Had a ti wheel spacer come to me today.got a ro black anodized one on the bike.took it of and the titainium one is a LOT heavier than the ali one.thought ti was meant to be lighter???discuss!!(ted!)

Titanium is denser so is stronger, it is heavier as to get the same strenth in ali you would need half as much again.

Ah i got ya.cheers.

Did you mean the wheel nut spacer?
Ti is heavier but stronger than Al, so they both need to be used in the correct application, depending what loads are applied.

Ti has the best strength to mass ratio of all metals with good corrosion resistance but galls up easily.

I would use Al for any non critical low load bearing fixings such as engine side covers, [The wheel nut spacer is subjected to a cornering load so was dimensioned accordingly] Ti for most other fasteners, but stick to steel for wheel and S/A spindles and any other critical bolts on brakes or suspension.

Cast magnesium is very light, so good for engine covers and wheels if designed correctly, however crack resistance and time/corrosion resistance is poor.

Al alloys are the best cost effective materials to use on bikes considering their cost, weight, performance, and easy to machine or cast.

So would you use a titainium wheel spacer,not the nut,the spacer im using.took of the ro black anodized one which seems very light.and smart.but i do like the ti one.just thought it would be lighter.

Ti one is just as good, but heavier, stronger and more expensive.

Because titanium is so strong you have to reduce the mass to get the weight down without losing the strength ie make everything piss thin...thats a technical term.

Not really, a Ti bolt the same dimension as steel will be lighter.
Can you define mass please [size, weight] I struggle to work out the difference to weight.

thrasher wrote:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium

Thank you for that, please explain it now, in simple terms .