Dynatech Torus LX

[Rampage]

The Torus uses almost pure titanium. The 'real ones' are a titanium alloy. This makes the Torus more flexy. It's a very comfy frame!
My Torus is the only frame I've ever owned that I will never sell.

Oh and the price of course, these go for around £200-250 (although they are very popular at the moment) and Merlin, Lightspeed go for £500+

 

[was8v]

Obviously not in the same league as 'proper' Ti stuff

The Torus uses almost pure titanium. The 'real ones' are a titanium alloy. This makes the Torus more flexy. It's a very comfy frame!

I'm not convinced this is true. See info from Bikemeister2000 who was involved in the production of these frames, he says it is an alloy: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=232813 see also http://www.keytometals.com/Article134.htm

If it was "pure" titanium, the welds would be harder to make and perhaps not so durable.

I think history has done these frames an incredible disservice. They are every bit as good as US or eastern frames, and better still they were hand welded by craftsmen right here in the UK.

 

[Rampage]

Obviously not in the same league as 'proper' Ti stuff

The Torus uses almost pure titanium. The 'real ones' are a titanium alloy. This makes the Torus more flexy. It's a very comfy frame!

I'm not convinced this is true. See info from Bikemeister2000 who was involved in the production of these frames, he says it is an alloy: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=232813 see also http://www.keytometals.com/Article134.htm

If it was "pure" titanium, the welds would be harder to make and perhaps not so durable.

I think history has done these frames an incredible disservice. They are every bit as good as US or eastern frames, and better still they were hand welded by craftsmen right here in the UK.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/v/M ... ws/MTi200/

There is also another article by a manufacturer who re-badged the frames and sold them under their own name that also goes into detail but I can't find it.
It's not Nashbar its another one.....

EDIT: I was thinking of Gazelle, but it's in foreign.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/v/M ... ews/TiPro/

Has anyone got the X-Lite catalog with the Titanium Pro in?

 

[firedfromthecircus]

So the X-Lite frame was the same as the Torus, as was the Gazelle. How many other makers used the same frame? Any relation to Titanium Red which were advertised as Russian Ti bikes back in the '90s?

 

[Rampage]

And Nashbar in the USA. That's all I know of.
Titanium Red were different.

They were either very good frames or very cheap for everyone to want to sell it.
My money's on cheap!

 

[was8v]

Ah ok.

Perhaps it's only the later IMI / Timet (UK sourced) tubed bikes that are made from comparable titanium alloy.

 

[Koupe]

I wasn't trying to belittle them in any way in fact my first ever proper 'moist' MTB moment was seeing a then-new Torus XT with Trimnell forks outside a cafe in the high street. I actually went in and had a coffee just so I could stare out the window at it for a while

I'm sure the steep prices of e.g. Merlin frames are in some part due to snobbery, but there's still a difference in standard, and if that meant that someone who couldn't afford to blow 4 figures on a top-end frame BiTD could still ride Ti, then that was a good thing. Hell, I'd happily ride one now.

 

[was8v]

Taking a close look at the eBay pics and te review of the mti100, the welds are fat and not very elegant, probably a result of the harder to weld grade of titanium.

I had a Timet badged RSP, the welds on that were in a different league.

 

[firedfromthecircus]

Taking a close look at the eBay pics and te review of the mti100, the welds are fat and not very elegant, probably a result of the harder to weld grade of titanium.

I had a Timet badged RSP, the welds on that were in a different league.

So it's about it's money at £66 then?

 

[mynchiboy]

Taking a close look at the eBay pics and te review of the mti100, the welds are fat and not very elegant, probably a result of the harder to weld grade of titanium.

I had a Timet badged RSP, the welds on that were in a different league.

So it's about it's money at £66 then?

I've been thinking the same thing.. I'm currently riding a late model Ti RSP (proline 300 I think) and the welds are way tidier than on this earlier Torus. I was however thinking that this was more of a case of Raleigh refining their welding process rather than the different grades of tubing used. It would be cool if Bikemeister could elaborate a little on this.

I reckon that if the final price stays close to a ton the winning bidder would have done very well indeed, btw..