How does a Titanium Road Bike ride and feel?

I have now spend lots of km on my custom titanium bike from Waltly. Time to compare it to my so far favourite Standert Triebwerk. Which one rides better and which one will become my No1?

00:00 Intro
00:32 Cost of the build
05:31 Ride feel
08:53 Comparison to steel
10:20 My no 1 bike
15:24 Is it a recommendation
16:54 What is up next

[ciprian]

Hi everyone, i believe Michael is doing all of us a favor, he started with what anyone passionate about bikes should start, building his own bike, his early builds are affordable, careful sorted out, beautiful, steel, Dura Ace mechanical, high quality wheels and tires, there is no doubt they ride as good as they look but soon after the inevitable happened, the urge to try something else, different, more performance and many more build follow. I have done the same thing and learned so much, Michael is a good source and i trust he is very transparent with his builds, keep up the good work and let us know how the bikes compare. I believe comparing bikes and components generates most value

[chutony]

very beautiful bike, the coolest part is the raw material surface look without any paint job

[valmorell]

Thanks for such a level headed comparison of your two metal bikes. If one doesn't race, then it is surely all about the bike that makes you feel good when you ride it. That is the primary reason most of us ride after all... Thanks again...

[patphilloccap]

Been using my Waltly custom gravel bike for almost 4 years now, best bike purchase I've made, if I may say so.

[matthewavignonpetersen]

Great video, Michael! One thing to consider about carbon, though - it's the most readily-repairable frame material in existence. Ultra-light carbon frames can crack for sure, but most major US and European cities have a variety of skilled carbon specialists who will be able to repair the damage easily and affordably. I crashed my Canyon Endurace SLX back in 2018 and cracked the top tube, and at that time it was the lightest production carbon disc road bike frame in the world. My local carbon shop made it good as new, including a perfect paint job where you'd never know anything ever happened, with a lifetime warranty on the repair. All for about $300 USD. I know metal frames can be repaired, but my understanding is it's not as easy as carbon. Just a thought for you. Great video, as always!

[brankoradic]

Been riding a steel Jamis Renegade from 2019, constantly upgrading over the years. That ruggedness off steel while being flexible... nothing like it. ❤ for CroMo and Ti. Excellent video btw 😀

[jaytronzero]

Great comparison! As somebody who's past their racing prime, I've been looking for my next "forever bike". I honestly can't let go of my CAAD10, I just wish I could fit some wider tires on there! Metal bikes rule 🤘

[bastisk]

Brilliant video as always - I`m really enjoying your titanium series

Just a side note: 
Waltly does produce for a lot of western brands - and if you send them some ballpark-ideas about your desired geometry, they already have a ton of frame designs ready to produce. This can save quite some cash as going fully custom adds the entire design-phase to the price.

I just told Amy that I wanted an all road/ gravel frame with similar geometry to the Enigma Escape and Moots Routt RSL (+BSA bottom bracket, partially internal cabling, lots of mounts, ...) - and they had a design for that already available.

My compact/ sloped frame in size 54cm also came in at 1780g - without any butting.
I think the T47 and oversized head tube add some weight to your design.

[charlesmansplaining]

I had my custom titanium frame made by a builder here in the US. It was a lot more expensive than what you paid but the tubing options were better. Previous to getting this ti frame I had another ti bike that was a Chinese manufactured frame from Van Nicholas, the Skeiron. I could see the difference in quality of the titanium and since that one was not custom it rode like crap. The balance was off and I couldn't take my hands off the bar or I would loose control of the bike. The welds weren't so pretty either. I gave that bike to my son who isn't really a cyclist but wanted the bike. This ti bike I have now does ride exceptional and fits like a glove. I don't have any carbon components on it because for me it's about the quality and the ride feel not the lightest weight. That said it is still a respectful 8.2Kg with pedals and painted. I have it featured on my channel.

[rogergalvez]

I have ridden all kind of bikes. All materials, but my favorite bike is a Haley titanium frame, custom made. Pair with SRAM Red components and Mavic carbon wheels. Not the fastest nor the lightest but just great.

[kubackjeee]

Great video and lovely bike! Ps. If that's your mate at 12:40 tell him his seat height is crazy high. This is AT Least 3cm to high 💀💀💀

[EllasPOSEiDON]

Mallorca. What a cyclist paradise. I enjoy just to watch the ride. Crazy.

[LivoniaLimo]

Great job with the builds and comparisons between the 2 bikes. I have recently purchased a Ritte Esprit, reach out to Ritte. Maybe they will send you a frame for demo.

[jonathangreen]

I have a lovely custom Columbus Life road bike & a custom Ti gravel bike which is just as nice but tougher, perfect for a gravel bike. 👍

[SurpriseMeJT]

After 27 or so bikes during my riding lifetime, here's what I think about ti bikes. For me, double butted ti is too noodly or flexy. I actually prefer straight gauge ti for the right amount of stiffness/ride feel. Also, here is an unpopular opinion - if you really care about ride feel, you should ditch carbon forks with tapered steerer/crowns. Replace your carbon fork with a custom steel fork in a nice traditional j-bend design. It's literally front suspension. Oversized steerer tube designs for road designs is simply garbage, especially for metal bikes. We're very sensitive about the feel from the handlebars and the fork is a huge variable in what you'll feel with your hands. So why did the industry start pushing these jackhammer designs? I replaced the carbon fork on my ti bike and even if the bike is slightly heavier, the bike is faster and more comfortable because it's got front suspension.

[camieljanssen]

Nice video, what's your opinion about the Avian handlebar? Is it sturdy enough?

[stefanguddat]

Machst du noch was mit dem Steuerrohr? Sieht so nackig etwas verloren aus, vielleicht ne coole Gravur oder nen netten Aufkleber? 😀🚴🏻‍♂ Danke für die tollen Videos, sehr interessant 👍🏻

[rand_kk]

Steel and titanium frames should be getting so much more love. Carbon is cool and all, but it is too expensive for what it is. On the Triebwerk build I've spent ~7.5k eur, if went if tarmac sl8 or something similar would be easily at 10-11k. Even with the Triebwerk I worry about the bike and scratches, hard to imagine what would be with carbon. At the end it is all about riding the bike, not worrying that you had a minor crash and carbon could be now cracked inside.

[breitemasse]

ich werd mir auch ein triebwerk bauen, bin in love

[AMehta-okpf]

I am always surprised at the weight of titanium - which in most cases is similar to high end steel. Sure you can get a titanium frame close to 1200 grams but Rob English can do similar things with steel. From a repair point of view, steel is still the king to me. Very easy to cut and replace. Carbon is great that it can be repaired but it has limitations. I have had my top tube crack and had it repaired to look like new. Great experience but I found out there are limits. Crack your carbon fork and the cost of repair will far exceed the cost of a new fork. Go to any carbon repair shop and they will all have a room filled with bikes, bars, and wheels that could not be fixed. Seeing that has started me moving away from these terminal products.