I’ve owned several Ti bikes. I currently own many road bikes including a custom carbon/Ti frame.
Ti has a number of advantages:
- typically offers a wonderfully “springy” ride, although this can vary.
- It machines very well so things like bottom brackets and headsets can be very precisely made and fit well (not something you always see even on high end carbon bikes). For example, my current bike has a BB30 bottom bracket that was CNC bored out after welding (at great expense). High quality Japanese bearings were pressed into it in when the bike was initially assembled in 2018. I have not had to touch those bearings since, they are perfectly silent despite lots of tough miles and lots of washes. That is still the smoothest spinning bottom bracket I’ve ever seen, it’s like greased glass.
- The finish is very durable. They are typically brushed and can be quickly touched up with a little red Scotch Brite and Pledge if you want to make it look new.
- Ti frames are very ding and crush resistant. It’s not as tough as steel but it’s close (and a lot lighter). Any damage will be relatively easy to spot.
Ti also has some disadvantages:
- It’s difficult to shape into aero profiles. How much this actually matters is up for debate
- Typically, Ti frames do not have the latest visual design trends of integrated front ends, internal cable routing and cool looking shapes. This may actually be a good thing depending on your outlook. There are exceptions here, notably the new (megabuck) Moots CRD.
- Ti frames can and do crack at the welds. Ti is really hard to weld without contamination. Even the best Ti frame makers can have problems. I have had a Ti bike fail and I know a friend who has had one fail. Both were from high end, well known Ti frame makers. Mine was fixed without issue, my friend needed a whole new frame (which they made for him for free). Talking to mechanics and people in the industry I know, Ti frame failure is more common than steel or aluminum failure.