Show us your Titanium....

[Pale Rider]

Which Mr Grumpy to be precise? There may be more than one.... And whilst it's refreshing that they are not glitzy corporate they could do a lot more in the way of being smiley and warm. But primarily I was after a bike not a smile.

You've summed up Spa well.

If you want American style 'have a nice day' customer service, then go elsewhere.

But if you want genuine product knowledge and advice, Spa are just the job.

Very amenable, too, in their own way.

When I went I formed the impression I could ride what I wanted for as long as I wanted.

 

[ianrauk]

When I went I formed the impression I could ride what I wanted for as long as I wanted.

Sign of a very good bike shop. Not many these days would allow that.

 

[Pale Rider]

Sign of a very good bike shop. Not many these days would allow that.

The demo ti Adventure bike was well-used and caked in mud, but at least it gave me a good real world impression of the bike.

The steel tourer I tried looked like it had not been ridden before.

Typical Spa, by which I mean mixed messages.

I enquired about putting Spyre part-hydraulics on the ti bike.

No problem, they got a brake out of the box, took the old one off and made sure the Spyre would fit.

However, the price quoted seemed high.

I queried that, and while the lad did concede he had mistakenly given me the wrong price, he made me feel like a naughty boy for asking.

 

[Dave 123]

You've summed up Spa well.

If you want American style 'have a nice day' customer service, then go elsewhere.

But if you want genuine product knowledge and advice, Spa are just the job.

Very amenable, too, in their own way.

When I went I formed the impression I could ride what I wanted for as long as I wanted.

In September me & her took a bike each away for half an hour, no car keys left at the shop, no credit cards, no nothing.
I was originally going to buy a Thorn. They were very good, I had a big test ride and they did spend time with me but £1200 for the Spa as opposed to £3000 for the Thorn swung it for me.

We have bought a second hand Thorn tandem, and it's great. If we keep it up I can see us purchasing a new one with S&S couplings once the mortgage has gone ( they're both around the same price!) then we can chuck it on a plane.

I would give a big thumbs up for both companies?

 

[Dave 123]

Nice. Always hear good reports of those Spa frames.
That's a lot of spacers Dave. How tall are you?
And what is that bridge for above the rear brake/pannier rack?

I've dropped down 2 spacers today, feeling much better. No stem cutting as yet.

The saddle is the Spa version of a Brooks. After 3 days I think honours are just about even between my bum and the unyielding leather.

 

[jowwy]

How my titanium disc frame will look in a few weeks time

 

[jowwy]

1x10 conversion on the Ti today

So its now got flatbars
xt hydraulic disc brakes
xt rear 10 shifter
xt rear clutched mech
Fsa sk-light carbon cranks
race face 40t narrow wide chainring
11-36 sram cassette
Fulcrum sport disc wheels
challenge grifo 32mm tyres

 

[StuAff]

1x10 conversion on the Ti today

So its now got flatbars
xt hydraulic disc brakes
xt rear 10 shifter
xt rear clutched mech
Fsa sk-light carbon cranks
race face 40t narrow wide chainring
11-36 sram cassette
Fulcrum sport disc wheels
challenge grifo 32mm tyres

View attachment 112551 View attachment 112552

Looks good. For MTB rather than cross, as it's flat bars?

 

[jowwy]

Looks good. For MTB rather than cross, as it's flat bars?

No its for cross and commuting.....i wouldnt mtb on a Ti cross frame and 32mm cx tyres

 

[StuAff]

No its for cross and commuting.....i wouldnt mtb on a Ti cross frame and 32mm cx tyres

Fair enough. And you can always convert back if and when you'd want drops on it. Also cheaper than n+1!

 

[jowwy]

Fair enough. And you can always convert back if and when you'd want drops on it. Also cheaper than n+1!

I just converting from drops to flats cause ive also got a carbon cross too

 

[winjim]

OK, here we are. Sorry for the rubbish picture but I was desperate to actually get out and ride the thing.

SP!N Spitfire III frame, Enve Road 2.0 fork. SP!N carbon bars and seatpost, Ti stem
Campagnolo Chorus 11 groupset
Campagnolo Record hubs with DT RR440 rims
Campagnolo Record Pro-fit pedals, Selle Royale saddle, Cinelli Mike Giant bar tape

Finally got to ride it today. Not for long but I've at least had a go. Very very nice. That Chorus gearset just shifts beautifully. Still needs a bit of work, sort the stack height out and trim the steerer, desticker the rims etc but at least it's now rideable. Will post more and better photos when it's properly finished.

 

[Clinchy]

Kinesis Gran fondo TI - top of Snake Pass.

 

[Andy500]

My new Burls Ti Road Bike. A beautiful ride.

 

[foot_loose]

I can't post a pic of mine yet
but this is what it will look like (more or less) in 4 weeks or so.
Laverack Jack 3 with Dura Ace Di2, 38mm deep wheels, 28 mm tyres, Brooks saddle, ENVE carbon finishing kit.

I went for a test ride last weekend with the owner of the company. That's what I call personal attention!