Does anybody know if ti frames are more or less susceptible to damage from road salt than steel or alum.? I've been riding my Airborne, who are now out of business, I give it a normal cleanup after riding, but I could ride something else. It would be nice to know what to ride in the real crap.
My understanding is that not much can cause titanium to corrode, so long as it is in the presence of oxygen. See this article for a description of the magic protective layer that titanium forms when exposed to air.
I'm pretty sure Ti holds up as well or better than steel or Al...I'm certainly open to contradiction, though, as IANAM (I Am Not A Metallurgist).
Don't worry about it. It may cause some surface spots and whatnot, but otherwise your ti frame will be just fine. For example, ti frames on bike trainers where people sweat all over the top tube have been known to show some blemishes over time.
One thing really worth checking however is that you have anti-seize (not just grease) on any parts that come in contact with the frame, like your seatpost, headset cups and most importantly your bottom bracket cups. Aluminum and ti like to exchange electrons and other complicated-like stuff helped along by salts and other contaminants and can permanently fuse together unless there is an anti-seize barrier in place.
I am also not a metallurgist, but took a few materials science classes back in my science and math based days before I realized that I much prefer writing and taking pictures to crunching integral equations.
Wow, it actually requires oxygen to resist corrosion, counter-intuitive. It definitely sounds like the ti is the one to ride in the winter, although my alu components may turn to powder. Seems like the seizure thing is what I really need to watch out for. Thanks.
Like the others have said, corrosion and Ti in the usual environments, including our joyous salty winters, are not a concern. I have used a Moots Ti Psychlo-X for the past four winters with not a single sign of weather-related wear. Your components, however, will suffer. Keep a generous coating of dry/cold weather lube on all moving bits.
Within a year of getting a new pair of glasses, my sweat has stripped plastic coating off, destroyed the paint and started to eat pits in the metal. I don't know what they make glasses out of, but they don't survive being next to my skin.
Then I got a pair of titanium frames. My sweat ate off the plastic coating and the paint in short order but the metal was undamaged even after over 5 years.
When I wanted a different style frame, I was sorely disappointed that I could not find what I wanted in titanium. What I ended up with has not weathered the past year well.
