sylvain
BoTM Winner
Well it is after all exactly ten years since I bought this frame from Hot Point in Geneva ;-)
It's a '99 model. Rode it as a main xc bike until I started getting FS other bikes (it's done the Cristalp two or three times and some DHing in the Alps with a 120mm Psylo!), and tried to sell it a few years ago when I got the Ibis ti (it was on here for sale I think). I didn't want to give it away though, so with no valid offers consigned it to the "back of the sofa", knowing I would use it again one day. Since that time I think Litespeeds have never been that nice (tube shapes, dropouts, graphics, weight ...).
Now I got it scotch-brite polished and put on a new(er) set of decals and it looks like new (apart from the head badge ..). Yes, the decals are big, but I think I like them (I've got a few of the smaller ones spare if needs be). And yes, that's when you realise how much taper there is in the tubes, when trying to apply decals straight. Even the seat tube, which I hadn't realised before, is tapered down from 34.9mm at the mech, to 31.8 at the seat clamp.
Now, I'm not to sure how to build it - either for xc with the parts from the Ibis (as a repair in the US is likely to take a little while), XTR M950, 1st gen Sids and Crossmax, Ringlé ..), or as a commuting bike with parts from my current Zaskar LE (including purple Raleigh ti forks, which I could paint-strip if so), which is getting a bit tired (I commute 100+ miles a week so it's nice to have a good bike to do so!).
Some quick pics early this morning at sunrise
It's a '99 model. Rode it as a main xc bike until I started getting FS other bikes (it's done the Cristalp two or three times and some DHing in the Alps with a 120mm Psylo!), and tried to sell it a few years ago when I got the Ibis ti (it was on here for sale I think). I didn't want to give it away though, so with no valid offers consigned it to the "back of the sofa", knowing I would use it again one day. Since that time I think Litespeeds have never been that nice (tube shapes, dropouts, graphics, weight ...).
Now I got it scotch-brite polished and put on a new(er) set of decals and it looks like new (apart from the head badge ..). Yes, the decals are big, but I think I like them (I've got a few of the smaller ones spare if needs be). And yes, that's when you realise how much taper there is in the tubes, when trying to apply decals straight. Even the seat tube, which I hadn't realised before, is tapered down from 34.9mm at the mech, to 31.8 at the seat clamp.
Now, I'm not to sure how to build it - either for xc with the parts from the Ibis (as a repair in the US is likely to take a little while), XTR M950, 1st gen Sids and Crossmax, Ringlé ..), or as a commuting bike with parts from my current Zaskar LE (including purple Raleigh ti forks, which I could paint-strip if so), which is getting a bit tired (I commute 100+ miles a week so it's nice to have a good bike to do so!).
Some quick pics early this morning at sunrise
