Of course there is software for this kind of thing. And Robert Reichelsdorfer could probably have used it in no time at all. But when it came to the rear triangle for his Fully, he built a model out of cardboard and bits and pieces. He compressed it, extended it, moved the pivot points - old school, just like in the old days. If he were a carpenter, this would come as no surprise. But Robert works for a helicopter manufacturer. He writes the maintenance manuals and was involved in development. Low tech is different. But when it comes to bikes, he's more the analogue type. Titanium, Rohloff and V-brakes are his alternative to "intelligent" carbon chassis with diffuse sources of error.
"I've been mountain biking since 1987," says Robert. There were also races, even back then when you were still competing in cross country and downhill with the same equipment. A few previous bikes couldn't cope with this mixture, so at some point the time was ripe for the ultimate self-build: the "Goggo Titan". Goggo is his nickname from his youth. And for him, titanium is "simply a great material" - somehow an obvious choice when you're in the aviation business. In addition to his technical expertise, he also had a girlfriend at the time, a Chinese engineer. This liaison could hardly have resulted in anything other than a titanium bike manufactured in China according to a German design. If the relationship had lasted longer, there might have been more: series production was under discussion as a business model. But that is another topic.
The silhouette of the Goggo Titan is reminiscent of a few old acquaintances, but the nobility is in the detail. Double-sealed stainless steel deep groove ball bearings and titanium dowel pins from the aviation industry are the perfectionist replacement for the plain bearings and "throw fits" of some production bikes, and what else Robert can tell us about fits would fill a chapter in a helicopter manual. In any case, the frame wasn't really finished when it arrived from China.
The gaps in the frame were quickly filled. Finding a fork with sufficient travel and still with V-brake mounts proved to be tough. The Rock Shox Recon has these sockets and, together with the DT shock, it is the only hydraulic or pneumatic part on the bike.
The Goggo Titan has now been in use for almost five years, and the basic set-up has proven itself to be practically wobble-free. Even two tough excursions in the Western Alps have done the bike no harm. Well, almost nothing: during a rough landing, the frame twisted so much that the spring-loaded shock rocker cut a long scratch into the outside of the seat tube. "It could be stiffer," admits Robert, and secretly he is already mulling over a successor with a Pinion gearbox. But then there's the little daughter, the kayaks, the touring skis, the vintage car that's been pimped for racing performance ... There's always something to do! But titanium is patient. And as meticulously as this bike is built, it will carry its creator smoothly through the mountains for quite some time to come.
INFO GOGGO TITAN
Frame/suspension travel Titanium unique/130 mm
Fork/spring travel Rock Shox Recon/130 mm
Frame height 22.5 inch
Drive Race Face, Tune/Rohloff Speedhub
Handlebars Syncros Carbon
Stem Tune Awesome part
Saddle SQLab 611
Seat post Gravity Dropper Custom
Impellers Tune, Rohloff/DT Swiss/Rims Sun 0
Tyres Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25
Weight 13.4 kg
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