Litespeed Tachyon?

Hello all

I’m new to this forum but have been ‘lurking’ in the background for a few weeks.

Anyway, I’m in the market for a bike so I can get into triathlon (i’ve been running and swimming for years) but I know nothing about cycling or bikes so i’m hoping for some help in chosing my ride.

My initial search has brought me to a 2004 Litespeed Tachyon 51 that I looked at today - Ebay link: (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/...899#ebayphotohosting)
I didn’t get to ride it as i just had a quick look while on lunch but I can ride it tomorrow morning if I want to go back with running shoes.

The add is all in German (I live in Switzerland at the moment) but the spec is:

26-inch Litespeed Tachyon 51 cm
carbon fork Kestrel
Flite saddle
Syntace triathlon handlebar
Mavic training wheels 650
Karbon Spinergy race wheels
Ultegra 8-speed cassette
Dura Ace gears
bike case included (new price $400)

Its in very good condition and seems very well maintained by the current owner but i have some questions before moving on it.

At 5’8" what size frame should i be looking for?
Is the price (appx $1,000) reasonable for a bike of this type/spec?
If I look at the bike again what questions should I ask before bidding?

What do ye reckon, does it seem like a good deal for a first bike if it fits me?

Thanks in advance!
Andrew

My only comment is it’s more likely to be a 1994 than a 2004 model.

According to their catalogs, in '98, they went with reduced radius seat stays. In 2000, they seemed to have replaced the tachyon with the saber and then brought it back in 2005.

Oh, and the 8-speed cassette dates it as well.

agree that it is probably not an '04. Mine (very similar to what you describe and what is shown in the listing) was labeled as a 98 when I bought it a few years ago. I’d agree that the one you are looking is much closer to that than it is '04. Don’t think that Litespeed was putting drop bars and STI on Tachyon/Sabre/Blade that late. Also think they had already gone to 9-speed cassettes by then. The asking price on the one you are looking at may be a bit high, but it’s within 20% of what I’d think is a good deal.

I have and ride a Litespeed Tachyon. Love it. I bought mine from ebay several years ago for about $900 U.S Dollars. Described as a '98. Did not get the training wheels or the wheel bag you describe. Have a 54cm frame, spynergy Rev-x 650 wheels, and Ultegra 9-spd drive train. the one I bought had a regular road/drop bar and ultegra STI shifters. Last season I upgraded to a base bar, carbon extensions, and bar end shifters. I put a $20 aerodrink and a $20 aqua rack on it and have a race ready bike that I hope will carry me through my first IM this year for about $1200.

Love the durable titanium (frankly, the age of the frame is almost immaterial). Love the aero wheels (although many here hate the Rev-x’s because of some failures they’ve reported). Love the 79 degree seat tube angle and agressive position. It’s plenty fast, never holding me back (in fact, I am certian that I am the limiting factor-not it). It posted a bike split in the top three of the last two local club tris (200-300 entries). I’m not sure you need the training wheels, I’ve ridden the Rev-X’s day in and day out for four years, even when I was 30 pounds heavier than I am now.

Don’t love the fact that 650 wheels aren’t more common. I like them, and think they are fast, but you’ll have trouble finding tires, tubes, wheels for them. I am getting tired of defending them to the “why don’t you ride a cervelo like me” crowd. It’s not terribly light (at about 19.5 lbs. in a 54cm) by today’s $5000 bike standards but neither am I (at about 174 in a 5’10" frame). I need to lose ten pounds before I can complain about it being three pounds too heavy.

It’s a very solid tri bike on which you could race for several years. Make sure the wheels are the reinforced version (with rivets at the spoke/wheel juncture). Make sure the frame is not cracked or bent (unlikely unless someone ran over it with a truck). And make sure you can live with 650s, but if all of those are true, you’ll probably be getting a pretty good deal on a great (if dated) bike.

Not sure about the size, though. I’m 5’10" and long femured on a 54cm. I probably should be on a 56, but my LBS has stretched this out as best they could to accommodate me. I would think that a 54 might fit you better.

Good luck. PM me with any questions. Jim