yes,of course,i realize that. a bike can have different design features that make it more or less suitable for a specific application.i.e. aero tubes for a TT bike, extra-stiff for a sprinter, less stiff for long distance comfort,etc.etc. i know shaping can enhance stiffness,and butting helps lighten a frame,yet very good and well respected companies like MOOTS use straight guage round tubes, and their clients seem to not have any weight or flex issues with them. i'm hoping someone actually has some specific info on these guys,like are the frames so reasonable because they're cutting major corners somewhere, or simply because they've eliminated some middle-men, and with some big names,you pay for that big name? see what i mean? i've asked this question elsewhere, and can't seem to get an answer of any real substance, basically,it's implied that since the company isn't a high-zoot name, and doesn't cost a fortune, it must be lacking somehow,yet no one seems to have any real info. again...you see what i mean ?
Nothing wrong with round straight gage tubes if they are the right diameter,thickness and alloy. IF it's all wrong, it's a POS no matter what name is on it.. Maybe a high zoot name insures it's being done right?, and many of them use size specific tubing. I have trust in Moots,Seven,IF, Serotta... Middle men always make a difference,and there is markup too. You are never going to get the answer you are looking for.
yeah,"maybe" a high zoot name insures it's being done right. sure,odds are,that's gonna be true,but no guarantee. lots of house-hold name companies start pumping out junk after they establish the good rep. just like NASA printed on the side ain't no guarantee it won't go up in a ball of fire. and there's a lot of small no-name companies out there busting their asses and putting out great stuff. as you say,i may never get the answer i'm looking for,but i've made further inquiries,and got my fingers crossed,"the truth is out there". i actually have one of the douglass TI frames,a 2001 i got a extra killer deal on earlier this year.it's flexy in a sprint,but i really like it. of course that doesn't tell me anything about how i'll like it in 5 years,hence my inquiries. thanks.....
no boudreaux,i obviously DON"T have it figured out,or i wouldn't continue seeking an answer from someone that knows.you clearly don't ,so why do you keep returning? i'm not looking for a fight, just some answers that shouldn't be that difficult to get. you know,like the point of this whole website ? i was a little suspicious earlier,but now i really can't help wondering if you're actually the infamous....biker billy !!!!!!
Why don't you ask the folks at TST? Here is another angle. Check Waterford, then check Gunnar. Gunner is made by Waterford but cost alot less.They tell you how they do it. Try serotta,legend Ti vs Fierte Ti. Serotta spells out the difference. Litespeed Vortex,Classic,Aarenberg,same deal.The top end stuff does cost more.
thanks boudreaux, think i will drop an E to TST. i don't doubt that serotta,seven,etc. are really killer frames,i'd dearly love one. but i can't help but wonder if the cost/quality lines don't intersect a little lower than we're led to believe.i've no doubt that the axiom,legend or superlight are nicer frames then the douglass,but does that mean the douglass is so lacking that it should be ignored as an option? i guess that's my bottom line question, is it merely "less nice" than the others, or a relative piece of junk?anyway, i've recently almost decided on a merlin i found on sale,i'm just checking all the angles first.
hey desert rider,don't despair.....check out the merlin cyrene at excelsports. very similar to the LS classic,at LEAST as good, and probaly a few bucks cheaper than the best you'd ever get the LS. litespeed and merlin are owned by the same company,built in the same place, and both have lifetime warranty, and no one anywhere has a bad word to say about them.i've been flipping coins over the cyrene and the agilis for two weeks.
I think less nice. Maybe a bit less craftsmanship,attention to detail fewer options on models and suitability for specific purposes and riders,but not junk. Like Airborne,which gets a bad rap for being cheap made in the orient Ti,but there are plenty of satisfied owners,and I have not head them called junk. For my money,I just picked up a used Big Name Ti frame for even less than the new cost of a discount brand. It's not only lighter,but there is no doubt about it's stiffness and suitabiliy for meeting my expectations.
