I picked up this first year 1998 Litespeed Tuscany frame - 59 cm - sans fork last year. Ragged decals were removed and the frame was given the full rehab treatment with progressive cuts of 3M abrasive pads. Looks near new now. I showed the frame to a frame-builder friend (http://cyscocycles.com) who worked for Litespeed for a number of the early years. He said this frame is likely built from Sandvik tubing, apparently high purity stuff and a relative rarity anymore considering that Chinese titanium production is more readily and economically available. It's possible he built this very frame back in the day. Cool.

The fork is an Edge repainted by local whizkid painter Jamie White. Various French, Italian, Japanese and American custom bits from 3 decades make up the rest. Titanium seat post (Campy), titanium stem (Litespeed).

Of particular note is the one-off titanium crank set. It was apparently built by Garrie Hill, a prominent figure in the human-powered transportation movement. http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/barr...cudaplans2.htm
I have some pics of the cranks before installation if anyone is interested.

As usual, the build finally takes place when a pleasing and harmonious critical mass of parts is accumulated. No great preconceived notions about how the final thing should look. Everything was stripped to the bone for super detailed, optimum C&V performance rebuild. Adjustments for fit and test rides are yet to come.

Cheers,

J