We see a lot of shiny new kit here at Factory Jackson, so it takes something pretty special to really get our attention and stand out from the crowd. Okay, so I know what you are thinking… Titanium springs? Nothing new there, but when a Ti Spring for our Evil Undead test bike rolled in and with it, the crazy price tag of £110, well, we needed to know more and figured you did too.

Thankfully the main man at Ti-Springs.com is no stranger here and it wasn’t long before we pinned him down to find out how he’s offering such a premium product at a price that’s pretty much half of what we’ve come to expect. Titanium springs have always been an expensive item and a real purchasing decision for most of us, rich or poor, but it looks like Scout intends to change that and good on him! Tough times don’t have to mean scrimping on the factory goodness, especially if you know where to look…

Words: Olly Forster | Photos: Scout Gregory, Olly Forster & Various…

Young entrepreneur Scout Gregory single handily set the business up with a view to selling high quality titanium springs and accessories at the lowest prices and in very little time has achieved exactly that. But there’s far more to Scout than just Titanium springs…

How old were you when you started mountain biking and how did you first get involved with the sport?
I guess I was about 13 or 14 when I got into mountain biking. I’d always had a passion for 2 wheels having been bought my first motorbike at just 6 years old, but growing up with other siblings meant it was hard for my Dad to find spare time to take me out on it. With a ‘push-bike’ I could just go out and ride whatever, whenever… I remember getting my first MBUK magazine and finding some DH singletrack whilst out on the motorbike and that was it, I was hooked! One month later I purchased my first proper mountain bike – a Saracen Xess Xtreme for about £150 off eBay. What a bargain that was at the time!

Where did you grow up and what was the riding scene like?
I grew on the Isle of Wight of all places! My parents decided to move there when I was about 12 years old. The riding scene was just a small group of riders at the time, most of whom were a few years older than me. They’d built some tracks in the local forest with some jumps here and there, nothing too serious – but enough to keep me grinning from ear to ear during the weekends! The Island’s highest point is only 250m above sea level, so as you can imagine we had to make the most of what was there! When I was 17, my parents decided to move back to Gloucestershire where I was born – this was pretty awesome as my local riding spots were Leckhampton Hill and the Forest of Dean – both great places to ride.

If you want to test gravity bikes and components, there’s nowhere quite like the French/ Swiss Alps – a place that’s not only hammered to hell and back from the sheer volume of traffic it receives every Summer, but it’s also a place where trail maintenance is few and far between… Handy being Scout’s second home!

Can you give us a little background information on Ti-Springs and why you decided to start the company?
Until just recently, I’ve been buying and selling new and used bike parts as a part time job. Dealing with bike parts everyday, spending hours on the computer and then riding bikes every weekend has allowed me to constantly stay ”in the know”. I know the right people, what’s in trend, what people want and very importantly, what price people are happy to pay for things… I realised that riders are keen to save weight on their already heavy downhill bikes, even if it means spending a bit to do so. I also realised that over the last couple of years, there has been a distinct lack of titanium springs available to buy anywhere. After some digging, I also realised why…

Despite titanium being one of the most abundant materials in the Earth’s crust, there’s also an incredibly high demand for it and the extraction process is not cheap at all. Vast amounts of titanium are being used in the aerospace industry and also to make weapons… This has meant smaller manufacturers are unable to afford titanium or justify running smaller operations, hence the lack of available titanium springs over the last couple of years. It wasn’t easy, but with a lot of searching around, emails and phone calls, I finally managed to find a manufacturer overseas who had a decent supply of raw material and was able to meet my requirements… Ti-Springs is currently the number one place in the world for titanium springs, and priced at just £110 each including free postage worldwide you can understand why; titanium springs are now an affordable upgrade for almost any rider who owns a coil sprung full suspension mountain bike!

Tell us more about the springs – it’s crazy how you’ve managed to offer them at such a great price?
All the springs are made from high quality Grade 5 Titanium. The same material used by other titanium spring brands like Nukeproof and RCS. Grade 5 Titanium is the ideal choice of material as it’s low density, strong and of course affordable.

The springs are available in almost every size and weight, with the choice of 36.5mm ID and 38mm ID, the springs fit pretty much every shock on the market. What’s special about our Ti Springs is that we offer them in 0.25lbs increments  – something that no one else currently offers on the market and a great option as you’d be surprised how many riders are actually between the standard 50lb increments. This is a real bonus, as it means every rider can get the perfect spring for their bike! When running a Ti Spring you will save a noticeable amount of weight, in some cases as much as 0.5lbs! The springs come straight from the factory, and I order in bulk, add to that I run the business really efficiently, reducing costs where possible, so you can begin to understand how I’m able to offer Ti Springs at such a great price!

Titanium springs are without doubt the iceing on the cake when it comes to DH bikes – you don’t need one, but don’t lie about not wanting one! They look awesome and scream ‘factory’ from every angle! Of course the main reason Ti Springs are so beneficial, is the amount of weight they save – 222 grams on the Evil Undead over the stock steel spring. With DH bikes weighing on average around 40lb’s and considering a lighter bike is a faster bike, well, what’s £110 on a bike worth more than most people’s cars and with such a good weight saving, it makes sense…

Okay, I know you like your bikes ‘Factory’ – what are you running this year?
My downhill bike for this year is once again a Santa Cruz V10 Carbon. I truly believe that this is the best downhill bike on the market; it rides brilliantly, is really fast and really light too! I’m running Fox suspension up front with a firm titanium spring, a Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock with a 375lbs x 3” Ti Spring in 8.5” mode. I’m also running spring bearings front and rear to increase the small bump sensitivity of the suspension – both of which are also available from Ti-Springs.com. I also like to run my bike pretty long and slack as I’m a tall guy – the bigger the better. I run my forks pretty hard as I find it’s much better when riding at high speed on rough tracks – especially those in Europe. I also like to run about 30% sag out back as well.

I’m a firm believer in good bike setup, particularly suspension, which is key. It’s crazy how many riders out there with bikes costing thousands who simply don’t have a clue when it comes to setting up their suspension! You don’t have to understand every aspect, but there is help and information out there to assist… There also another answer – data logging… I’d really recommend booking a data logging session if you can – Jim at J-TECH Suspension will get your bike dialled in perfectly using a computer to understand how your suspension is performing when you ride it and setup your suspension accordingly.

Aside from Ti-Springs, are you still buying and selling bike parts?
Last year I took the decision to move to France with my parents. It’s been a good move for riding, weather and having a good time, but unfortunately it has meant that it’s no longer feasable to run ‘The Mountain Bike King’ website. The general logistics of running the business – especially costs, make it no longer worth my while. Add to that the astonishing prices that major online retailers such as ChainReactionCycles are able to offer,and on brand new items I might add, you can understand why… This does have it’s benefits though – It gives me a lot more free time out on the bike to ride, and it means I can be more focused and driven to expand Ti-Springs. I have already worked with a few companies to get hold of spring bearings and shock bushings to sell alongside Ti Springs – something I’m pretty excited about.

Jim Smith with his Ti’d up Demo-8 and some fancy v10’s including Scout’s old Syndicate number – before Scout decided to start Ti-Springs.com, you’d be looking at over £200 a pop for a ti spring for your bike and that’s if you could find one… We’re not the only ones intrigued to see what Scout does next!

So, looking ahead, what’s next for Ti-Springs?
I’m planning to keep on extending the product range. Obviously the main products are of course Ti Springs, but I want to offer items of similar use and value to riders looking for an edge. Spring bearings, bushings and Marsh Guards to name a few right now, but I’m just going to keep on expanding things, and see how it goes really!

Living on the other side of the Channel has it’s perks as far as the terrain is concerned, so what are your riding plans for this year?
This year should be a good one! I’ve got an apartment booked with some friends for the whole of July in La Massana, Andorra (Vallnord). I really can’t wait to ride there – it really does look sick and I’ve been told it will blow my old stomping ground of Morzine away. I’ll also be there when the WC comes to town, so it should be good! Summer is pretty long here in France – I will have access to chairlift assisted riding until the end of September, so I’m pretty lucky really. I really want to spend a winter in New Zealand though, but depending on funds I might just have to settle for sunny Spain, Haha!

It’s a hard life mate! Thanks for your time Scout, anyone you would like to thank?
I’d like to thank my friends for their constant support and feedback, Jim at J-TECH Suspension for always answering any questions I have and also to everyone who has bought a Ti Spring from me – I thank you for your business. See you on the trails!

For more information on Ti-Springs.com or to get one for yourself, hit the logo below!

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