Titanium Flame

[jimh]

Ok - I'm biased towards Firefly as I bought one

I looked long and hard at Baum as I'm in Melbourne but two things put me off a bit.
1. the price premium (approx +2K) for about 4K I got a custom sized butted ti frame with an enve fork (stickers removed) and a fitted chris king headset and matching king ti cages - delivered - (Firefly have jacked the prices up a bit though since I got mine)
2. the wait (approx +5 months)

And, I like the finish on the Firefly more with the brushed and polished look - no stickers

I never weighed it bare but all up with pedals it weighs about 7.6kg (don't have a set of scales suitable for weighing a bike, I got that by standing on scales with and without the bike) it isn't weight weenie build either.

Been very happy with it so far very nice ride way better than the trek madone 5.2 (circa 2005) which it replaced.

I thought Baum might've been having a problem with the AUD being so high atm which makes the overseas options (for Aussie's) way cheaper than a few years ago but the queue doesn't seem to be getting any shorter and you see plenty of them on the road so I guess he must be OK.

[Nobody]

Yeah... I'm not so sure. Having recently moved to a lighter bike.. despite being 1kg lighter it rode a LOT better.

So many factors here it would hard to put it down to weight alone. Frame stiffness, geometry, fit, spoke tension, tyres...

[London Boy]

I think that if someone can build a very light TI frame, that is stiff and yet rides well... isn't that something to celebrate? Even more so if they are a local. I'd hate to see tall poppy syndrome come into play here...

I have to say that I ride a Van Nicholas, so Dutch out of China, kind of thing. Definitely not local.

But the point I was making was not that making a light frame is a bad thing, particularly if it's a local maker. But there is always a trade-off between weight and strength.

What kind of life do you get out of a Baum? And how is it in a crash? I've no idea myself, but I'd be interested to know how they compare with the million other makes out there.

[Comedian]

I think that if someone can build a very light TI frame, that is stiff and yet rides well... isn't that something to celebrate? Even more so if they are a local. I'd hate to see tall poppy syndrome come into play here...

I have to say that I ride a Van Nicholas, so Dutch out of China, kind of thing. Definitely not local.

But the point I was making was not that making a light frame is a bad thing, particularly if it's a local maker. But there is always a trade-off between weight and strength.

What kind of life do you get out of a Baum? And how is it in a crash? I've no idea myself, but I'd be interested to know how they compare with the million other makes out there.

Well if you want a heavier frame they will make you one. They will make whatever you want.

How long does one last? They did say they work on them lasting several years at 25k a year, which some of their customers do on them. On TDU I met a gent who had done 25k on his for a couple of years. It was getting that lovely patina happening too.... Lovely.

How do they fare in a crash?? Who knows??? Depends on the crash I guess. Maybe the lighter ones will be more likely to be damaged... But then if you build a frame to survive a crash it's probably not going to be nice to ride and it could still get totaled anyway.

[queequeg]

How do they fare in a crash?? Who knows??? Depends on the crash I guess. Maybe the lighter ones will be more likely to be damaged... But then if you build a frame to survive a crash it's probably not going to be nice to ride and it could still get totaled anyway.

Here are some pics that a Lynskey Owner posted after a head-on collision with a car. She was ok, but check out the bike!







Not rideable, but it didn't snap in half!

[greyhoundtom]

I find it interesting to see that the carbon fibre fork and the front wheel, which would have taken a lot of the initial pressure, are still looking OK while the frame has completely collapsed.

[sumgy]

I find it interesting to see that the carbon fibre fork and the front wheel, which would have taken a lot of the initial pressure, are still looking OK while the frame has completely collapsed.

I think the key part of this is "still looking OK".
At least with the ti frame being all bent you are unlikely to try and ride it again.
Some people would blindly ride a CF frame as it is "still looking OK".

[Nobody]

Here are some pics that a Lynskey Owner posted after a head-on collision with a car. She was ok, but check out the bike!...Not rideable, but it didn't snap in half!

Excellent result. Exactly what you want. Not like some high end steels that are too thin and brittle IMO.


There would be very few structural parts I'd reuse on that Ti bike.

[Comedian]

I think that was what I was saying.. you can't build a bike to crash. It's like you can't build an aeroplane to crash. If you did it would be too heavy to ever get off the ground.

[Xplora]

I managed to bend my Kona a lot further than that...

You can't build a bike to crash. You can build them to resist some common bumps (you wouldn't want a bike that shattered if it fell on its side) but a proper crash? No thanks. Overengineering.

[Hergest]

I once got t-boned on a Peugeot made out of Reynolds 531 around 1990, it bent like a banana in a perfect curve with not a crimp to be seen. The only defects were the paint cracked and my broken head.

[__PG__]

You mean the head tube bent like a banana? I've seen a crashed Baum with a similar outcome. The frame looked fine at a quick glance, it was only when you looked at the head tube closely could you see the curvature.

I think how a frame deforms at impact depends on a lot on how the loads are directed, and whether or not the rider is heavily braking or not at the time.

[eldavo]

Well over a year circumstance has resulted in
1. a titanium bike; and
2. an anodised titanium flame component (that is actually anodised 6061 aluminium called Rainbow because presumably scooter kids don't buy Ti or Ti flame, and Ti would still be anodised anyway)

Before, stock seat clamp (possibly Ti, seen the same unbranded as Ti on ebay) was insufficient for the looseness of the 27.2 to 30.9 spacer:


After, bling-a-ling, 30.9 Urban Art triple scooter clamp, much more clamping range, length to clamp, and the overbight tightens up even more to really seal the deal. Mounted with logo upside down, since the bottom had the yellow face, matching the bars better, while the top had the green, matching my water bottle so not really a winning combo =D







The Van Nicholas logo is machined on the head tube, I might see if the couple air brush amateurs I know could mask it off and give a faux anodised titanium flame effect across it, or buy some aluminium adhesive with the effect already and just relief cut it into the logo, seal it in with clear coat and polish anything off head tube.

This was a scooter I had that I did the peace symbol out of the wheel pattern, another owner took the graphic and she digitally tie-died it for me after I said I suggested it as an air brush design. Didn't eventuate to real life, but it was free and still gives me smiles as good-as it were real