I got my first bike, 40 odd years ago, steel and 2nd hand (we were so poor that my dad painted the handlebars with pink housepaint to cover up the bodgey chrome, or lack of it)
My 2nd bike was 20 years ago, again steel.
My 3rd was 8 years ago again steel.
4th was Aluminium, 3 years ago.
5th. I am in the process of putting together a Carbon and it's not even finished and I have already got my eyes on a Titanium frame.
If you look at the history of of bikes from 1817 it seems that the only type I havent had is wood. Wood lasted for 30 years but hardly anyone had a bike anyway. Steel then lasted as the popular choice for 130 odd years. Aluminium for say 8 years. Carbon for 2. Of course these years are just estimates and also change in different countries. Another thing, I realise Steel ain't just steel. In the 130 odd years of steel, there would have been thousands of different steel alloy combinations.
But the question still remains before I lauch off and buy a Titanium frame, if I drew a graph of 'material of choice' for bike frames based on history, I'm only going to get 6 months out of it before it's pushed aside to make way for the new Bamboo Alloy Composite or the latest space age material 'Teridgium' which is used to make astronauts toothbrushes.
Should we all bother with Titanium?
My 2nd bike was 20 years ago, again steel.
My 3rd was 8 years ago again steel.
4th was Aluminium, 3 years ago.
5th. I am in the process of putting together a Carbon and it's not even finished and I have already got my eyes on a Titanium frame.
If you look at the history of of bikes from 1817 it seems that the only type I havent had is wood. Wood lasted for 30 years but hardly anyone had a bike anyway. Steel then lasted as the popular choice for 130 odd years. Aluminium for say 8 years. Carbon for 2. Of course these years are just estimates and also change in different countries. Another thing, I realise Steel ain't just steel. In the 130 odd years of steel, there would have been thousands of different steel alloy combinations.
But the question still remains before I lauch off and buy a Titanium frame, if I drew a graph of 'material of choice' for bike frames based on history, I'm only going to get 6 months out of it before it's pushed aside to make way for the new Bamboo Alloy Composite or the latest space age material 'Teridgium' which is used to make astronauts toothbrushes.
Should we all bother with Titanium?