on 8/14/02 7:16 PM, Questor at questor@cinci.rr.com wrote:
> I remember teledyne framesets from the mid 1970s and lost track of the
> manufacturer. Is there any truth to rumors that titanium frames become
> brittle with age?
>
I don't know about Ti getting brittle with age, but a helluva lot of Titans broke before they were very old. Indeed, many were rather new. :-( If modern Ti bikes had the same longevity as the Titans did, they wouldn't have the market share/customer satisfaction they currently do.
If you are going to ride a Titan frequently, check it regularly and very carefully for cracks, especially the forks and downtube. Harder to inspect, but equally worrisome is the steerer tube. I saw quite a few Titan failures in those locations (and more).
This has been discussed on CR before; maybe review the archives for more info?
Bill Bryant
Santa Cruz, CA