Need advise on a Litespeed purchase
 

Hey guys, so I am pretty sure I am going to get a 2001 Litespeed Tuscany with Ultegra group, Mavic Ksyrium SL ssc wheelset, thompson elite seatpost and 3t bars. What would be considered a fair price for this bike in good, ready to roll condition? Thanks

Hard to say. I would pay well north of $1k since Ti frames (excepting the ghisallo) last a long time and you'll get lots of use from that bike. But OTOH there's not much of a market for those bikes anymore so it's hard to value them. The frame by itself is probably worth at least $500.

Personally, if it were in "like new" condition, with new tires, chain, etc. I could see myself paying closer to $2K for it. For a bike that was neglected $1K is more reasonable but I would rather pass in that case.

I would say " it depends."

READY TO ROLL can mean a lot of things. Any dents or damage to the frame? Whats the condition of the components (i.e. how much mileage does it have)? It may "roll" but if not cared for, the parts would need replacement sooner than later, especially the drivetrain -chain, cassette, and chainrings.

I dont often see pre-owned complete Ti bikes going for less than $1k. They seem to hold their value well, or maybe their owners as a generalization take care of them better.

Ok thanks a bunch for your help guys, much appreciated.

I was able to score the bike for $825 and everything is mint and working perfectly! Needless to say I am a happy camper :)

Awesome score! :thumb:

Post pics.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262753http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262754http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262755http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262756http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262757http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262758http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262759

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262760http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=262761These are the sellers photos, I have since removed the spacers from under the stem and put them on top, flipped the stem over, removed water bottle holders, replaced the saddle with a sella italia SLR, removed mountain bike pedals and detailed everything. I will take and post photos tomorrow.

Congratulations! I was thinking just earlier today that I might have been better off getting a Tuscany, rather than the Classic that I purchased in 2000. Still, it's a great bike and I certainly can't complain!

More relevant to your case, you may want to inspect the back of the fork, up near where the "crown" is painted. I had a fork that was similar, but not exactly the same as yours. On my fork, the paint developed some cracks on the back-side of the blades. Even though the bike had not been crashed, and the cracks were probably just in the paint due to the fork flexing, I replaced my fork just to be on the safe side.

I am not trying to be an alarmist, and it probably doesn't apply to you, but you might want to check that area just to be sure. I hope you enjoy the bike, and I'm looking forward to the updated pictures. Congratulations again!

Wow. $825 for that is a steal. Great work! Enjoy the bike.

Thank you! I was actually really interested in the classic model as well, what exactly do you not like about it? I just checked my fork and there are no cracks in the paint, thanks for the heads up though!

awesome deal!
I just recently purchased a 2004 Litespeed Tuscany frameset with extras (headset, bb and fca carbon crankset) for a little more than you paid for your complete, so kudos!

I would've thought $1000 would have been reasonable...

Congrats on a great bike for an excellent price!

PS.

Titanium bikes are suppose to last for at least a hundred years....

How can you determine rate of depreciation from that little statistic?

Photos can be seen here: http://s1150.photobucket.com/albums/o613/chadawebster/ Let me know what you think!

Dang, that puppy is in great shape! :thumb:

Good to hear about the fork!

The Classic is a fine bike, I really don't have any complaints so much as preferences. The biggest one is that the Classic has a 1" steerer tube, which is dated technology and limits my choices of replacement forks. Occasionally I wish for a stiffer frame, but the Classic also has a very smooth, comfortable ride, so there's always a trade off, I guess!

I hope you enjoy the Tuscany, and get many miles of happy use!

Ok so the changes I have planned so far include getting a shorter, more agressive stem (maybe thomson elite), cutting the fork down, getting either ultegra pedals to match the group or look carbon ti, replacing the chain soon, and upgrading the tires when the time comes for that. I might also swap the 175mm crranks to something a little shorter. Any other suggestions to improve performance/reduce weight?

Around here that would only get you a frame. :(

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/bik/3151746569.html

Does anyone know if this year has a 1 inch steerer or a 1&1/8th?

Not to go off topic, found it funny you said this, I LOVE my litespeed classic, but had exact feeling about the 1" steerer tube, so I updated to a sweet lynskey R230

Pretty sure it's 1-1/8" , you could pull the stem and measure a spacer or go to the litespeed web site, contact us and ask them about it, they just need the serial, they can tell you the size, year made and any other info

Great purchase... been looking for a cheap Ti... The search continues

Well done!

Is steerer tube really that big a deal? It's not easy to find 1" forks anymore but it is possible. Wound up will still make you one, for example. Also a fork, barring some damage, should last the life of the bike, so, why get rid of the bike if the fork doesn't need replacing?

The only reason I am asking is because
I am replacing the stem with a Thomson 100mm 17 degree and wanted to know if I will need a shim or not. No plans to replace the bike, possibly the fork in the future to lose some weight thought

Your correct and it really isnt a big deal, ritchey still makes A nice enough carbon /aluminum fork, think the weight is around 550 grams.. I just got a bug up my arse about wanting full carbon and lighting the front end up an couldn't easily do it.. certainly not nessecsary, I had the weight at 17.5 and it rode/handled awesome