Titanium frame owners, especially Litespeed, I’d like to hear your thoughts on your bike. In particular, how many miles/years do you have stacked on it, and have you ever experienced any frame issues / warranty claims. I have had poor luck with frames, on the 3rd Giant TCR Al frame (1 cracked/warranted, 1 LBS dented it), and just discovered a dent in the top tube of my P2K.
I’m not seriously shopping, just seeing whats out there. My needs for a road bike are durability, long training sessions (no crits/racing), solid bike up and down hills, and does not need to be aero. Want a reliable rig that will be the last one I buy and I want it looking good years later. Cost is something I’d like to keep < $4k for a Ti bike (new).
I keep going back to considering Ti. Currently only ride Al frames on an old, non-inspiring, vanilla, Giant. My biggest concern with Litespeed, whether its founded or not, is the customer service/support/warranty.
For sure it will be a brushed no paint finish; paint/surface chips in steel/alum/carbon look crappy after a year or two of hard riding which this will see. I understand Ti as a material is supposed to be more durable, but at these thin walled thicknesses, thats hard to accept. As a materials engineer (though don’t work with Ti much) I have my concerns.
The Siena is at the top of the list and if I happen to find $1k in my couch, the Icon would be the second choice. 3Al / 2.5V is fine enough for me.
Can’t say a whole lot as I’ve only got a 20 year old aluminum Trek to compare it to, but I bought an '05 Saber online for about $2200 closeout. Ride 225-235#.
Bought 9/06, over 4300 miles last year, closing in on 2500 this year, no frame issues whatsoever, so can’t talk to customer service/warranty.
I wanted a frame that would last as long as I wanted it to.
Got that “new bike” smell this year by taking the decals off and running it naked. My only issue is the “bosses” that you screw the cage onto have become a bit loose and rattle a little when flexed.
As I said, little to compare it to, but I used to come off 80 mile rides feeling beat up, not on this bike.
what the hell are you doing to your bikes? I understand the non-inspiring part, but properly cared; a frame shouldn’t chip or dent whether it is steel, aluminum, carbon or Titanium.
Do you use a car rack quite a bit? stack up all your bikes in the garage where they fall over a lot?
Have had a LS tuscany for many years, well over 25,000 miles. Have crashed it a couple of times and generally take poor care of it. Always looking for a good reason to get something else and when I compare it to the tuscany, just never makes any sense. The bike is bomb proof. Love it and can not think of anything I would change with it.
I own a 2003 Litespeed Saber that was “remodeled” in the winter of 2006-fitted with new bars/decals, etc. by Rich Ducar’s shop in Illinois and the bike is great. Not a mark on it, light, tough, not a single problem. Looks better now than when I bought it.
I also own a Merlin (ABG) road bike bought in August of 2006. I know all of us feel this way about what we ride, but I feel titanium is the way to go.
I am also considering a LS Sienna. My brother has a Tuscany and loves it. You can get a frame and a build kit for the Sienna for under 3800 with full ultegra. I have read a lot on the web about TI and think I will probably go that way as well. Interested to see what the TI owners have to say.
Rode a 6/4 Litespeed Vortex as my main trainer/road race machine for a while. Great bike that I probably shouldn’t have parted with. Put new decals on every year to spruce it up (Litespeed’s decals are NOT very durabe, unlike their bikes). VERY easy to care for. Sold on e-bay for quite a premium too I must say.
Having said that, I’m pretty easy on bikes (despite 6K +/year on various ones) at 155 lbs. and I routinely clean, re-cable, maintain, etc. If durable is what you are looking for (and that nice Ti ride) then Litespeed is among the very best at welding them (and that is where they can/will fail).
I’ve had a LS Ghisallo for 3 years and I love it. 2 wrecks, but no marks at all on the frame, even though last wreck I went over the handlebars, front wheel came off and handlebars broke. Only blemish is the decals are getting a little weathered. The ride is much smoother than my old(1999) Trek 5500. I’ve never had to deal with customer service.
I had an '04 Saber with DuraAce and I absolutely loved that bike. It was fast, light, great ride. I put thousands of miles on it and it took me to Kona. I had to give it up when I joined the ZOOT Ultra team as Scott is our bike sponsor. I love my new Scott Plasma, but still think that Saber was awesome. Better yet, i sold it for about 10% less than what I bough it for 2 years earlier. It really held its value.
I’ve got an old 1991 Marin Team Titanium (made by Litespeed) MTB that I raced hard for many years, crashed hard many times and still ride now when I get out on the trails. I’ve had zero issues with the frame in all this time. It still rides very nicely and is a very comfortable bike. If I had the money, I’d be racing a ti tri bike now without hesitation.
Going on my 9th year with a LS Tachyon. Love it. Can’t tell you how many miles, but it has been through 2 Ironmen with me. Has also been hit by cars twice and there isn’t a dent on it. I’m now in the process of deciding whether to buy a new bike or rebuild this one with new components, wheels, etc. because it’s been so great. I’m just concerned about the 650 wheels and the older component set (9 speeds). Anyone have thoughts?
You might surmise from my handle that I’m somewhat partial to Ti, and Litespeed in particular. I’ve had my Ultimate since '01 (bought new) and she’s got ~3K miles on her. Issues w/ the frame? Zero. Crashes? 1, low speed - rear slid out from under me on a corner, but no major damage. I generally go 170-180 lbs and I’ve bunny-hopped my share of potholes and roadkill with nary a complaint from my bike. If you want an example of LS customer service, here’s my only experience: my tri bike is an '06 Saber (which I love). About 6 weeks after I got it, I began to notice an annoying creak that I just couldn’t isolate. Turns out that the seatpost collar was not completely bonded within the seat tube and the entire part was loose. Took it to my LBS who contacted LS. Sent the bike to them and they replaced the entire frame, no questions asked. If you want a ride that’ll last, I can’t recommend Ti highly enough. It’s comfortable for the long haul, plenty stiff where it counts and no worries about getting caught in the slop. Below are a couple of shots of my Ultimate following a winter make-over. Stripped it down to the frame and shined it up with some fine steel wool, added some updated decals and went 10-speed. To see it up close, you’d never know it wasn’t fresh off the LBS floor. Just my opinion, but I’m sold on Ti and Litespeed. The Sienna and Tuscany are excellent choices - I don’t think you could go wrong with either.
I own a '04 Vortex and a '04 Tiphoon. Hands down the best bikes I have ever owned. In the past, I have owned aluminum, steel and carbon bikes but these ti bike are by far the best riding. The bikes are also durable and have a unique ride quality. You can’t go wrong with ti.
I have Ti. Not a Litespeed though. Bought a Roark a couple years ago. They do custom frames at a very competitive cost. I highly recommend them. Nothing against LS, they make great stuff too but Roark’s the way I went.
For the life of me I’m not sure. I treat all my bikes with pretty good care and I’m only 6’1" 175# and 5-7%BF so by no means am I a beast. Honestly, I think its bad luck more than anything else with the LBS denting one, one happening in transition, and only one I cracked that was under warranty.
Thanks for all the responses. I’m sure there are many anecdotal stories on LS. I’d like to hear especially from those who have had to go to ABG/Litespeed for warranty work/replacement for their frames. From the signs of it its rare, but surely some have had to go down that road.
The Siena is at the top of the list and if I happen to find $1k in my couch, the Icon would be the second choice. 3Al / 2.5V is fine enough for me.
Thanks!
For what it’s worth, I own a Siena and it is absolutely the best all around road bike I’ve ever owned. Extremely comfortable ride. I’ve used mine for lots of long training rides, raced about 10 crits on it and have done a couple hill climb TTs. If you want one do it all road bike for training, centuries, occaisional races, etc. that would be on my short list. I love the fact that there is no paint to chip and Ti is just cool looking.
I’ll add that I also own a 2008 Cervelo Soloist Carbon, which I like a lot and although it’s a better race bike, if I could only own one bike for the type of riding you describe, I’d keep the Siena.
My daily driver is an '04 Litespeed Ultimate, with shaped carbon seat stays. Came with full Dura Ace 10 speed and Mavic Ksyriums. Didn’t have good luck with the Real Design forks and now use a Reynolds Ouzo Pro. Have changed bars, stems, cranks. More than 20,000 miles on the frame. A great ride. I would buy another titanium frame, but would probably go with a different company. Nothing against Litespeed, just like to try new bikes.
