New school, meet old school. Old school, meet new school.
Most all of us started out on a hardtail and have since followed those roots to a new branch of the sport -- single speeds, full suspension XC, all-mountain, -- and at some point where its going always hooks back up with where it's been and spawns yet another branch. A hardtail tunes you into the nuances of a trail like no other bike since there's no modern suspension wizardry to soften or mute the experience. And since 29" wheels allow you to sit "between the wheels" rather than above them, effectively lowering your center of gravity and providing you with better all-around bike handling, and the larger tire contact patch makes for better traction and easy rolling over obstacles, it seems only natural for the two to work together. Enter the Titus Fireline 29.
The Titus Fireline 29 is built with full-Titanium construction throughout, and it's anchored by a burly 1.75" downtube. It uses oversized, shaped tubes throughout to stiffen the frame, allowing it to climb with a nimbleness unlike anything you'll get from a full-suspension frame. It has a gloriously smooth ride thanks to its newly "tuned" 3/2.5 titanium construction. Titus has altered the profile of the tubes in the rear to accent the ride qualities of the titanium, and changed wall thicknesses up front, saving weight wherever possible -- to the tune of almost a pound over its predecessor, the Eleven. Either way, it's something you'll love whether you're hammering or just spinning. Convertible aluminum dropouts allow you to change the Fireline 29 to a single speed with little effort. Adding to the Eleven's versatility are S-Bend rear stays, allowing for increased tire clearance (2.35), and in turn, opening the door for all kinds of fun.
Titus recommends the use of either an 80mm or 100mm front suspension fork with the Fireline 29, selected to correspond with the frame size. The Small Titus Fireline 29 requires an 80mm travel fork, while the Medium, Large and XL require 100mm of travel. Each is finished with a simple, yet perfect, hand polished titanium. If the stock geometry just doesn’t cut it for you, the Fireline 29 can be built with custom geometry for an additional $300, which will be added after you place your order. It is disc specific with a replaceable derailleur hanger, or available with single speed dropouts -- simply specify your preference. The Fireline requires a 30.9 mm seatpost and a 34.9mm top-swing, dual-pull front derailleur for the Medium and Large frames, and a 27.2mm seatpost and 31.8mm top-swing, dual-pull front derailleur for frames smaller than that.
Frame |
Shimano | SRAM |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2495 | XTR 970 | 5726 | SRAM X.O | 4906 | |||
| XT 770 | 4942 | SRAM X-9 | 4738 | ||||
Size |
Seat Tube |
Effective Top Tube |
Stand Over |
BB Height |
Head Tube Angle |
Seat Tube Angle |
Head Tube Length |
Chainstay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | 15.50 | 23.00 | 29.64 | 12.40 | 71.0 | 73.5 | 3.75 | 17.85 |
| M | 16.25 | 24.00 | 30.44 | 12.40 | 71.5 | 73.0 | 4.00 | 17.85 |
| L | 17.25 | 24.75 | 31.27 | 12.40 | 71.5 | 73.0 | 4.00 | 17.85 |
| XL | 18.50 | 25.50 | 32.24 | 12.40 | 71.5 | 73.0 | 4.25 | 17.85 |
