Lemond Clark Kent Titanium MTB w/ full Campy
 

I've just acquired an interesting titanium mountain bike, a Lemond Clark Kent dressed in full Campagnolo MTB, minus the killer pedals. Any one can tell me something about it? I've attached a photo of it (check out the double bullhorn Scott bars).

Thanks,
DG1

Forgot to mention the rigid titanium fork and the other odd fact: It's never been ridden NOS. I've never seen another bike like this....

A truly rare find. That looks to be the Icarus group from maybe 1993? Post some more parts pictures, and I can identify it more exactly. Any Campy offroad group is rare, though. And the frame is a really nice piece, too. Don't tell us you found it at Salvation Army or something...

No Salvation Army luck on this, I paid real money for it. What would you like photos of?

nice! are you positive that the fork is also titanium? it looks kinda skinny for a ti fork. it looks great. :-)

are you going to ride it or hang it on the wall?

I'm fighting the temptation of riding it. It's only unridden for however long that first crank revolution takes. OTOH, it seems such a shame to hang it on the wall. Maybe I should just get rid of it before I fall in love. Not positive on the fork, but will magnet test it later.

DG1

Wow!! Cool bike.

Very clearly an Icarus group...just under Record OR. it ain't gonna do anyone any good as a wall-hanger. Just don't do any major hucks. You can fireroad it forever without damage (put some skisaver under the downtube and along the chainstay to keep the rocks away). Or, if you can't stand it, I'll be happy to break it in for you...

I'm old enough that I don't even know what a huck is. I promise never to do a major one.

I'll tell you all what I've learned about the bike so far:

It was made in either 91 or 92, as best as I can figure (Just before the changeover from Lemond as a standalone company, later merged with Trek) and the titanium frames were all made by a company called Clark Kent. Two of the CK welders went on respectively, to found Independant Fabrications and the other, to work at Merlin as a senior welder. Obviously CK frames were well thought of.

Very few of the MTB titaniums were made because of high retail and the assumption that Lemond bikes were never really thought of as major in the MTB marketplace. This bike was probably a second year attempt at gaining an identity and probably sold as an all purpose, cross bike, hence the Scott wraparound bar that gives a triathlete style riding position as well as the standard, flat-bar one, with a bullhorn extra thrown in. It's fairly light (around 23lbs) and I have no idea how it rides, though the stem length is perfectly ridiculous and will almost surely have to be dealt with before I even consider riding this.

Every part on the bike is Campagnolo, probably Icarus entirely (though I'm still trying to source better photos of the Record OR crankset to see if it's a mix), with the exception of the stem and the bar (and probably the spokes and the tires, duh).

Is there anyone out there whom knows more? Pray tell! I'll appreciate it.

Luker, thanks for the help but you can't ride this bike. At least not until I decide that it's for riding and not for some Lemond museum somewhere...

thanks for putting something original and not a run of the mill Surly.

Much as I hate to say it, I think that bike ought to be used as wall art. If it had already been ridden, had a few scratches, etc., I'd say different. But that's a very rare find indeed, and to be so pristeen........Cool, cool bike, congrats. There's plenty of other nice old mtb's you can ride. Just my .02-

I was afraid that someone would agree that it should be a display piece. If it comes to that, I'm going to have to sell it. No wall to hang it on. That said, it's not absolutely pristeen. There's a few paint marks attributed as 'shop wear', no dirt anywhere though and zero wear on braking and drivetrain.

In the meantime, I found a thread over on the MTB review that details a frame identical to mine (except mines an 18"). Thread says it's a Litespeed! Every reference I've read elsewhere cites an exclusive deal Clark Kent had with Lemond to build all of their Titanium frames and that this lasted until Trek bought Lemond. Anyone have the word? Maybe someone from Litespeed can chime in?

List price was $4500 in 92 build was customer choice of XT or Record OR. No mention of Icarus as an option. Fork is a Ritchey steel and, sadly, not titanium.

DG1

dannyg1, if you are going to ride it, then I hope it is a Litespeed because Clark Kent though rare, is not exactly known for quality.

As for shopwear, as long as it has not been ridden, and within reason, is still NOS and is alot more collectible than an almost new bike. That is the problem for me as well. When it is a nice bike, sometimes I wish it has been used so that I can use it. When it is in such pristine condition, I would find it a shame to ride it (think of a NOS 10th Anniversary Fat Chance, or a Mountain Goat Deluxe fillet-brazed with a killer paintjob, or a NOS Ritchey Commando. You get the idea).

Did you check if the fork is also titanium or steel?

The catalog that I'm looking at is a '93, but the crank is distinctive, with the arm ending in a smooth radius, offset from the chainring - that is Icarus. The record had four arms, like the road Record. The Icarus brakes had smooth caps, like the ones on your bike, and Record OR had adjuster flats on the brake caps. The shifters and brake levers look to be the same in the catalog...the rear derailleurs were different: the record has but one exposed pivot bolt, while the icarus has a pivot bolt at each end of the parallogram body. I can't tell from your picture which one this is.

It won't bring $4500, I think, but it'll bring a bundle, if you decide to sell it. If you eBay it, run it in both mountain bike and road bike at the same time - there are lots of roadies who'd pay large dollars to own this. And...I can't afford it, so I don't have a dog in this race.

Oh that is just too freaking cool. I really need to stop coming to these forums, since I have bad problems with the emotion of envy, and my bike lust is never sated. In other words-Nice bike!

Thanks Mr. Pistofferson!

Fork is steel. Ritchey ends so I'm figuring a Ritchey fork. Magnet sticks. Damn!

Nice Ride
 

I was a huge fan of Clark Kent bikes in the '80s and '90s before they went under. If I remember right they were building all of Lemond's bikes for a few years (they might have even been the first builder of them). I like the long geometry and uber stiff rear triangle of their frames. I've had a few Cro Mo Clark Kent mountain bikes over the years and rode with many guys who had Titanium. Neat bikes!

Yours is fantastic with the campy groupo! What a cool oddball bike! Congrats!

Back in those days I think McMahon and maybe Interloc were the only ones making a Ti fork

once again, some cross-pollination from mtbr.com. The wishbone rear stays and the two little holes in the rear dropouts say that this is actually a litespeed built in the early '90's. Cool, huh?

Luker can you tell me which model Litespeed this bike would be equivalent to?

Lemond Clark Kent Titanium MTB w/ full Campy
 

Still might be a Clark Kent and not a Light Speed. The guys at CK were making all of their MTN frames (steel and Ti) with wishbone stays and similar dropouts. Looks similar though - either way you have a damn fine example of Mountain Bike history.

I dunno, dude. Read the thread and decide for yourself...

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=127043

oh. hey, wait. You already did. Here I am again. What was that moderator's comment about? didja try to sell something over there?

I think the moderator thought it was gonna be a "does anyone want to buy it"
result in the thread.
Who knows what moderators think. . . .

marty