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Why Ti?
Ask a frame expert about titanium and the first thing you will likely hear is “Ti is as light as aluminum but as strong as steel.” While the comparison is not exact it is pretty close. Titanium has a density that is nearly twice that of aluminum and nearly half of the density of steel, 56% percent to be exact. What that means to a frame builder is that we can build frames that are lighter than aluminum, while using tubing with a wall thickness that is the same as steel frames. It all comes down to the essential strength to weight ratio. Ti wins that battle against any material. Titanium has the longest life span of any frame material. The exception corrosion resists Ti has is a bonus too. It does not wear out.
Titanium frames can be tailored to give whatever ride characteristic a cyclist wants. Generally titanium frames are fairly stiff but not harsh. Ti doesn't beat you up. Titanium absorbs shock extremely well but it does not rob your pedal strokes of power. If a cyclist prefers a super stiff frame the PRIDE’s frame builders can fabricate the frame to be stiffer. If its extra lateral stiffness you want, we can do it. If it’s more vertical compliance, we can do it. We can build frames that are stiff all around. They can but crafted to be pretty flexible too. It all comes down to what the rider wants. Tuning ride qualities is what custom frame building is all about.
Why Not Carbon Fiber?
Carbon is what’s hot these days. With the right marketing any thing can be sold as the best. When we watch the big time bike races, such as the Tour De France, all of the riders are on carbon. The pros ride carbon so it must be the best; right? Wrong, it’s all about marketing. At another company we handled a few lines of carbon frames and we learned plenty about them.
Carbon Fiber frames have come a long way in the past few years and they can be molded into some wild shapes. They look pretty and ride great for a few years. Carbon does not fatigue very well, it wears down rather quickly. Truth be told, carbon is great for around 3 years under normal riding conditions. Think of carbon as fancy fiberglass. It is carbon mesh that is all glued together in a mold. The glue, or resin, tends to stretch and fatigue as a result of the cycles of energy being displaced throughout the frame. Simply put, carbon fiber frames just wear out too quickly.
So why is carbon doing so well then? Why are all of these manufacturers pushing carbon? It’s all about money. PRIDE, or anyone, can order carbon frames out of China for less than $300 per frame. The next step is to slap on a fancy paint job and get to marketing so we can sell the frame for upwards of $2000. That’s a lot of profit.
Q: Why don’t all of the frame builders sell carbon models?
A: Some of us are just better than that. We are not into turning a quick buck by selling sub par products and trying to make you believe they are wonderful. We have too much PRIDE for that!
Why Ti?
