as to the CT2 -- it is definitely more comfortable than the Dream HP in back to back testing with the same wheels on the same roads when I tried them last year at the factory. It actually rode better than my C50 in that respect, but the C50 was superior in response and handling and a little lighter. At the time all three bikes havd the middle-grade fork, altho I have now upgraded my C50 to the Star (a present after Interbike) and it is even stiffer and more confidence-inspiring at the front end!!!!!


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

My first road bike was a CP titanium Sampson - rode wonderfully but I was a noob and what did I know? Now I have it built as a single speed and it's still an okay ride. Not that special, not that light but it rides nicely enough.

I've considered the CT2 a couple of times and walked away, mainly based on price and the fact that it doesn't bring many advantages to the table in terms of weight or longevity or even good looks. It's just another CF-reared bike in my account.

In the meantime, I've collected frames in CF, steel and aluminum and yet no titanium. But I get passed all the time by fat guys on Litespeeds so clearly, there is something magic about that material. I've ordered a Ti frame, due next week. I'll let you know if the magic works for me too. 

The material itself does offer some advantages - can be built light, more stress resistance than aluminum, passivates quickly (oxidizes then stop due to the diffusion rate of O2 through the layer of TiO2.) But as always, it's only better than other materials in the hands of the right builder.


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## CDanRun (Jan 22, 2004)

*I Pulled the Trigger*

I bought a CT2 HP w Force fork last year and have 3300 miles on it. It's smooth and stiff enough for me.

I bought it from Maetro-UK in England. Mike is great. I took pictures of my position on my bike at the time and emailed them. He moved me around a little and after some back and forth we picked a size. He really is super.

The wait was 4.5 months.


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