Introductions - Hello!

Hello gang,

I'm so glad to find a forum to share bicycling experiences, thoughts, ideas, etc. with others! Like everyone else, I rode my bike to school and all over town when I was a kid in the Canal Zone (Panama Canal) and am now rediscovering the joys (anguish?) of riding as a means to staying healthy and enjoying the area I'm living in. As a middle aged and overweight guy who needs to learn to slow down and enjoy smelling the roses, I have found that bicycling helps me to do just that. I'm not likely to ever get involved in racing or any of that at my age, but I do enjoy the camaraderie of seeing other cyclists out on the roads too! My main interest is road biking, mostly with a Shimano equipped Litespeed Tuscany. My bike is a 1998 model and I too have found no source for replacement decals and Litespeed bar tape.

Regards,
Jefferito

Hello Jefferito, cycling is a lot of fun, not to mention a healthy activity. It sounds as if you have been lurking here for a while if you already know about trying to replace decals and bar tape :) .

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

Hello East,

Actually, I came upon the forum just today because I googled about the Litespeed Tuscany while trying to find out about the availability of Litespeed bar tape (no longer made) and decals (none older than 2-3 years) and the opinions of other owners about their various Litespeed bike models. As you might guess, I wound up here, so I joined! I can tell that I'll be here often in the future because of the wealth of information available.

Another subject that I'll be researching is how people perceive that local drivers act toward cyclists in various places. Unfortunately, bicyclists in the US are probably not as well tolerated by drivers as in other places around the world, particularly Europe, but there are some cities in the US which are very bike friendly. I'll be interested to read of other peoples thoughts on this. I can tell you that if I ride for an hour in my area, it's likely that at least one driver is going to scare me to death going way too fast and passing far too close! This is in a residential area with a 25 or 30MPH limit and not out on a busy boulevard.

Regards,
Jefferito

There are definitely some cities in the US which are more bike friendly. Where I live would appear to be one of the friendlier spots--it is extremely rare for me to have any kind of negative encounter with a motorist.

The Advocacy & Safety forum, and the Commuting forum will certainly supply you with anecdotal information. The Commuting forum is a bit less...confrontational :D .

East Hill

Hi East,

Yes, I was planning to look at those forums. I'll bet some of the stories will make my hair stand!

Regarding the bar tape and decals, I emailed Litespeed first (several weeks ago), of course, and was a little surprised to find that they were no longer available. In todays throw-it-away-buy-something-newer-and-better society, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at that. Just about every year recently Litespeed has made changes to the shapes and sizes of the tubes of practically every bike they make and even dropped some models, added others, and reinstated some previously dropped, so I also wonder about what I could expect regarding warranty replacement/repair of my nine year old frame if it ever has a problem. I do NOT like the new downslope frames that are now the rage among road bikes, but the Tuscany as I know it is now history! The decals have held up pretty well, but are now starting to chip, and I prefer that titanium be left unpainted, but I may have to just buy new decals that don't match. Mine are yellow and blue. I'll bet I could expect the same problems from LeMond...

Regards,
Jefferito

Perhaps you should just succumb to the lure of vintage steel bikes...:D .

Just a thought, but there may be someone over at the Classic & Vintage forum who can do decals for you if you really want them. Member JRrestore may be able to assist you if you send him a PM.

East Hill

Hi East,

Succumb to vintage steel you say? Well, the Colnago, LeMond and Schwinn are all steel bikes, but I reserve them for nice days! They are all too pretty to use for my fitness rides day in and day out! (LOL) If I ride them too much, the decals will start chipping just like the Litespeeds.

Anyway, they are all gorgeous bikes and I love them all, but the Tuscany gets most of the riding time. The Avocet saddle is starting to show its age too. I guess those are also hard to find.

Regards,
Jefferito

Hi East,

Succumb to vintage steel you say? Well, the Colnago, LeMond and Schwinn are all steel bikes, but I reserve them for nice days! They are all too pretty to use for my fitness rides day in and day out! (LOL) If I ride them too much, the decals will start chipping just like the Litespeeds.

Anyway, they are all gorgeous bikes and I love them all, but the Tuscany gets most of the riding time. The Avocet saddle is starting to show its age too. I guess those are also hard to find.

Regards,
Jefferito

There's a sticky in C & V called 'ISO/WTB'--I would imagine that many people could help you out getting a replacement for your Avocet, and probably not want much more than the cost of postage ;) .

See you over there!

East Hill