RFC

Many of us have particular bikes for which we are on the lookout. Grail bikes, so to speak.

I have a thing for Ti and curved tubes. Thus, I have been watching for a 91-93 Litespeed Tachyon, Litespeed's early triathlon bike.

And here it is! It arrived yesterday. And last night, while the Halloweenies were roaming around, I built it up into a singlespeed with a CF fork. I'll get photos of the finished bike during my ride this afternoon.

RaleighSport

Sweet, can't wait to see the built pics.

Bianchigirll 

That will look great with some Tourney center pulls and Eagle / Thunderbird derailleurs.

RFC

Just a few quick photos of the Tachyon at dawn. This is a 100% bin parts build, but then I have way too many parts.

I did a 20 mile ride after dark last night. This is a fun bike!

The jury is still out on the Mavic pursuit bars. Great on the flats, but not so good for out of the saddle climbing.

Good weekend, All!

mapleleafs-13 

I like the rear drop outs on the frame. Curved tubes are always dope

Italuminium

That looks like a seriously fast bike. Love the wheelset too, have you build it yourself? what are those hubs?

repechage

I think that saddle is longer than most, but your knee HAS to be ahead of the pedal axle.

I do like the frame very much. I was quite unaware of bikes during this late late 80's early 90's era.

Wildwood 

Very nice for a throw-together. Something about Ti frames gives them the edge in the style category.
What is the stem?
With the unbadged frame the colorful fork is appealing. I've never ridden a Ti fork - what's the scoop?

repechage

The original fork shown with the frame was aluminum. There were a few French and Japanese brands that appeared very similar, not sure what it is.

I have a ti unicrown fork that rides pretty well. MY experience with Teledyne Titan forks was that when you applied the brake the wheelbase shrank 15 mm under hard braking, unnerving until you adapted to it.

WNG

Very interesting frame, wasn't aware of its existence. Thanks for sharing.
You have a very unique single speed creation.

RFC

Me too. That was something I was looking for. The 91 and 92 model have them. 93 goes to traditional dropouts.

RFC

Thanks. No, I haven't yet moved into wheel building. The wheelset came off of another C&V bike since gone. The front has a Mavic hub and the rear a Shimano.

RFC

Correct! The original fork is an Alu Sakae. The carbon fork I have used before on another build. Stiff and weighs 360 grams.

RFC

Thanks. About 50% of my annual miles are on SS. I presently have four. Recently, a friend, to whom I gave a SS, asked how many I have built. The answer is at least 14. Some went to friends and family, some sold and some converted back to gears. Interestingly, I have several male friends who are actively athletic, i.e., rowers, etc., and wanted to get back into cycling. I fixed them up with SS bikes and they love them. It's a great way to get a strenuous workout in a relatively short time. An hour busting ass on a SS will take care of you. When I ride with my 19-year-old son, he takes off like a rocket and we end up anaerobic and feeling it.

Last week, I was riding one of the SS bikes and started chatting with a guy on a CF Tri bike. He was training for the Tempe Ironman, which is in a couple of weeks. When he noticed I was riding SS, he said, "Singlespeed! That will make you strong! I know triathletes who ride single speed off season to get strong."

Wildwood 

I can absolutely believe a Ti fork would bend substantially. I rode some whippy early Ti frames, 59-60cm size range. My 190 lbs didn't like the early Litespeed touring model, and being a Tennesee boy I followed the evolution of their frames through various shaped tubes and short-lived models. Litespeed clearly investigated and productized innovative frame tubing. Many of the designs were only produced for a very few years.

RFC

I agree. Litespeed was heavily involved in Ti bike evolution. It's interesting to browse through the catalogs and see the changes to the Ultimate, Tachyon and Blade. You can't see it from the photos, but this Tachyon has an ovalized DT. Just look what Lynskey is doing now with twisted Ti tubing.

RFC

The stem is a Ti Specialized I had around.

WNG

I can understand the popularity around the Valley being relatively flat. A lighter overall build is simply icing on the cake.
I'm thinking of trying a SS build myself. I have an extra set of 700C wheels, if I can find an appropriate frame, it would make a nice change up to the two road bikes I currently have. The lack of miles this past year have taken its toll on my legs. Some anaerobic workouts would be beneficial.

KonAaron Snake 

It's different, that's for sure...and it's an interesting build. The seat tube sort of reminds me of Schwinn.

I've only ever seen two ti forks - CDM's Passoni and a friend's Panasonic...CDM opined that the price and difficulty in making a ti fork didn't justify the weight savings. There's a place in Seattle that makes them...I think it was pricey.

thinktubes 

Some early 1990s McMahon road and mountain bikes had Ti forks, before they switched to crabon or suspension.

RobbieTunes

Winter workout: 20 miles out on SS fixed, shred the legs. 20 miles back on flipfloppped freewheel, to recover. Increase the fixed, decrease the free, when you have gears you will think you've been blessed.

RFC

I wondered when I was going to hear from you. You've got it. On my informal workout routes, my average mph is almost always higher on SS than geared. Fixed and SS punish you for slowing down or loafing.

BTW, what kind of a setup are you using?

vitaly66

That seat tube has the most sinuous and sexy curve I have ever seen on a bike.

IthaDan 

Careful with that. They have a reputation to fail. I have a 140mm version in my parts in and I don't dare use it.

RFC

I have heard that. I wonder what the real failure rate is.