Habanero Titanium Frames

[email hidden] (veloman) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Any Habanero road frame riders have pics of their bike? I'm considering a purchase. Thanks.

If you're brave you can buy Ti Chinese frames direct from China. I have three.

geo.net.aumartys bikes.htmOpen ↗

You can get them from xacd.com.cnxacd.com.cnOpen ↗

The website is pretty lousy but the bikes are good. Email them for prices.

At the same time I'd like to say that from what I've heard, Mark Hickey from Habanero offers good
bikes with good back-up service.

Marty

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<jSxyb.537424$9l5.392257@pd7tw2no>...

Quoted message said:

I think that Homer won the Canyonero.

Can you name the truck with four wheel drive, Smells like a steak, and seats thirty five?
Canyonero! Canyonero!

Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down It's the country-fried truck endorsed by a clown
Canyonero! Canyonero!

Hey, hey! Twelve yards long, two lanes wide, Sixty five tons of American pride! Canyonero!
Canyonero!

Top of the line in utility sports, Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts! Canyonero!
Canyonero!

She blinds everybody with her super high beams She's a squirrel-squashin', deer-smackin' drivin'
machine Canyonero! Canyonero! Canyonero! Whoa, Canyonero! Whoa!

Cheers Jeff

Dear Jeff,

I think that Homer may have won a car elsewhere (he wins a lot of things), but in this case Marge
points out that he cashed in his 401k to buy the Canyonero.

This minor quibble lets your wonderful quote of the complete song appear again and allows others to
search for the car that Homer won.

Keep up the good work!

Carl Fogel

A Muzi said:

In the showroom we don't bother because there's no way to know if it should be Campagnolo or Look (
or Speedplay or Cook or Time or whatever). There's no pedal system that's more than 20-25% of bike
sales (Look) and that's generous. Test rides are 75% toeclips.

What, nobody buys SPDs?

PEDAL WAR!
--
Rick "1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a pedal war" Onanian

Funny, I just built up a Habanero road frame with mostly Campy Centaur parts for just under $2k,
sans pedals, so I guess there's no cost benefit to DIY in this case. Was a fun project, though, I
got to custom-pick the parts, and I learned a lot about bike technology and assembly in the process.
Curious, though, how'd you spec it out?

Here's my setup:

Habanero 54cm road frame Mavic Cosmos 700mm wheelset Continental Grand Prix 3000 4-Season tires
(23mm) Shimano Ultegra f/r brakes Campy 115mm BB ($20 version) Campy Centaur 10s Triple Crankset
(170mm, 53-42-30) Campy Centaur 10s triple fdr (32mm clamp-on duh) Campy Centaur 10s long-throw rdr
Campy 10s chain Campy Centaur 10s Ergos American Classic 10s Conversion Cassette (12-25) American
Classic seatpost (27.2mm duh) Selle Italia Flite saddle Performance Forte Pro Axis All-Carbon fork
(rebranded Kinesis Saber All-Carbon) Cane Creek S2 headset (silver, 1" duh) Performance Forte Pro
stem (110mm) Nashbar "Lite" bars (42cm) Performance cork tape

Incidentally, I've only taken it out on a couple of test rides, but so far it's been nothing short
of amazing. Can't wait for a clear, reasonably warm day to take it out for a real spin (which in
Seattle means I'll be waiting for a while).

--
Kovie [email hidden]

"Roy Gordon" <royg_XOUT@sonic_xout.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I recently (September) purchased a new Habanero bike. I love it. In fact, the more I ride it the
more I like it. I've ridden steel for over 25 years, including my beautiful custom Litton frame.

The Habanero was put together for me by Andy Muzi at www.yellowjersey.org in Madison, Wi. I live
in California. The entire bike sans pedals and with the Campy Centaur groupo was under $2K,
including shipping.

They gave me great service, were obviously very experienced at doing this, and without any
hesitation re-did much of the bike after they sent me a pre-ship pic and I didn't like the look of
the silver bars, stem, and seat post. I mean, isn't this the real test? A problem from your point
of view arises and it's dealt with in as good a way as you could want.

Excellent post sales support too. (Sorry if this sounds like an ad, but

you

Quoted message said:

know, when something I never thought I'd ever do and in fact was quite frightened of--i.e.,
mail-ordering a bike--worked out so well and easily...)

Anyway, just a satisified customer of theirs and a lover of my new Hab.

Roy

[email hidden] (veloman) wrote in news:da754e62.0311280901.4f22e644 @posting.google.com:

Quoted message said:

Any Habanero road frame riders have pics of their bike? I'm considering a purchase. Thanks.

"Kovie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:aMSyb.276800$275.989113@attbi_s53...

Quoted message said:

Funny, I just built up a Habanero road frame with mostly Campy Centaur parts for just under $2k,
sans pedals, so I guess there's no cost benefit to DIY in this case. Was a fun project, though, I
got to custom-pick the parts, and I learned a lot about bike technology and assembly in the
process. Curious, though, how'd you spec it out?

Here's my setup:

Habanero 54cm road frame Mavic Cosmos 700mm wheelset Continental Grand Prix 3000 4-Season tires
(23mm) Shimano Ultegra f/r brakes Campy 115mm BB ($20 version) Campy Centaur 10s Triple Crankset
(170mm, 53-42-30) Campy Centaur 10s triple fdr (32mm clamp-on duh) Campy Centaur 10s long-throw
rdr Campy 10s chain Campy Centaur 10s Ergos American Classic 10s Conversion Cassette (12-25)
American Classic seatpost (27.2mm duh) Selle Italia Flite saddle Performance Forte Pro Axis
All-Carbon fork (rebranded Kinesis Saber All-Carbon) Cane Creek S2 headset (silver, 1" duh)
Performance Forte Pro stem (110mm) Nashbar "Lite" bars (42cm) Performance cork tape

Incidentally, I've only taken it out on a couple of test rides, but so far it's been nothing short
of amazing. Can't wait for a clear, reasonably warm day to take it out for a real spin (which in
Seattle means I'll be waiting for a while).

I could live with that! In fact I'd trade you even, but I'd need a 58-60cm.

I like Ti bikes for the indestructible finish. I don't even take my road bike into town to go
shopping, etc., because I'm afraid of scratching it in a bike rack. With a Ti bike you don't have
to worry about this. If you do scratch it you can just rub it out with fine steel wool. The whole
finish issue is well worth paying for if you're going to keep your bike awhile. And the Hab is no
more expensive than a comparable steel frame.

I keep seeing painted Litespeeds and Lemonds, and I keep thinking they miss the whole point.

Matt O.

I can certainly attest to what Kovie is saying here. Mark immediately answered every one of my (at
least) couple dozen emails; even those that were trivial small-talk, or were loaded with inane
questions or obsessive indecision. And that in spite of the fact that he has a day job in addition
to building bicycles. I can't figure out when the guy sleeps. I really can't say enough about how
attentive he's been. With the level of personal service I received, you'd think I was buying a Titus
Exogrid, IF Crown Jewel, or Serotta Legend.

"Kovie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<NzYxb.349634$Fm2.352972@attbi_s04>...

Quoted message said:

support is any indication, this bike will ride like a dream. He has been nothing short of amazing
in responding to my multiple and often very detailed emails about what frame size and geometry to
get, what components to put on it, how to assemble it, dealing with various problems, and so on.
Any questions I've asked, got answered, usually within a day, and often much sooner. It's obvious
that he wants his customers to be happy with their

I'm a believer in steel! Steel is real!

However, if I ever choose titanium, this frame is at the top of my list next to IFBikes, Seven, Moots, etc. I used to think that Habenero sucks. You know, same tired [censored] that biased people (I used to be one) used to say about Asia construction, [censored] welds, etc. But a good friend of mine who is a welder bought one of these bikes and when I asked him why, he flatly stated that you can't get better welds than this. He proceeded to show me what consitutes a even, consistent bead, with no what he called "undercutting." The more I looked and tried to be open-minded about it, the more I realized that the welds were, in fact, like he said, literally perfect. We saw some less than perfect, although still godd, welds on some really high-dollar titanium US bikes at the shop, but his Habenero was much better now that I know what to look for. Seriously, I've now scrutinized a lot of TIG welds and IMO the best by in terms of size, consistency, and smoothness are the Moots and Habenero. I know that is shocking to people, but I swear. Do this to convince yourself. Compare the welds of a Habenero if you ever get a chance. I don't know, call them and ask for a referral or something. Then, look really closely at some Moots at a bike shop. Sneak in a couple digital pics when the bike shop manager ain't looking. Go home. See with your own eyes.

Disclaimer: before everyone starts screaming that I work for this company. I am a steel guy. I don't even have a titanium frame. I like steel, but just telling it like it is.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BaCardi
I'm a believer in steel! Steel is real!

However, if I ever choose titanium, this frame is at the top of my list next to IFBikes, Seven, Moots, etc. I used to think that Habenero sucks. You know, same tired [censored] that biased people (I used to be one) used to say about Asia construction, [censored] welds, etc. But a good friend of mine who is a welder bought one of these bikes and when I asked him why, he flatly stated that you can't get better welds than this. He proceeded to show me what consitutes a even, consistent bead, with no what he called "undercutting." The more I looked and tried to be open-minded about it, the more I realized that the welds were, in fact, like he said, literally perfect. We saw some less than perfect, although still godd, welds on some really high-dollar titanium US bikes at the shop, but his Habenero was much better now that I know what to look for. Seriously, I've now scrutinized a lot of TIG welds and IMO the best by in terms of size, consistency, and smoothness are the Moots and Habenero. I know that is shocking to people, but I swear. Do this to convince yourself. Compare the welds of a Habenero if you ever get a chance. I don't know, call them and ask for a referral or something. Then, look really closely at some Moots at a bike shop. Sneak in a couple digital pics when the bike shop manager ain't looking. Go home. See with your own eyes.

Disclaimer: before everyone starts screaming that I work for this company. I am a steel guy. I don't even have a titanium frame. I like steel, but just telling it like it is.

Maybe there is more to a good frame than welds?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
Maybe there is more to a good frame than welds?

That is a very obvious possibility. 🙄

bacardi stated-<< I'm a believer in steel! Steel is real!

Quoted message said:

However, if I ever choose titanium, this frame is at the top of my list next to IFBikes, Seven,
Moots, etc. I used to think that Habenero sucks. You know, same tired [censored] that biased people (I
used to be one) used to say about Asia construction, [censored] welds, etc.

now that is funny....

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Jim A said:

I can certainly attest to what Kovie is saying here. Mark immediately answered every one of my (at
least) couple dozen emails; even those that were trivial small-talk, or were loaded with inane
questions or obsessive indecision. And that in spite of the fact that he has a day job in addition
to building bicycles. I can't figure out when the guy sleeps. I really can't say enough about how
attentive he's been. With the level of personal service I received, you'd think I was buying a
Titus Exogrid, IF Crown Jewel, or Serotta Legend.

I just wish I could justify (to she to whom all such things must be explained) that I really need a
new track frame -- and a touring bike, too. Please, Santa?

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored _`\(,_ | by little statesmen
and philosophers and divines. --Ralph Waldo (_)/ (_) | Emerson

boudreaux said:

Quoted message said:

Seriously, I've now scrutinized a lot of TIG welds and IMO the best by in terms of size,
consistency, and smoothness are the Moots and Habenero.

There are some companies that file down the welds to look perfectly smooth, and you can't really
tell about those without x-ray vision. But the Habanero's welds are nice -- and not covered up.

Yeah, there is more to a frame than welds. The Habanero is as well-designed, finished, and prepped
as any. Biggest difference between the Habanero and high-zoot ti frames is that some of them are
butted. You pay big for that, but they do weigh a bit less.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It is a scientifically proven fact that a mid life crisis can _`\(,_ | only be cured by
something racy and Italian. Bianchis and (_)/ (_) | Colnagos are a lot cheaper than Maserattis
and Ferraris. -- Glenn Davies

[QUOTE]Originally posted by David L. Johnso
On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 07:04:32 +1050, boudreaux wrote:

There are some companies that file down the welds to look perfectly smooth, and you can't really
tell about those without x-ray vision. But the Habanero's welds are nice -- and not covered up.
--

David L. Johnson


My friend's Habenero doesn't have filed down welds. I believe that I have seen filed down welds on Merlin's though.

BaCardi said:

Originally posted by David L. Johnso On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 07:04:32 +1050, boudreaux wrote:

There are some companies that file down the welds to look perfectly smooth, and you can't really
tell about those without x-ray vision. But the Habanero's welds are nice -- and not covered up. --

David L. Johnson

My friend's Habenero doesn't have filed down welds. I believe that I have seen filed down welds on
Merlin's though.

That was what I meant. My Hab does not have filed-down welds (covering up a poor weld??), but a
riding buddy's Merlin did. I don't think that Lightspeed smoothes over their welds, but no ti bike
has welds that look as lumpy as most aluminum bikes.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It doesn't get any easier, you just go faster. --Greg LeMond _`\(,_ | (_)/ (_) |

David L. Johnson said:

That was what I meant. My Hab does not have filed-down welds (covering up a poor weld??), but a
riding buddy's Merlin did. I don't think that Lightspeed smoothes over their welds, but no ti bike
has welds that look as lumpy as most aluminum bikes.

From what I understand, some Ti frame manufacturers make a second pass over the weld beads (which
contributes nothing structurally) for the sole purpose of improving cosmetics. I don't expect that
it harms a Ti structure like it would, say, a heat-treated steel one, but I don't think it's worth
paying extra for, either.

Chalo Colina

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

.. but no ti bike has welds that look as lumpy as most aluminum bikes.

More expensive AL frames (not always) have smoothed welds, e.g. Pinarello, De Rosa, ... of course
you are paying >$2500 for one. Colnago's that I have seen have "unfinished" welds.

On 11 Dec 2003 14:44:50 -0800, [email hidden] (Richard Chan)

Quoted message said:

More expensive AL frames (not always) have smoothed welds, e.g. Pinarello, De Rosa, ... of course
you are paying >$2500 for one. Colnago's that I have seen have "unfinished" welds.

Naw, you can go cheaper than that. My Giant TCR2, MSRP something like $1,400 for the whole bike, has
smoothed welds. They're very pretty. I didn't notice them until I owned the bike, as I don't
particularly care one way or the other.
--
Rick Onanian

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Rick Onanian
On 11 Dec 2003 14:44:50 -0800, [email hidden] (Richard Chan)

Quoted message said:

More expensive AL frames (not always) have smoothed welds, e.g. Pinarello, De Rosa, ... of course
you are paying >$2500 for one. Colnago's that I have seen have "unfinished" welds.

Naw, you can go cheaper than that. My Giant TCR2, MSRP something like $1,400 for the whole bike, has
smoothed welds. They're very pretty. I didn't notice them until I owned the bike, as I don't
particularly care one way or the other.
--
Rick Onanian

A single pass weld isn't as pretty as a multiple pass weld, but the more times you weld over a joint, the weaker it becomes structurally. The heat-affected zone is now much larger.

I think Canondale passes over the joint 3 times instead of a single pass and then files down them down giving the joints a smooth filleted appearance. I know that some Titanium manufacturers do a little weld filing, but didn't know that some were also doing multiple welding passes.

When and if I ever decide to upgrade to a new road bike...Habanero will be on my list. I haven't
been posting to this news group long but I have read 1000's of post in my research and have seen
what a help Mark is on this and other forums.(not to over look Sheldon, Andrew or Peter or any of
the other helpful people...Your shops are on my list too.) I like old steel bikes but the main
reason I would conceder Ti is that I would never have to worry about chipping paint!!!!When you
have read as many post as I have you can tell alot about the person writing, and Mark is one of the
A+ people.

Rod Raisanen

To Reply remove Garbage

BaCardi <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

A single pass weld isn't as pretty as a multiple pass weld, but the more times you weld over a
joint, the weaker it becomes structurally. The heat- affected zone is now much larger.

I think Canondale passes over the joint 3 times instead of a single pass and then files down them
down giving the joints a smooth filleted appearance. I know that some Titanium manufacturers do a
little weld filing, but didn't know that some were also doing multiple welding passes.

--................Cdale frames are totally heattreated after welding.