Road Cycling - Douglas 6/4

Has anybody tried the new douglas 6/4 bike. I looks good in the mag from Colorado Cyclist. It is supposed to be the same frame as the lightspeed Vortex, but cost less. Can I go wrong with this bike? Or would it be better to go with a Trek 5200?

I really havent heard anything about the Douglasses but their price is quite inviting. I would look into how they weld their titanium as the 6/4 part is easy to get, it is the craftmanship you are paying for.

Dang, looks like Litespeed's making the '02 Vortex for them, essentially. Same tubing profiles, though it's hard to tell what they did with the seat tube. Like I said, seems to be the 02 Vortex as it's not quite as manipulated as the newer models. That model Vortex rode pretty well, though a bit stiff relative to other Ti bikes (due to the 6/4 tubing and aggressive tubing manipulation). Seems like a deal to me, and I'd definitely go with that over the Trek (ride a 5200, a good steel bike, a Lemond steel/CF bike, and a good aluminum/CF bike). See what fits you best and what shop you're most comfortable with.

Was just in Colorado Springs this past week and tested the Precision Ti 6/4 at Colorado Cyclist.....an absolutely wonderful bike AND a perfect example of marketing....why pay 2,000$ more for the Litespeed when the Douglas (according to the sales rep...great guy) combined the best of the Tuscany with the Vortex....

Go with the Douglas IMHO....good luck!

Husker

Here's a little secret..... get the Douglas, acetone its decals, and replace them with Litespeed decals. My bad! ...... :rolleyes:

A friend of mine has the Douglas Fusion - Aluminum frame w/Reynolds carbon fork and rear stays + full Ultegra. Paid $1200. He loves it and I've tooled around on it and was very impressed with it's feel and value.

55/Rad

I think that Litespeed/Merlin etc makes most if not all of the "factory" Ti bikes made in the USA. If you look at the Macalu ads they clearly state made in Chattanooga Tennessee. The only bike factory in that town is Litespeed.

I think that Litespeed/Merlin etc makes most if not all of the "factory" Ti bikes made in the USA.

Probably correct. Macalu, Zion, Douglas all originate in the L factory. Does anybody know the logic behind this? Are these bikes made of 'redundant' tubes? Those that Litespeed no longer needs because they changed the design of their own models (hence the resemblance of a Douglas to the OLDer Vortex or the Zion to the former Arenberg)? Are these frames that did not make it through the quality control but are not bad enough to be thrown away?

I don't think that "Litespeed" would knowingly put a defective frame out on the market, even one of their unbranded ones. Think of the liability and all of the lawyers waiting for a pay day. My guess is that for the most part they are overstock and not as finished as most Litespeed/Merlin products are.

what douglas does with L tubes is no different than other industries.

did anyone know that Sam's Cola that you get in Wal-Mart is really RC Cola? (thats why WalMart doesn't sell RC Cola)

I'm getting a Specialized Allez Sport in 3-6 days(ordering it tomorrow), but i've thought about buying a Douglas if I get into road. The Douglas bikes seem to be a very good deal. I've ridden a few.

well if you're willing to ride 3/2.5 as oppsed to 6/4 you might want to check out http://www.xacd.com.cn I doubt anyone can touch their prices ($3-400 for a custom Ti frame)