Future Proofing

[YouRang87]

as time goes by I find myself wanting a titanium frame more and more. Maybe within a year or two, I want to build the bike I'll have for maybe a lifetime. Maybe even splurge on a Moots. But with newer bikes coming out I'm timid for such an investment and here's why.
Disc brakes and rear spacing.

Now I don't want to make it a disc vs rim convo, as I have an Alum cross bike with discs/ thru axles as my trail bike and Carbon road bike with rim brakes. I like the discs for trail riding and mud but when I ride the canal I can't help but think to myself "why do I have these here". I can ride 100 hours on the canal and not use my brakes once. When I ride on the road my 28 mile loop requires me to come to a complete stop 3 times.

MY GOALS, I want to build a bike that has the best of both, quick, light, and snappy for the road but with the ability to run 28c or even 30c? for the canal/gravel. Im at a point where I've made up my mind I do not want discs on this build.

I'm worried because when I look online at almost all manufacturers if the bike is an "endurance geo" or has clearance for larger size tires all bikes come with discs with 135 spacing.
The only reason this is an issue is I want a Ti frame that I can literally use til I'm dead.
Will I not be able to keep the bike moderately modern. Will I still find actual rim brakes in 10 years? Like nice ones not wally's. Hubs? Will it eventually be only 135? Will TT bikes have discs for better modulation during hard braking? (Joke). Eventually the big 3 will come out with 12 speed, will I be able to switch just like the others before me did from 9 to 10. Probably not cause 12 will be 135 only and after my derailleur breaks I'll be stuck with a used Shimano sora.

Ok rant over, if you had to choose 130 and rims or 135 discs but wanted rim brakes what would you do knowing even 5 years from now 95% of road frames will be 135. It's to a point now that you can't even get rim brakes anymore on a "relaxed" frame.

Where do you see the future, what do you think of it. Healthy comments welcome.

 

[Delish]

Lifetime bikes have always been a myth. Just ask all the people selling their "last bike I'll ever have to buy" Merlin/Seven/Moots/IF titanium frames on eBay. Yeah, the ones with 1" steerer tubes and barely clear 25c's.

The bike industry will make damn sure whatever future-proof bike you buy today will feel outdated a few years from now. It won't BE outdated but everything you read and see online will tell your febile human brain that it is. There's nothing wrong with 1" steerer tubes or quill stems just as there won't be anything wrong with rim brakes a few years from now.

If you want something that will never go out of style, buy an old Merckx MX Leader or De Rosa something already proven to be a classic rather than trying to predict the future. Or, just buy something that makes your toes curl today that you won't feel guilty selling when you realize that your tastes have changed. Find a custom frame builder that speaks to your aesthetic and have them torch up a fine custom frame exactly how you want it.

There are still plenty of off the rack rim brake bikes that fit your bill too. All City Mr Pink is a fine example and very affordable compared to a Moots.

 

[qclabrat]

Find a custom frame builder that speaks to your aesthetic and have them torch up a fine custom frame exactly how you want it.

There are still plenty of off the rack rim brake bikes that fit your bill too. All City Mr Pink is a fine example and very affordable compared to a Moots.

^this
you'll regret selling a frame which fits you perfectly over one that's boutique fancy. Curious if there are recommended builders in the area who work with Ti?

 

[1speed]

I don't follow the logic of your argument for not getting disc brakes. You say you don't need them. So what? Brakes are kind of like insurance: you hope you never need maximum stopping power, but it's nice to know it's there if you're ever wrong about that. So if you don't use them that often, your pads won't wear out. Is it really an expense thing? Because if that's the case, then why would you even be considering a Moots?

As for the spacing, shit, that's anyone's guess what will or will not be available in 10 years. Ten years ago, no one was talking about spacing at all. So that could be a problem with anything you decide to get - as @Delish said, the industry is kind of designed to make a lifetime bike an impossibility.

 

[qclabrat]

I don't follow the logic of your argument for not getting disc brakes. You say you don't need them. So what? Brakes are kind of like insurance: you hope you never need maximum stopping power, but it's nice to know it's there if you're ever wrong about that. So if you don't use them that often, your pads won't wear out. Is it really an expense thing? Because if that's the case, then why would you even be considering a Moots?

As for the spacing, shit, that's anyone's guess what will or will not be available in 10 years. Ten years ago, no one was talking about spacing at all. So that could be a problem with anything you decide to get - as @Delish said, the industry is kind of designed to make a lifetime bike an impossibility.

I'm actually thinking about sending my frame back to Bruce Gordon to braze discs for the same reason. Gotta do it soon before he retires

 

[JohnnyWestood]

I'm actually thinking about sending my frame back to Bruce Gordon to braze discs for the same reason. Gotta do it soon before he retires

I read that certain dropouts are prone to having the wheel pop out if you use powerful discs on a fork that doesn’t use thru axles. Could be internet lore, but it has been enough to keep my mechanical discs on my bike. Might want to suss that out before committing any money to a retro fit.

 

[ChrisG]

Lifetime bikes have always been a myth. Just ask all the people selling their "last bike I'll ever have to buy" Merlin/Seven/Moots/IF titanium frames on eBay. Yeah, the ones with 1" steerer tubes and barely clear 25c's.

The bike industry will make damn sure whatever future-proof bike you buy today will feel outdated a few years from now. It won't BE outdated but everything you read and see online will tell your febile human brain that it is. There's nothing wrong with 1" steerer tubes or quill stems just as there won't be anything wrong with rim brakes a few years from now.

If you want something that will never go out of style, buy an old Merckx MX Leader or De Rosa something already proven to be a classic rather than trying to predict the future. Or, just buy something that makes your toes curl today that you won't feel guilty selling when you realize that your tastes have changed. Find a custom frame builder that speaks to your aesthetic and have them torch up a fine custom frame exactly how you want it.

There are still plenty of off the rack rim brake bikes that fit your bill too. All City Mr Pink is a fine example and very affordable compared to a Moots.

I've been riding the same Moots Vamoots since 2002. It's a 1" steerer, level top tube, tight road-racing geometry that won't clear the fluffy tires that are becoming more and more the norm, though 25's on modern 23mm rims fit fine.

The bike has been through two groupsets and is rolling on its third set of wheels. I've ridden many thousands of miles on it, and raced it in every road racing scenario imaginable.

I regularly ask myself if there is anything about it that is getting in the way of my riding needs, and have yet to find an answer.

An important aspect of being happy with the bike is that it fits me really well.

Apart from slight concerns for finding 1" forks in the future that suit my needs, I haven't imagined I'll be buying a new road frame/bike any time soon.

 

[stb222]

Also take into account that your riding style and or fit will probably change, unless you have already figured all that out. My first road bike was set up higher that @Dusty the Whale new bike but since that time my position has gotten more aggressive (although I will never be slammed).

I have also taken myself out of the but the current cool bike cycle but 10 years from now, who knows.