Pipedream – a bike with off-road roots

Pipedream are better known more for budget steel and titanium MTB frames and our big brother site bikemagic.com has tested the Sirius and the Nevis already.

We’ve had this frame for a while and had the groupset sent in for a test, so they were obvious partners and they are a good match too, as they provide a 10 speed titanium ride without costing a fortune.

The RCUK test frame is a pretty basic compact model and there are plenty of upgrades and variations on this theme. Prices start from £699.00. Like many budget builders these days Pipedream can tweak your frame and custom build (for a bit extra) so you end up with exactly what you want.

Initial reactions? Well it’s light for the money and the welding and finish is very good. It built up very easily too with all the threads and bosses perfectly aligned – So far so good…

The details from the Pipedream website

Pipedream frames use 100% seamless cold drawn Certified Aerospace Grade Ti 3Al 2.5V tubing (94.5%Titanium, 3% Aluminium and 2.5% Vanadium). Their dropouts are cut from Ti 6Al 4V plate.

The standard Ti frames use plain gauge (PG) tubing. It’s not so much about what the frame is made from but more about how one uses the material. By selecting from a number of different tube guages they are able to balance strength, weight and ‘feel’ to give you a frame that captures that subtle Ti ride. Each frame has custom butted tubing to optimise the ride quality.

The head tube has been externally relieved and engraved with the Pipedream logo to give a bespoke finish – and shave a few more grams for the obsessive. Under the bottom bracket cable routing and cable guides on the head tube. Chain pin on the seat stay, which is a welcome feature for packing the bike away in a car.

Various tube profiles are available to tailor the ride to your personal taste. Pipedream can ovalise the down tube at the bottom bracket junction to increase stiffness [N.B. our test bike has this] so you can get more power down with each pedal stroke. They can also use a ‘triangular’ section top tube for a stiff midsection. Custom drawn butted tubing is also available for extra if you want a marginally lighter frame and a little more flex.

105 and a mix of test parts	The 105 crank is certainly solid	Flared down tube and BB
105 looks a lot better now	Some neat headtube detailling	Seat tube and tidy welds
Ti 6Al 4V plate drop outs	Compact rear triangle	Shimano 560s
Headtube is slightly extended	The steering end	The whole 105 group is re-designed