Testing the Titus Carbon Rockstar 29er.
I took our carbon version of the Rockstar out in Forest Park last night to get a training ride in and to test the build. I built it from parts around the warehouse and from the FTM I had been on the last couple months. The primary purpose was to get the feel of the bike in.
I rode the Portland made Aluminum version while in the UK and really liked it. The new geometry is a bit slacked and made the bike feel more comfortable to ride over long distances. Perfect for those all-day in the seat type rides. The aluminum version also felt very stable at speed which is confidence boosting.
I was expecting something close to that type of ride in this version. I was satisfied with the outcome for this bike. Granted it is a demo of our future frame coming soon and I had to tweak some things, but I think our design team really did a nice job on this frame. I can’t wait for the end result to show up.
This bike rode like the Aluminum version, except it seemed like I was able to keep it rolling faster. That could be the reduced frame weight, or the fact that my training is working. The aluminum version was also setup with a front thru axle Rockshox fork and the difference is noticeable between the two. I would love to pair the production version of this carbon frame with the Maxle type front end.
A couple interesting notes are the internally routed cabling and the direct mount front derailleur. The internal routing makes for a nice frame look and also having full length cable housing makes for cleaner longer lasting cables. Both of which are a great idea. The direct mount setup for the front derailleur is one of those smack-me-in-the-head great ideas that may come close to making me rescinding my hatred of the front mechanicals. Setup is as easy as bolt it on and adjust the swing. Cool. Every bike with a clamp should have this option instead*.
More to come as I beat on this frame…
J
You may notice the extended steer tube. This fork is like the village girlfriend and gets passed around. I did not cut it as the next bike it goes on may need a longer steer tube.
* yes, I understand that some suspension designs need a clamp or E-type FD, but in general this type of connection seems better.
I was able to ride this bike for a bit in the UK and yes it is really nice. I’m looking forward to getting it back over here and riding Sandy Ridge with it.
Head over to Titus bikes web for a couple more pics.
Source: titusti.com
Riding Wilson River Trail in Tillamook State Forest.
What does this race ride profile have to do with me? #giro
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I just booked flights to the UK and to Italy. I am going to visit the home base of On-One, Planet X, and Titus Cycles. While there we are going to pop on down to the Giro to catch a glimpse of Stage 11! I really can not believe it, but it is happening.
Word in from Titus Cycles that the new El Guapo is almost ready. First words from my mouth were “Whoa. What a great looking frame.”
The image hyperlink takes you to more pictures.
Video of riding around in Britain. Enjoyable video, your trails are where you make them.
If I just rode around in a mile of my house I would end up riding on Nike HQ, a highway, Home Depot, and a gas station. I wonder if the American infrastructure will be the same 300 years out? Somehow I doubt it.
Titus FTM Aluminum, ride it.
As you may know from my previous post, I took out a aluminum FTM from Titus yesterday. I got a maiden voyage on her today. I was really impressed with this version of the bike. Firstly, this may dominate my whole line of thinking, but the bike is sized as the Large instead of the Medium I was riding. The fit was spot on and felt immensely better. Dare I say that the Medium was too small for me? I guess so.
The other HUGE difference is the suspension duties performed by Fox on this bike whereas the carbon FTM demo had Rockshox. The Rockshox Monarch was new and needed more time to open up but the Fox RP23 is in prime condition on this frame since it has been around the block a bit. The RP23 also has more of a lockout which is really nice feature for gravel grinding in Forest Park.
The shifting experiment also went well, but I would rather have XT or XTR than the XO shifters. The shifting was precise and great, but I am just use to the Shimano trigger shifters over the SRAM ones. Kind of a personal choice decision more than a technical decision.
The ride was pretty sloppy, so I scaled the speed back a bit to maintain control. There were some fallen trees and debris from our last couple storms so going balls-to-the-walls was not recommended. You may run into a tree if not careful out there.
All in all, I have to admit I like the AL version of the FTM and was thinking that you could go either way and still have a pretty nice bike setup. The AL version will save you some cash which you could invest in a few more road trips. I don’t think I have to give this one back for a while so I may go get some extended rides in.
More to come later.
J
Classic “leaning on a post” picture for bike forums.
Did I ever mention I am getting tired of this mud?
Titus FTM Aluminum.
I picked up a Aluminum version of the FTM yesterday to see the difference between this and the carbon version. Yes, the carbon will be lighter and sexier, but I was looking to see the build differences and ride characteristics between the two materials. Normally one doesn’t get a chance to compare each frame a company makes, so I am taking advantage of the situation.
This bike is a older demo, but still had a really nice build kit. SRAM XO shifting, FOX suspension, and Magura braking. As most of you know I am mainly a Shimano guy so switching shifters is always a fun experiment for me.
Check out that 3K carbon weave and shiny gold. Ride like a king!
It also came with some bling to spruce it up. As I posted earlier it came with Portland Designworks Speed Metal grips which are really nice looking and feeling.
Love that anodized frame color.
On a ending note: You can pick up Portland, OR made Aluminum FTM today either at the Portland warehouse or online store for $899.99.
TITUS ROCKSTAR 29ER – UNBOXED, WEIGHED & FIRST RIDES
BikeRumor has a short write-up on the Titus Rockstar.
Click the image for more
Source: bikerumor.com
Mudslinger XC Race Report - 2012
Clean fo a little while before the start.
Raining before the start, everything getting wet.
I’ve wanted to do the Mudslinger for a while now as it seemed like a fun early season race to learn about more trails here in Oregon. This race proved that I am not in a condition to ride as a CAT 2 racer! Or that my body was not prepared for the 3800 feet (1158m) of climbing. A couple Cat 3 and Cat 4 climbs highlighted my failure to train enough.
I signed up for the race on a whim as Shiggy from On-One was taking the company van down to race. He asked if I wanted to come along, and of course I said yes.
“Why not? How hard could it be?” I thought.
Wow.
Mud, climbing, cold, and rain were the order of the day. We started out on a climb that I ended up blowing up on. I went out too hard to race with the boys and popped near the top. I ended up spending the rest of the race in a depleted recovery mode. Each climb took more and more out of me, BUT every downhill technical singletrack gave me an adrenaline boost to push me forward to the finish.
The trail called Panama Canal was a river and SOOO much fun that I wanted to do it a couple times. It was so sloppy and wet that I was just holding on to the bike and letting it guide the way through. Here is where riding the Titus Carbon FTM really out shined all the other bikes that I could have ridden that day.
Having a trail bike while going down the technical sections gave me the confidence to ride past people while they walked. I opened up both the shock and fork and let her rip. It was a blast.
I think if I would have just done the race as a CAT 3 (beginner) and only did the short course I could have done better as the second lap really just beat the snot out of me and my legs. But then I would not have done Panama Canal for a second time. It was worth it to gauge my body for how much training I will need to do for the High Cascade 100 in 3-ish months. Luckily (or hopefully) it will be dry in Bend. So now it is just about getting fit.
Here is what 3 hours in mud and rain will do to a bike:
Thank the maker that Shiggy gave me some fenders. I believe it was the main reason I was able to finish as the last lap the mud turned thick and evil. I am really surprized the Shimano XT drivetrain did not lock up and give me fits. Kudos to Shimano for designing such awesome gear. The braking from Magura was stellar and gave me confidence to perform retarded feats like passing on the right of riders while sloshing through uncharted trail. I almost gave a spectacular display on “how to crash”, but the Maguras combined with the RockShox suspension and the FTM’s ability for absorbtion of rider skillz retardation fixed my folly and i was able to ride through it.
I finished 29th out of 32 in the CAT2 35-44 age group which goes to show you how much more I should have trained for this event, and how wrong I was on guessing how hard it could be. For a 20 mile race it was the hardest one i have ever done. Even harder than events in Winter Park, Colorado. Rain and mud push events up a notch on the difficulty scale and that is something I will remember from now on.
I’d like to thank Titus for letting me ride a sweet bike, and Peak Sports for putting on a fantastic event despite the weather.
Have fun,
Jeremy
Strava info:
http://app.strava.com/rides/6075299
OBRA race results:
Planet X USA @ Portland Bicycle Show 2012
A quick video of some of the highlights of the 2012 Portland Bicycle Show.
From Rick at Titus
Source: dev.titusti.com
SNEAK PEEK: Titus El Guapo 29 prototype.
I look forward to riding this bike one day. Via Ed Oxley
Thanks @StealthMountain for pointing out my bad grammer.
First ride on the Titus FTM carbon
WOW. I miss being on squishy bikes. This bike is too much fun. I have been on a hard tail 29er for about 2 years now. There is something to be said about preloading before an obstacle and popping up over it instead of bashing straight through it. I know that has nothing to do with this bike, but it has to be said. It is almost like being a monk locked in a monastery for years and then visiting Portland on vacation. You’d be hard pressed to walk back in to the monastery.
The Actual Ride
It was rainy and muddy up around Saltzman and Firelane 5 this morning. It is to be expected for the end of February. It just means slow down a bit going around corners, and your wife will have a conniption if you bring those dang muddy clothes in the house. I figured I would ride down F5 and back up Saltzman, a short ride but being the closest trail to me it would have to do before the workday began.
Firelane 5 is all down hill and Saltzman is all up, unless you take them in reverse. F5 is mostly double track/unimproved road until the bottom section which is twisty singletrack. Saltzman is a road, err unpaved stretch of scenery. I’ve ridden all my bikes on it so it proves to be a good short tester.
The FTM, being a trail, bike eats this stuff up for breakfast. Having ample suspension both front and rear brings smiles all around. I found myself going a little faster and pushing a little harder through the techy stuff. I didn’t think about the suspension as I was making my way down hill. Which as you know from my previous posts this is a good thing.
The FSR type suspension has been around for a while and as I posted before, feels comfy to me. I know what the bike is going to do and it does it. The new thing to me is the Rockshox Monarch doing the business on the rear end instead of Fox. You have a couple settings (Rebound, Air pressure, and Floodgate) which make it dead simple to setup. A funny thing happened and I left the Floodgate closed this whole ride. I guess I didn’t need it.
I mentioned on twitter last night that I love the thru-axle. Having one on the front should be mandatory for longer travel forks. some may say it is a “nice to have” but once you actually ride with one on your everyday trails it really make them more fun. When you put the wheel somewhere it actually goes there with no complaints. My only complaint is now I will need a new fork, front wheel, and rack. ;)
The bottom line
I am not one to tell you to buy this bike or that bike. I think you are big boys and girls and can make that decision on your own. If you are in the market for a carbon trail bike I definitely would put this one on your list to check out.
Titus sells the frames online ($1199) or full builds (X9/Rockshox)($3299) at their location in Portland. Contact me if you are in the area and want to see it I may or may not let you ride it :)
Final note: The Crank Bros wheels are niiiiiiice!
Before getting her dirty
Taken at speed
The road out.
I now have a merino wool jersey, thanks to On-One/Planet X. Thanks guys, this will come in handy always here in the never ending rain.
The stickers are to give out to peeps at the trail building day on Sunday.
Bike Geek, Cancer Survivor, and geeky dad. Writes about cycling, two wheeled culture, and the bicycle industry.
