Scratching a titanium itch

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Nebulous

Guru
Location
Aberdeen
Well it took me a few days, work and weather got in the way, but I've bought a set of the Bontrager guards. Fitting them was easier than I expected, with a couple of bodges. I had to fit the stays on one of the fittings further up the fork, as I couldn't get the bolts to go through the hole at the bottom of the fork. I had to drill a hole in the rear guard to fit the top mount. Mindful of the issue reported above of the guard cracking where the bolt goes through it, I've cut a couple of small patches from an inner tube and put the bolt through them at each side of the guard to act as a shock-absorber.

I bought a cheap Bontrager flare 1 and fitted it to the Blendr mount on the rear guard. The advantage is it uses 2 AAA batteries and lasts 50 hours on the random flash. If I'm on LEL, despite having a dynamo on the front I'll have a lot of kit to charge. An additional rear light might be one too many. Switching out batteries will be more straightforward. https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/...ts/bontrager-flare-1-rear-bike-light/p/11367/

A modest 40 k on it today, and I really like it. It's light, comfortable and the Di2 is growing on me, particularly with winter gloves.

Bike is going well - legs not quite so much so. Up to about 1500km now. Unfortunately the Bontrager mudguard cracked and split on an audax at the weekend. Drilling a hole in it must have weakened it. Looking at the Reilly site they are selling Spectre builds with Portland design works metal mudguards. Condor cycles are selling these, so I've ordered a set.

The clever bit is this fitting- which is for a bridge with a hole underneath - like my one. It might have also fitted the Bontrager guards, which would have saved drilling them, but it is too late now.

https://www.condorcycles.com/collec...for-under-brake-bridge?variant=21251963224147
 

JackPack

Regular
The Bontrager NCS Mudguard Set have an adjustable stay that effectively doubles at the join which results in good stability; the integrated rear Blendr light mount for use with Bontrager Flare lights is a useful feature; note they have a brighter model as well. Slightly off topic but I personally use the cheaper smaller led as a daylight running light in the summer fitted to the handlebars and in the winter I fit that to my helmet that also has a Blendr magnetic mount system, I then attach the brighter version to the bike.
Off topic but I wanted to ask @Nebulous and @Paul_Smith SRCC what size Bontrager NCS mudguards did you get and what was their actual width? I want the 28-35mm version but have only 42mm clearance
 

Paul_Smith SRCC

www.plsmith.co.uk
Location
Surrey UK
Off topic but I wanted to ask @Nebulous and @Paul_Smith SRCC what size Bontrager NCS mudguards did you get and what was their actual width? I want the 28-35mm version but have only 42mm clearance
Fitting 28-35mm narrower guards on a bike designed for wider is normally OK; one popular example would be those who use a Gravel bike as a more road focused 'touring' or 'winter' bike and swapping out the larger gravel 40mm+ tyres for something with a smoother tread as well as narrower, normally between a 28-35mm (32mm especially popular if the gravel bike wheels are still being used) then fitting narrower guards to compliment the new tyre size. Note it seldom works the other way around as a wider 35-45mm guard on a bike designed for 28-35mm tyres will normally need more frame and brake bridge clearances than that frame offers, it may be possible on some bikes with some fettling but even then it's often a challenge that doesn't achieve a suitable outcome.
 
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JackPack

Regular
Fitting 28-35mm narrower guards on a bike designed for wider is normally OK; one popular example would be those who use a Gravel bike as a more road focused 'touring' or 'winter' bike and swapping out the larger gravel 40mm+ tyres for something with a smoother tread as well as narrower, normally between a 28-35mm (32mm especially popular if the gravel bike wheels are still being used) then fitting narrower guards to compliment the new tyre size. Note it seldom works the other way around as a wider 35-45mm guard on a bike designed for 28-35mm tyres will normally need more frame and brake bridge clearances than that frame offers, it may be possible on some bikes with some fettling but even then it's often a challenge that doesn't achieve a suitable outcome.

Hi, I didn't explain myself properly.

I meant my bike has 42mm clearance around the fork and seatstay crowns but the Bontrager NCS guards don't actually say how wide they are, just they fit 28-35mm tyres. They might be 45mm wide and too big for my bike.
 

Paul_Smith SRCC

www.plsmith.co.uk
Location
Surrey UK
Hi, I didn't explain myself properly.

I meant my bike has 42mm clearance around the fork and seatstay crowns but the Bontrager NCS guards don't actually say how wide they are, just they fit 28-35mm tyres. They might be 45mm wide and too big for my bike.
I have just measured them for you, across the bottom they are 45mm, allow for the fact that the stays and forks will probably flare out slightly then they may just fit, it will depend exactly where you have taken your 42mm of course. The guard depth to where I have taken my measurement is about 20mm.

It's worth noting that Bontrager have an unconditional guarantee, at this stage it's hard to tell if they will just fit, or not; in effect you can buy them, see if they are viable then take them back if they are not suitable. For sure they've implemented this with items like helmets, shoes, tyres and especially saddles in mind where you may effectively need to try something before you know if it's just what you're looking for, but it does apply to all Bontrager items, these guards included. Click for a link to the item on Trek"s site that will list the nearest dealer who has them in stock. If your preferred local Trek dealer is not listed they can easily order them as I've checked and as of right now Trek have plenty in stock.
 

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froze

Über Member
I have 8 steel bikes, including 2 steel touring bikes, and 1 titanium bike made by Lynskey, it was their lowest end model in 2013 called the Peloton. That Lynskey bike is by far the most comfortable riding bike of all my bikes...except for the touring bikes, but they're riding on fatter tires with less psi. All my steel road bikes and the Ti bike ride on 23c tires on the front and 25 on the rear, and the ride quality of the TI bike is noticeably smoother riding.

If you can swing getting a TI bike, without going into debt to do so, then, by all means, get one. I don't think getting a more expensive TI bike will give you much more than a lower price one, so save some money and get a lower priced bike. My Peloton came with 105, but I did make some changes before I took delivery and had an Ultegra rear derailleur put on, all I had to pay was the price difference between the 105 and the Ultegra, the other changes I made was not going with the Lynskey fork since they couldn't tell me where it was made, and swapped it for a Enve 2.0; also removed the cheap FSA headset and had a Cane Creek 110 headset put on instead; those were the only changes I made. The 105 components have held up very well, as has the Ultegra, I'm not racing so I don't see any need for Dura Ace or full Ultegra.

In the UK area you may want to check out Planet X, but Planet X is out of stock you would have to call them to see when they expect to get them back in stock, but they have been raved about yet don't cost much. Another option is Unicorn, goofy name but they do make very affordable TI bikes.

Now I showed you a couple of inexpensive TI bikes, others have shown you more expensive ones, you have to figure out, or maybe you already know but haven't told us, how much money you want to spend without going into debt for it, then figure out if you would even feel a difference between a $1,900 bike vs a $8,500 bike, the answer is probably not, so is spending more money for a bike worth it? Only you can answer that question.
 

ExBrit

Über Member
I haven't been on here much recently. Moved home, retired and was finding very little time to cycle.

That has changed, and I've picked it up a bit, with a 200 and 300 audax coming up at the end of the month. Feeling much better for it too.

Anyway, I find myself in a reasonably secure financial position and I'm considering a new bike.

I'm quite drawn to Reilly cycleworks, particularly the spectre. Does any one have one?

Any other suggestions?

I want it for relatively long distance stuff, specifically audax. Almost exclusively surfaced roads, no bike-packing. Probably what would have been called a fast tourer.

Discs, high spec, possibly Di2, dynamo and guards. Looking to go wider, possibly 32mm tyres with the guards.

At the moment I have a genesis equilibrium disc with 105 for audax. Maximum tyres it can take are 28s. It's up to the job, I've fettled it a bit, but I've never been excited by it. Anything I buy, as befits the price, would need to feel like a significant improvement over the Genesis.

I have a custom Ti 1999 Serotta from back when Serotta was a reputable company and Ben Serotta ran it. I can't recommend them now, but my bike has 120,000 miles on it with no frame issues. That's what you get with Ti or high-end steel. Of course, almost everything but the frame has been replaced at least twice. I have ridden every length of brevet and randonnee on it and done a lot of bike touring.

My daughter and her husband have Lynskey Ti gravel bikes that they love. She runs 32mm and he runs 40mm. Lovely bikes.

I don't know if these recommendations help you up there in the frigid north, but I can confirm that Ti is a great choice if you have the money.

By the way, congrats on signing up for those brevets and I hope you have a wonderful time.
 

Tom B

Guru
Location
Lancashire
My Ti itch was scratched by this thread...

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/kinesis-titanium-frame-it-was-great-while-it-lasted.290179/

If not scratched, given a liberal coating of anti-itch
 
If you're looking at Reilly titanium then also look at Dolan and Kinesis - all use the same frame.

I have the Kinesis ATR V3 version.

Hi, I've been considering a Reilly Titanium for next year and have just found this. I believed Reilly frames were designed by Phil Reilly over a 30 year period or whatever? Do you have any sources for this information, that they are the same frames as Dolan and Kinesis?
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
I was recently offered a rather unusual Dave Lloyd titanium frame. I declined politely. Apart from being a little too small, titanium has a terrible reputation for cracking. It's just too tricky to weld.
 

froze

Über Member
Hi, I've been considering a Reilly Titanium for next year and have just found this. I believed Reilly frames were designed by Phil Reilly over a 30 year period or whatever? Do you have any sources for this information, that they are the same frames as Dolan and Kinesis?

How are they the same? Reilly is made in the USA, Dolan in Russia, and the Kinesis in the UK.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Hi, I've been considering a Reilly Titanium for next year and have just found this. I believed Reilly frames were designed by Phil Reilly over a 30 year period or whatever? Do you have any sources for this information, that they are the same frames as Dolan and Kinesis?

Mark Reilly (RIP). Those frames are most definitely not identical. I don't know where that claim came from, but the geometries are quite distinct.
 
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