Kurt Sperry writes:
>
> You can differentiate Ti alloys (I know CP isn't really an
> alloy...) by appearance?
Yes, CP is darker in color than the common Ti alloys, which have a
substantial fraction of aluminum and vanadium.
> Ignoring that CP Ti was available
> in several grades, isn't it the cheapest of the common Ti
> materials?
Yes CP (Commercially Pure) is typically cheaper than any alloy I know of, though there are probably exceptions.
The good alloys existed in the CR timeframe, and Albert Eisentraut's
frame that predated (and more-or-less became the prototype for) the
Teledyne Titan used alloy tubing. But Teledyne "cheaped out" because
after all, it's just a toy, right? Well I'm only getting one side of
the story here, as told by John Derven in a Bicycle Guide magazine
retrospective years later. See
http://bulgier.net/
Mark Bulgier
Seattle WA USA