Eastern grim reaper ti. is it worth its ridiculous price?

Question

thanks terrence but $1200 is still a rediculouse price for a bmx frame. especialy when you are an unemployed 16 year old kid without a licence

Answer 1

ive never even heard of that frame from eastern

Answer 2

Titanium in raw form is actually cheap. It comes from white beach sand. The expense comes from all of the energy needed to refine it into a usable form. Titanium tubing is obviously expensive. Cutting it is an art form because it kills cutting tools. It can weld to the machine tools. It takes a steady hand and advanced welding skills to join the tubes. If the welds are bad then the frame is junk and has to be recycled. So is $1200 a lot? Not for a this frame if done right. If the website is representative, then the craftsmanship is topnotch.

But  for your needs, it's probably the wrong material. Aluminum is similarly light, but I don't think it's up to the abuse you would throw at it. I favor steel. A good Cr-Mo steel frame while heavier is a very reasonable compromise of weight, toughness, and cost.

Answer 3

Ridiculous? Titanium frame for $1200? Yes. It's ridiculously low priced. Titanium is one of those exotic materials that cost a lot just for the material. Then, in order to build with it, you need very expensive tools because it's to strong for the average frame building tools. You'll destroy them trying to cut into titanium with very little or no luck. Also, titanium frames generally aren't painted. They don't have to be because titanium is resistant to practically every element- meaning you don't need to put anything on them (ie. paint, clearcoat, etc.) You don't have to worry about rust, oxidation or any outside element that would effect any other material. So, yes, $1200 is a lot of money, but for a titanium frame, that's cheap. A good Ti road bike frame can go for almost double that easily.

By the way, titanium is super light but it's also super strong. It will probably outlive you.