#titanium

Reportage By: John Watson & No. 22 Bicycle Co

Ti Talk with No. 22 Bicycle Company: Demystifying Titanium, the Ultimate Material for Frames

A few weeks back, during our State Bicycle Ti All-Road review, a conversation about titanium unfurled in the comments. The Radavist is uniquely positioned to have this discussion as we’ve amassed more Beautiful Bicycle galleries than anyone else on the web, and a large portion of these feature titanium frames. In the eighteen years of documenting cycling culture, we’ve also amassed a large contact list in the framebuilding world.

In an attempt to demystify the material, we reached out to No. 22 Bicycle Company for a bit of Ti Talk.

Reportage By: John Watson

Prova Cycles: Lean Manufacturing

John and Cari were in Melbourne for a few days following the 2024 MADE Australia showcase, which gave them some free time to visit a couple of shops, one of which was Prova Cycles.

Nestled inside this compact factory, siblings Mark and Kelly Hester build some of the most advanced bikes in the world. This two-person team has optimized production over the past four years, and it’s something to behold…

Radar

Mastering Titanium with Yang MFG

On a recent visit to Taiwan, Daniel Yang from Yang MFG, Artefact, and Neuhaus Metalworks learned how one of the best titanium manufacturers, ORA Engineering, dimples their chainstays. In this video, he shows how he created a similar design using low parts.

Radar

Chumba Rolls Out SLACKR Geo Along With More Sizes For Sendero and Yaupon

Chumba‘s 150 mm travel titanium hardtail, named the SLACKR after the cult classic film from Austin, TX, Slacker, just got its official geometry. The brand also rolled out new sizes for its Sendero hardtail and Yaupon drop-bar 29er mountain bike. Let’s check it out.

Radar

Readers’ Rides: François’ Panorama Torngat Ti Fat Bike in Summer Mode

Inspired by Hailey’s review of the Panorama Cycles Torngat Ti in full-fat winter mode, François submitted a full-length Readers’ Rides review of his Torngat Ti in summer mode. Let’s check it out!

Radar By: Nic Morales

State Bicycle Co. Titanium All-Road First Ride Review

Featuring offerings in almost every category, there wasn’t a whole lot State Bicycle Co. was missing from their lineup of approachably priced frames and completes. Today, however, State enters the final frontier of metal frames with a $1299 titanium all-road model and multiple build kit options. Nic Morales has spent the past few weeks with the all-new titanium All-Road from State Bicycle Co. and, below, offers an exclusive in-depth first look…

Radar

Crust Bikes Larkin Cycles Titanium Juan Bar

Titanium handlebars and titanium seatposts are two great ways to soften the ride quality of your bike without going to suspension components. Crust Bikes pinged longtime buddy Darren Larkin to bend up some mighty fine titanium bars in the same spec as the Juan Bar. We recommend pairing 22.2⌀ clamp bars with a 22.2⌀ Paul Boxcar stem!

Specs:

Made in Connecticut, USA
Color Raw Ti
Clamp Diameter 22.2⌀
Width 750 mm
Backsweep 45°
Outer Diameter- 22.2mm
Inner Diameter (At the Ends) 18.5mm
Grip Area Length (End to Bend) ~180mm
Weight 388g

Check out more at Crust Bikes.

Radar

Sklar Bikes Titanium Bottle Cages

Sklar Bikes‘ component line is ramping up this year and the first new product are these nifty Sklar Bikes titanium bottle cages that feature 15 mm of vertical adjustment thanks to the long slotted mounting plates. That allows you to adjust them to make room on smaller frames or for a framebag. They’re bent from titanium which is our favorite material for a bottle cage, thanks to the springy nature of the material, ti cages grab your bottles tightly, avoiding them jettisoning on a rocky descent.

Sklar Bikes Titanium Bottle Cage Specs:

Price: $68 each/$100 pair
Weight: 32 g
Adjustability: 15mm
Made in: Taiwan

See more at Sklar Bikes, where they just got in more stock of their titanium seatpost too!

Radar

First Look: Chumba Bikes Slackr 150 mm Titanium Hardtail

With a name that nods to the cult-classic Austin film “Slacker”, Chumba Bikes‘ all-new Slackr titanium hardtail sports a 150 mm travel fork and a geometry tuned for rowdy riding. Let’s check it out below!

Reportage By: Josh Weinberg

Otso Cycles Hoot Ti Review: Titanium Hardtail Gets the Last Laugh

Launching today, the Hoot Ti from Otso Cycles is the brand’s first foray into designing a truly modern and progressive hardtail mountain bike. Built around 140 mm of front suspension with short 425mm chainstays across all sizes, the Hoot is meant for demanding trail riding yet is playful enough for riders who like to get airborne. It’s an evolution of where the brand, which has been innovating since day one, is going while also showcasing its ability to deploy new technologies to solve challenging design problems.

Josh has put considerable mileage on the new Hoot over the past few weeks, both in his usual testing grounds of southern Arizona and a big week in the steep mountains of northern New Mexico. Continue reading below for Josh’s review of the Hoot and a peek inside Otso’s Minneapolis, MN-based operations.

Radar

Esker Cycles Smokey Ti Hardtail

Esker Cycles is broadening its hardtail lineup with its most aggressive hardtail, the Smokey Ti. Let’s check it out…

Radar

The Firefly ATB is a Drop or Flat Bar Tourer

Our buddies over at Firefly Bicycles just dropped a beauty of a bike model dubbed the ATB ($5,500 frameset). This new platform is designed for flat or drop bars, dirt roads to single track, unloaded and loaded touring. Let’s check it out below…

Reportage By: John Watson

Viral Derive Review: Titanium Pinion Smart.Shift Hardtail 29er

Yesterday, John walked us through the electronic shifting Pinion C1.12i Smart.Shift gearbox in an in-depth review, and today, we’ll be looking at the bike it was installed on, the Viral Bike Derive hardtail. You know we love hardtails at The Radavist, and this one did not disappoint…

Radar

Chris King Titanium Headsets for Sale

Chris King Precision Components has wrangled up its entire titanium headsets stock and has listed them for sale. This will be the last time Chris King offers titanium headsets so now’s the time to buy one in various configurations from 1″ GripNut to 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet. Roll on over to Chris King to purchase. But do it fast; even as we’re writing this, they’re selling out!

Radar

Esker Cycles 2024 Lorax Titanium Drop Bar MTB

Esker Cycles’ Lorax is back and better than ever. The 2024 Esker Cycles Lorax Titanium is a boost drop bar MTB, with touring accouterments, and a 120 mm suspension corrected fork, designed for long-distance touring and adventure riding. Let’s take a closer look…

Radar

Readers’ Rides: Conor’s Weis MFG Hammer Ti Gravel Bike

We’ve had a number of high-res submissions to Readers’ Rides this year, and Conor’s Weis MFG is following suit. This Hammer titanium gravel bike is his sixth Weis MFG frame and is quite the looker. Let’s check it out below with words by Cole Bennett of Weis MFG.

Reportage By: Andy Karr

Mock Orange Bikes: 20 Years in Winston-Salem, NC

The last 20 years have seen seismic changes to brick-and-mortar businesses of all kinds, especially bike shops, yet Mock Orange Bikes endures. Mock Orange and its owner, Charles Van Isenburg, have remained a pillar of Winston-Salem, NC’s bike community for two decades with a relationship-driven, neighborhood-oriented, very much offline, and old-school way of conducting retail business.

On one of his frequent swings through his native North Carolina, Andy Karr stopped by his favorite hometown bike shop to chat with Charles about what’s changed in 20 years of owning a shop and what hasn’t.

Radar

DEAN Undergoes a Rebranding “RetroFresh” and Modernizes its Model Lineup

Boulder, CO, founded and based DEAN Ultimate Bikes, one of the USA’s longest continually running titanium bicycle manufacturers, announced that it has updated its bike lineup and “RetroFresh”ed its website and visual aesthetics. Let’s check it out…