Titanium. What’s the consensus

I have a Kinesis Racelight Ti, cobbled it together with campag potenza and Zonda wheels. Very comfortable and versatile. I've taken it to the Italian alps up the Stelvio and have loaded it with panniers around west Wales.

Last year I bought a Planet X spitfire, mainly to replace my old Dolan aluminium bike to use as a faster commuter bike. Not as comfortable or as light as the Kinesis, but definitely faster! I think it must be the geometry, a bit racier. I've done the same route around North Downs countless times on each bike and the Spitfire always clocks a higher av speed. Very happy with both

I have two.  A Sabbath September I've had for almost ten years, and just before Xmas I took delivery of a Vaaru MPA.  Both are very similar frames in terms of riding position, but the Vaaru is set up with disc brakes, dynamo and rack as a winter/tourer/commuter (what kind of looney uses a Vaaru MPA with 12-speed Campagnolo as a winter bike??).  Only done a few dozen miles on the Vaaru, and the setup of the two bikes is deliberately almost identical (I paid good money to be fitted to the September, after all, and any discomfort I've felt since then has always been down to fitness issues or changes I had made).

For me it's not about any supposed ride quality advantages (heck, I can't really tell the difference between 25mm tyres and 28mm ones), but the aesthetics of the frame.  They're easy to clean and maintain, won't rust or chip, and most blemishes can be polished out with a scouring pad.  If I had a steel frame, it *would* go rusty with the way I treat things; carbon would get scratched to buggery (and I've already smashed the Sabbath off the roof of the car as well as crashing heavily on it).  It's a "forever frame" because of its strength, and the fact that it takes very little work to make a ten-year old frame look like new.

Sort of relevant, and perhaps late to the party but one 1 thing I'd worry about least when choosing a frame is weight. If you actually do the maths, it makes much less difference than you think. 

I actually did the calculations when plumping for a steel frame (hopefully arrriving late Jan). I weigh about 71/72kg (probably will be more like 74 after Xmas, but anyway...). 

So I plugged some numbers into an online calculator, simulating a climb of Mont Ventoux. Assuming 2 bikes that are identical, and a power output that would be hard but realistic, 1kg more would add less than a minute to a >90 min climb. As I'm no racer, that's a pretty irrelevant difference: I'd much rather have something beautiful, durable and made to measure, and I actually suspect the greater comfort will make me faster on rides over 2.5 hours.

Personally I'd go custom steel (ideally stainless) over Ti, but they do much the same thing for the same kind of cost and money.

Don't overlook stainless steel if you want that shiny and durable bike. It's much stronger than titanium and in theory that means you should be able to build a stiffer, lighter bike out of it.

Do have a look at Mason bikes, they do steel, aluminium and TI frames, every model they do will fit your requirements and they get some great reviews.

Off the shelf Ti or bespoke fitted steel frame?

I was thinking along the same lines. Reilly Cycle Works do a lifetime gaurentee on their frames, last time i looked

I believe that the first question you have to ask yourself is whether you will use the bike for the purpose of winning a race or riding together with a group of people who are riding at your level or faster on Carbon bikes (and who don't wait up for slower riders). If you can answer no to these two questions, you should definitely consider a titanium bike. While they can break (as will steel or alu), they, in general, take much more abuse and can be handled in ways which are not recommended for carbon frames. As already said, whether they break or not has probably very little to do with the material and much more to do with the manufacturing process and the types of tubes used. If you are in a situation where you have a limited budget, I would also suggest you save some money and buy a aluminium frame and some better wheels instead. Yes, ti and steel are better at absorbing vibrations, but even my old cheap aluminium frame with 20mm tyres is perfectly ok, so it is not a must to go with ti.

I've had a Enigma Evade for a couple of years now after 10+ years of carbon race bikes. In addition to the comments below about comfort and weight I think there's definitely an element of the look of Ti bike befitting the more mature rider, if you get my meaning

I don't know how old you are but Im in my mid 40's and look quite ridiculous on a Venge or similar. Not sure if anyone else takes this into consideration when buying a new bike?

A good thing about Ti bikes is that you can order bespoke Ti bike for your needs. If you're tall or short, if you have a short torso or longer legs -- whatever. There's a bunch of companies happy to create a Ti bike only for you.

I may get a Ti bike next, or perhaps Reynolds 953.

https://www.reynoldstechnology.biz/materials/steel/s-953/

I just spent a lot building a steel bike, though, and love it. So really titanium or stainless would only be for bling. I turn 50 next year, so realistically a frame that lasts 40 years is a "forever" bike. I see loads of perfectly serviceable steel frames around that are older than 1980, so I don't expect mine to fail before I do as long as I don't keep it outside in a coastal town and never wash it.

I bought a second hand GFTi in 2017.  I'd seen it and decided that I couldn't justify the cost for another bike, but then it was significantly reduced, so I succumbed.  I'd felt the 'magic' as soon as I tried it out.  I rode it very happily for a year, and then the down tube cracked by the cable entry port.  Kinesis sold me a replacement GTD at a decent discount, (the original wasn't under warranty).  They also explained that they'd changed manufacturer between the GFTi and the GTD.

I've done 200k and 300k rides on it, and used it every weekday for 50mile round trip commutes pre lockdown.  It's extremely comfortable, I'm not sure that it's any more comfortable than my carbon Defy, but it does have the advantage of being able to take panniers on a rack, full mudguards and 28mm tyres.  I certainly find it more comfortable than my Equilibrium Disc (Reynolds 725). The GTD is my bike of choice for anything, and I miss it whenever it's in for service.

I've always seen a ti frame as an object of desire and used the 'magic' material myth as an excuse to get one. I bought a ribble cgr ti as a multipurpose winter/commuter/tourer and overall I'm really happy with it.
 

Initially it was a bit clunky but once I swapped out the stock wheels for some dt swiss 1800 it trasnformed the ride. It's now my perfect winter bike and im not sure why but it just feels lovely. I have a steel frame kona and a carbon best bike but even then it's hard to say the material is what makes it so enjoyable to ride. Not had it long enough to comment on the longevity but when I look at it i have a smile on my face which stays with me when I'm riding it too. I'm also going out more in all weathers a lot more as im not worried about trashing it. 

I am lucky enough to run 3x bikes: A Sirius Audax Reynolds 853 (Sirius went bust, but the bike lives on, and even after 21 years it is a joy). A Van Nicholas Amazon, a wonderful Ti frame which has toured so many miles without failing ever. And, a Lynskey 230, a truly wonderful Ti bike; the best I have ever ridden. I did have a top-end carbon bike for 10 years, but after 2x frame failures (replaced under warranty) I have given up on carbon.

I usually average 4-5k miles per annum, but this year, funnily enough, I will hit 6k. 

For me, Titanium and steel are real.