Ti vs. Steel for Commuting

[amy]

Wow! Unbelievable. Maybe because he's just so bold about it, people think it's some kind of trick and stay away??

[7rider]

I had an awful dream 2 nights ago about my bike getting stolen.

Okay...blatant thread hijack for just a moment....
This is soo strange! I just had a dream last night that my bike disappeared. It woke me up, I was so stressed out.

[KnottedYet]

I have a friend whose dad was a metallurgist for Boeing. He studied metal failure (got sent to all kinds of airplane crash sites to look at what happened to the metal)

He calls ti "the perfect metal."

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Okay...blatant thread hijack for just a moment....
This is soo strange! I just had a dream last night that my bike disappeared. It woke me up, I was so stressed out.

That's not all. Two nights before my stolen bike dream, I dreamt that some teenagers bashed up my beautiful bike while I was in a store buying a bottle of water for just a second.

I don't usually have such dreams, and two of them within 3 nights.

[Grits]

[QUOTE=BleeckerSt_Girl;352597]
One he has loaded with racks and uses as a grocery bike (!!) .


Ha! I just put the rack back on my Terry Classic and am using it as my grocery store bike! (But I lock mine up. Guess that's the difference from not being wealthy!)

My Terry is steel, and I just got a new mid range road bike. I can't tell a lot of difference in comfort level, but gosh, the road bike sure is easier to pedal from point A to point B just from the weight factor, especially if there are any hills in the way.

[amy]

So, I showed my husband a picture of my future ti bike. "Honey, I reeeaaalllly like this." By his reaction, I don't think I'll be getting it for my birthday. Several thousand dollars... what's the big deal??

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Support your local bikesmiths. Buy a Seven

I looked at the one you were looking at, do you load much on yours? It's at the end of the spectrum for light touring. I like beefier bikes for commuting, I guess because I mtn bike rather than road bike...

And Seven has better color choices.

And maybe you can witness the birth of your new bike? That would be, in my opinion, the most awesome thing ever...

[GLC1968]

Wow, I was just thinking about this exact question yesterday.

I ride a 2004 Terry Classic for my commuter and it's 531 Reynolds steel. It's a 19" and set up in the exact same cockpit/configuration as my 'go fast' bike. My 'go fast' bike is a 19" 2005 Terry Isis - Titanium (the only year they made the Isis in Titanium). Both bikes have the same saddle and handlebars. The Classic has lower level componentry, gatorskin tires and touring grade wheels. Both bikes will hold racks and fenders.

My commute is 19 miles each way. This has lately been my only biking. Yesterday, I got out for a 25 mile ride with H and I took my Isis for the first time in MONTHS. It felt the exact same as my commuter as far as my position/comfort - but MAN...was it smooth! It was also much lighter (lighter wheels, no rack, Ti vs steel, etc)...but the part I noticed was that it felt like the road was glass. If steel is 'real'...Ti is BUTTER.

Since then, I have been debating using the Isis as my commuter. I figure it may be worth it since it's the only riding I get to do these days and there are some rough roads I commute on. My only 'fear' is leaving this lovely Ti bike locked to a bike rack at work. It's fairly secure - but I seriously doubt that anyone has ever tempted fate quite that much.

If you have a secure place for it, I'd go with Ti. Seriously - I was amazed at the difference all over again this weekend!

Edited to add: One other thing - the tires/wheels on my Isis should have left me feeling more of the road imperfections than the tires/wheels on my Classic. The fact that is was smoother meant that the difference was truly in the frame. That said, the right wheels/tires can make a HUGE difference in bike feel, too.

[ilima]

My pure road bike is Ti, and my commuter is a steel 'cross bike.

Although I'm a fan of steel, if I had to pick one--I'd pick Ti.