Litespeed Tuscany
 

Anyone have info on the Litespeed Tuscany? I have always liked the looks and am about to purchase one. Thanks

I have a 2000 Litespeed Tuscany. Here's a photo from a couple of days ago: https://www.bikeforums.net/22136087-post17464.html

It's one of my favorite daily riders, handles predictably in most situations (not a strong criterium race bike), and fueled my desire for more than one Litespeed.
It's very comfortable and quiet. Long rides are wonderful. You can feel the road, but not any fatiguing vibrations.
And how can anyone not like a bike made in Chattanooga, TN, USA!

All of the Tuscanys through 2001 are solid bikes that handle well.
I've refurbished and sold 4 other Tuscanys through 2003 and have a 55cm in the queue now.
The only downside to this bike was in 2002 - 2004 (2005?) when Litespeed sold that model with an integrated head tube design that served as headset cups for the bearings.
Some, but certainly not all, of those bikes had headset adjustment issues. Buyer beware those years.

I had a 1999 Tuscany (purchased new) that had an alignment issue with the rear triangle. It was noticibly off center and verified by a shop - ended up with a refund. I liked the ride quality and it fit me perfectly. I felt that the fame was a little soft and didn't transfer as well power well as steel. But it was comfy.

I also had a Tuscany, until it was sadly stolen. Mine was the standard headset type, not the integrated which to me was a downgrade. In the 55cm size like I had the tube sizes were nice and made for a firm ride but not jarring, with a fairly firm bottom bracket when sprinting. Some other Litespeeds of the era had more bells and whistles but to me the Tuscany was the best do-all frame of the lot.

"Power transfer" is a myth. If frame flex wasted power, your frame would get hot when you sprint. It doesn't.

Unless it affects handling, which can happen at either extreme, frame stiffness is not a factor in bicycle performance. It's a matter of preference, nothing more.

--Shannon

NB: Preferences are fine and good things, and there's no arguing about matters of taste. But that's all it is.

To each their own but to me a flexy bottom bracket detracts from the enjoyment of sprinting on a particular frame. No comment on "power transfer."

Perhaps an incorrect word choice on my part.

Since I couldn't detect any heat coming off the frame, I'll just say it was sluggish.

If a bike feels like a dog to you, it's a dog for you. Subjective preferences are real things, they just don't generalize. I once had a pair of the very popular Sun Rhyno Lite / Deore MTB wheels. I absolutely hated them. Dog-ass wheels that turned every bike I put them on into a dog-ass bike. I've had heavier wheels that didn't suck that bad. Most people liked 'em just fine.

The "frame flex wastes energy" thing is kind of a windmill for me. It's not true, it's never made any sense, and the bike industry has been flogging that equine corpse for most of my life. Those few who have ever dared to question it have been ruthlessly defenestrated by the rest of the industry... Keith Bontrager being the canonical example.

If it sounded like I was calling you out, that wasn't my intention, and I apologize.

--Shannon