The titanium bike thread

Victor I

aka Ridgehog
I bought a new Turner Titanium Hardtail Frame with Rockshox SID fork combo. The special Turner is currently running is a $2,750 frame and fork combo and could not resist!

Initially I started this thread off in the Shop Talk section as I was curious how much a shop charges to build a bike but decided I am going to build it(with a little help from my friends). So the thread is now in the General Bike Talk category and titled - building a titanium hardtail.

I researched various brands, styles/geo, materials, pricing, etc… I bought an Ibis DV9 hardtail last October and got hooked on hardtails. Probably rode my full squish a half dozen times since last October.

Love the Ibis so much that’s all I want to ride. Only problem is not sure how long a carbon hardtail will last on North NJ chunk. People say, well you have a 7 year warranty. Problem is there are no replacement frames right now, I don’t want to deal with a warranty issue and I want to make sure it stays intact for years to come. I have never cracked a frame but don’t want to test the 1200 gram frame to the limit all of the time. Other issue is while the bike is crazy fast, the frame is not particularly compliant.

Like many people on the site, I watch Hardtail Party and helps me gain knowledge about frames and how the designs and materials make a difference. While some aluminum frame designs can be compliant, is not enough for me. Then of course steel is real, but also real heavy. Ultimately titanium came to mind but is expensive!

Previously had a Turner Sultan and loved the efficiency of the DW Link. My full squish Hightower is super plush but too cush for me. Randomly Googled Turner Bikes as I thought they were out of the mountain biking business but found out he is now making Titanium Gravel Bikes; 29er and 27.5 plus hardtails(well same frame for 29er or 27.5 plus). Long reach, short chain stay, modern cross country/trail geo with 66.8 degree head angle(slack enough for me) with a 120mm fork and takes up to a 140mm fork(I guess that’s 65.8 with 140mm). Was reading about the 120mm SID fork and it apparently has less sag than other forks so stays higher in its travel (around 10% sag) so probably rides more like a 130mm fork. Currently there are no full builds(issue for most brands these days) but frame or frame/fork combos for sale. Frame with a Rockshox SID Ultimate 120 mm fork was going for $3,200 which is already a great deal for titanium then I checked back a few days later and Turner is running a holiday special for $2,750(that’s with a $917.00 fork). Was a no brainer to order it.

Will be fun ordering parts and making my own custom build affordable titanium hardtail. Let’s see how it goes.
 
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Oh you jumped on that Ti Turner deal?! Nice!
I’m still on a hardtail kick so couldn’t pass it up. Happy that Turner is making mountain bikes again. It’s called the Nitrous. Titanium frame is a work of art.
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nice bike! can't wait to see it built up! I dont think they every stopped building MTBs, just switched to Ti and hardtail only. Although, now that i think about maybe it was a couple years gap at the switch? Bummed they're not making full suspension anymore though. Still love my DHR even tho it basically just hangs on the wall as art these days.
 
I’ll just build it. Thanks everyone 😂
If I can build up a functional hard tail you'll be fine it is easy biggest headache is making sure cables are right length and if you have to trim the brake lines a lil extra work to bleed.

I actually have to build up another frame pretty soon just need to figure out what parts I want to use.
 
nice bike! can't wait to see it built up! I dont think they every stopped building MTBs, just switched to Ti and hardtail only. Although, now that i think about maybe it was a couple years gap at the switch? Bummed they're not making full suspension anymore though. Still love my DHR even tho it basically just hangs on the wall as art these days.
I think your correct. There was a couple of years that appeared it was over but luckily he made the switch to ti. Makes sense as difficult financially for a small independent operation to make changes to carbon frames.Titanium is great as low cost to adjust geo as the trends change. I wish David Turner the best of luck and hope he stays in the business for years to come. He has always been great with customer service and is patient(trust me😁). And the frames do make for good wall art. Until I build it that’s what it is.
 
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If I can build up a functional hard tail you'll be fine it is easy biggest headache is making sure cables are right length and if you have to trim the brake lines a lil extra work to bleed.

I actually have to build up another frame pretty soon just need to figure out what parts I want to use.
It’s fun gathering components to build a bike but does at times take a little research
 
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