GR9 Titanium Seamless Pipe for Race Bike
When trying to pick a material for a bike frame, there are many really important material considerations; weight, stiffness, strength, toughness, impact resistance, ride quality, corrosion. We'll discuss all of these issues in the context of choosing a bike.
Permanent deflection
Permanent deflection or plastic deformation as it is also known, is much higher in Titanium than other materials and accounts for its fabled spring. This is why a Titanium ride is so much more comfortable than other frame building materials.
Fatigue resistance
The inherent flexibility and high tensile strength of Titanium allows the energy stresses of regular use to be effectively dissipated without degradation of the material, ensuring Titanium frames stay stronger for longer.
Impact resistance
The high tensile, or ultimate, strength and low elastic modulus of Titanium combine to create unparalleled impact resistance, meaning Titanium frames can soak up much harder punishment than frames built from other materials.
Corrosion resistance
Titanium's natural coating of Titanium Dioxide prevents it from oxidising in the atmosphere, so it will never rust, unlike steel, and, unlike aluminium, it will not corrode when exposed to acidic or alkaline environments. So aesthetic and performance quality will never be compromised by the weather.
Strength to weight
The tensile strength to density ratio for Titanium outstrips every other frame building metal. Simply put, for the same weight frame, Titanium will be twice as strong as steel and three times as strong as aluminium.
Stiffness to weight
Rigidity is essential for efficient power transfer and Titanium's stiffness to weight ratio is superior to all other metals. Titanium combines low weight for easy climbing, high rigidity for blistering performance in the sprint and the perfect balance of both to deliver Titanium's legendary ride quality.
3 AL/ 2.5 V
All our frames are made from aerospace grade 3AL/2.5V Titanium, which contains 3% aluminium and 2.5% vanadium. This offers the perfect balance of strength and plasticity for use in thin-walled bicycle tubing.
Titanium Use
The 3Al/2.5V Titanium alloy we use was developed for use in high pressure hydraulic lines and is found on virtually all new military and commercial airplanes.
Type of Tubing
We use two types of tubing to make our frames: cold-worked, drawn, seamless tubing and seamless hydroformed butted. Both types of tubing create extremely strong, lightweight frames, but the seamless hydroformed butted tubing is even lighter and more durable. Only our very best bikes are made from this tubing.
