Aluminum body panels

I still have my 1975 Teledyne Titan, the first titanium bicycle frame from a US company. It was a super-light 18 lbs in 1975; now it's a heavy 18 lbs. Of course, Teledyne is one of those aerospace companies. Carbon fiber was just an experiment back then, but carbon-fiber bike frames are now much stiffer and lighter than any titanium frame.

 

I knew they used titanium back in the day, but why now with all the composites available? Does it give a better "feel" that riders think is worth the weight penalty?

 

Titanium frames are a niche market compared to carbon and aluminum. There are different ride characteristics with the various materials.

Briefly, aluminum tends to be stiff and harsh, steel is soft and flexible, titanium is firm yet compliant, perhaps even lively, carbon is firm to stiff and has the ability to absorb road imperfections, some describe the feeling as “dead”. Then there’s bamboo.

Titanium can also be repaired, is not subject to rust or corrosion and is not likely to shatter into pieces upon impact. Carbon is the choice of the racing elite and many, if not most, weekend warriors.

 

I, too, still own a Teledyne Titan frameset (1976) as part of a complete road bike.

LeoP

 

I haven't ridden my Teledyne Titan in a decade--since one of the sew-up tires went flat. I'm done with sew-up tires so I'm always planning to change the rims, but never get around to it. When did you last ride your Titan?

 

Insightman,

I sent you a PM conversation about my bike. I last rode the bike about a year ago as I bring it up from the basement about once a year. I originally built the bike with clincher tires in 1976 as I was not serious about racing and used the bike for my daily commute to work.

LeoP

 

My 1972 Peugeot PX-10E was I believe 20 pounds with the 531 double butted tubing, is 2 pounds about the typical weight savings for titanium versus steel?

 

Lightspeed claims to make the lightest titanium frame at 1169 grams. Ritchey, Cinelli and Bombtrack, make steel frames at 1769, 1650 and 1579 grams, respectively. That’s a spread of 410-600 grams, so about a one pound difference, on average, from the lightest claimed weight for a titanium frame.

Two pounds may have been typical in 1972. You’d have to weight the two different frames, or compare the two bikes built with identical components. A different set of wheels can change the weight by a pound or more.