Mosaic's MT-1 Is Proof America Knows How to Build a Titanium Mountain-Tamer

Founded in 2006, Mosaic started out by challenging limitations that the market was experiencing. Basing their bicycle designs around the rider, each bike is carefully hand-crafted to ensure that the buyer receives exactly what they asked for. To top it all off, this crew also works with a material known to be tricky in its application, but if successful, yields a strong and light bike that won’t just offer one heck of a ride, but turns heads as your fly down the street, titanium.

The wonder before you today is known as the MT-1, a titanium-tubed hardtail mountain bike meant to give riders a solid MTB experience. Not only does the MT-1 use titanium in its build, but its geometry is one designed to satisfy multiple frame styles, from aggressive to cross country to mountain hardtail; an all-around-ready frame. To top it all off, it’s suitable for both 27.5-inch and 29-inch tires.

Now, as I mentioned the tubing is straight up titanium, so you can expect a bike that’s supposed to be twice as strong as aluminum but with half the weight of steel. To add even more spice to the mix, titanium is very non-corrosive.

If you question the use of titanium in bike production, don’t because some titanium bikes have a lifespan that sometimes exceed the life of their owner or rider. Now, just so you can have a clear understanding of what sort of bike this is, know that some dealerships and bike shops sell these puppies at upwards of $7,000 (€5,979 at current exchange rates) or more, depending on the components equipped. For that price, my bike better outlive my 33-year-old butt.

Looking closely at the frame you’ll also see several water-bottle mounts. These can easily be replaced with different tool kits in order to turn your MT-1 into a bike-packing machine. However, to do more than just work with the front triangle, you can always use a different fork, usually a suspension-less one that includes rack mounts. Speaking of fork, the manufacturer’s website makes no mention of what sort of fork is on the front of this puppy, leading me to believe that you just may have a choice in what you get when you pay up.

As for a drivetrain on this sucker, again, Mosaic makes no mention except that you can add either a mechanical or a Di2 (Digital Integrated Intelligence) operated drivetrain. Whatever your choice of drivetrain, you will have to follow but one rule, that of choosing a 1x drivetrain; not a problem considering this machine is meant to help you climb and climb.

All brake and shifting cables follow an external cable routing setup, but again, no mention of what sort of brakes you may find on the MT-1, further sustaining the belief that this bike is the kind you buy through a process of complete customization. If it’s going to last you a lifetime, might as well make it your dream bike.

If there’s a trend that I’ve been able to see in recent years is that manufacturers are starting to invest quite a bit in creating a bicycle that stands apart from all others. Whether this is done through design, choice in materials, or both, I feel we’ll be seeing more and more bikes constructed from all sorts of viable metals and fibers. So hang on because it’s going to be one creative ride.