# Chromoly Vs Titanium: Seatposts, Handlebars, Stems ?



## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

For those who've ridden a fair amount with both chromoly and titanium parts, is titanium really worth the extra $ ? 

I am wondering in particular if a good quality chromoly seatpost offers most of the compliance that a high-priced titanium seatpost does. What I have in mind for comparison are say, a Dean Ti post and a Tioga Chromoly post. Good chromoly posts are perhaps harder to find these days than they used to be but they can still be found. 

In my own experience, I can say that the ti bars I have used are more compliant than the chromoly bars I have used. Not night and day, but noticeable. Although not to a degree that justifies the additional cost. The same probably goes for seatposts and stems. Are (mostly vintage) chromoly parts forgiving enough to seek out instead of buying more readily available titanium parts ? 

Anyone out there ridden for example, an early Xtr post and a Moots post ? How would you compare the ride quality/compliance ?


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

I'm probably the wrong person to reply but I don't really differentiate between ti and AL seatposts. They seem to same to me in terms of feel but I don't really have much post showing except for my Phoenix and the Moby I have on there works great. I refuse to use those boat anchor Sakae posts. They weigh the same as me.

As for the early Moots seatposts. I really hate them. The design makes it difficult to get the rails in there. Ultimately, my favorites are the Ritchey/Nitto and XTs and their single bolt design. As for modern posts, I like the Thomsons.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Let some air off the tires.. it's much cheaper than titanium and offers a substantial change in comfort.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Aluminum is perceived as a harsh material because typically aluminum frames use tubing diameters much larger than steel. In reality, with a given diameter like a seat post or handlebar, aluminum will be the softest. Of course wall thickness comes into play as well.

Think of how noodly a Vitus frame is. Small diameter aluminum tubing.

And by the way, steel would be the stiffest, size for size.


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## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

colker1 said:


> Let some air off the tires.. it's much cheaper than titanium and offers a substantial change in comfort.


I ride 28 PSI already....
I'm 6'4", 215 lbs, so going lower than this on my tires is not really an option. If I weighed less, maybe I could get away with 20 PSI, but not at 215 lbs.

I have ridden ti posts for several years, and they do offer a substantial change in comfort. The point of the post was to find out if people who've ridden both chromo and ti posts/bars think one is better than the other, and to find out what the cost/benefit ratio is, in other peoples minds.


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

In addition to FB's post, this tells you what you need to know.

The Titanium Advantage | Metallurgy for Cyclists | Technical Articles | Support | Ibis Cycles US

Your comfort level would be increased more through bigger tires or a different saddle. Saddle design and materials has a much more pronounced effect than seatpost. And, to drive the point home, it's more about design than materials.


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## KDXdog (Mar 15, 2007)

I've run an MRC ti post on my Klein for years (replaced an early Syncros aluminum). yeah, I felt a difference, or I should say, my back did. Not a huge one, but it was there.

I have a steel zoom post on my Indy and was VERY surprised that it felt kind of like the Ti post, vs aluminum. I expected the Zoom to be "harder", but it was not the case.

Just my 2cents.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

I've used ti, aluminum, and steel posts and bars. Generally I can tell no difference in any of them while riding. Some designs (seat posts) are easier to adjust and setup, but there is little/no difference in feel between high quality parts made from different materials.

I do notice a difference with saddles. Ti rail saddles ride much nicer than cromo railed saddles. However, I don't know if the difference is the saddle rail, or overall better materials in the ti-saddle.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

laffeaux said:


> I've used ti, aluminum, and steel posts and bars. Generally I can tell no difference in any of them while riding. Some designs (seat posts) are easier to adjust and setup, but there is little/no difference in feel between high quality parts made from different materials.
> 
> I do notice a difference with saddles. Ti rail saddles ride much nicer than cromo railed saddles. However, I don't know if the difference is the saddle rail, or overall better materials in the ti-saddle.


I like the Turbo better than Flite. The Flite flexes much more.. but the Turbomatic more comfortable. Titanium makes a better bike the same way a gold makes a watch more precise.


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## Jak0zilla (May 16, 2010)

I've never noticed much difference with seatpost materials, but I have definitely ridden at least one ti stem that was too flexy for me. 

I noticed it the most when cornering at speed . I have an Ibis to stem the same length and rise that feels noticeably firmer than the Litespeed stem I took off. Although I also felt the same way about the steel Bontrager Racelite stem (same stem as the bonded bar/stem combo but with a binder bolt) I tried on the same bike; too flexy when cornering. I don't think that I like stiff stems, in fact I probably keep trying to find one that flexes just the right amount. I end up liking Salsa stems and Ibis stems.


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## AKamp (Jan 26, 2004)

I have ridden ti posts now for 20 years and I swear by them. These are for hard tails though. For a squishy I don't think you would notice a difference. 
I would like to try some of the new carbon posts that are designed for flex a bit but I don't have any bikes that don't have a ti one already.


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## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

I just switched from a carbon riser bar to a 25" wide titanium flat bar. It's definitely more comfortable but this is 
probably the increased back sweep as much as the ride quality. The carbon bar did eat up some vibration but in general it felt more 'dead' to me than the titanium bar I replaced it with.

On another note, I think wierdos like me should set up their handlebars like this --

Flipped thumb shifters - left for rd, right for fd.

Bar-end remote shifter (changing gears from the bar-ends while climbing out of the saddle is kinda nifty, and um, well... totally necessary in an obsessed kind of way.

2 sets of bar-ends. Inner set is good for different hand positions on long rides. With my index/middle fingers wrapped around the inner bar-ends, they provide a bit more torque than just holding the flat bar and I can still brake with my ring/pinky fingers.


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## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

The forum maintenance must have started right when I tried to post. Anyway, here we go --


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

hey phoenixbikes, the forum was done and image uploading seemed to have been affected. Edit your posts and try to upload pictures again if you would like.


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## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

Still can't post pics. What's going on here ?

When I went to upload, I got this pop up message --

" phoenixbikes, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1 Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
2 If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

Seems like imageshack will do the trick --


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