Last ride 76 

One of the themes that has interested me since I got back to bikes, was what was the "best of" it's time . When I was younger, I raced. I worked at it, and was eaqually fascinated by the rapidly changing technology. So , I've played with the idea of "best of the period" bikes, (Yes, I realize that selecting for a particular purpose, and paone of the themes that has interested me since I got back to bikes, was what was the "best of" it's time . When I was younger, I raced. I worked at it, and was eaqually fascinated by the rapidly changing technology. So , I've played with the idea of "best of the period" bikes, (Yes, I realize that selecting for a particular purpose, and particular rider, or at least, a particular type of rider, will change the answer...) But I'm not going to nit-pick too much. A bike has fallen into my lap that will work for me. Unlike the NOS version I had, and could not do justice to, I now have a dented and dinged, earlyTeledyne titan. One that I can "frankenbike" with components that are less than perfect. As a non-recovering weenie, weight is going to be a big consideration. So is my past belief in the innovative American shops of the era.


Luckily, the bike started me ahead of the game. Note: this was the end of my racing, and when I gave it up, I walked away completely. What I remember of Teledyne, was the Stetinas, fast as heck, wearing those goofy bell helmets, and Wayne(?) setting a crazy speed record in that huge fairing. Which definitely pointed the way towards the development of aero design for those able to see it.



Here it is newly arrived, and stripped down.

Now a photo gone, and text chopped to hell, but still, for me, pretty good. It is stripped down, the BB, headset, and RD cable stop are all that's left. I'll open them, but they seem remarkably grit free, as do the wheels.




Not going to win any beauty pagents, ( worst dings/dents under foam) But nevermind that, wahoo!!! Picked up from the second owner who bought it used - in 1977, at Daniel Boone's, in Houston,Texas.




#000075...Early Days (brilliant photo, got the zeros perfectly)








Sweet, though they may get sold to help pay for the build, as I'm not too keen on the gold for this build.

Wildwood 

Weight weenies NEVER truly reform.
And weight weenies from The Classic Years will forever seek Ti bolts/skewers/seatposts, drillium, etc.
Good luck with the build.

Always nice to see the non-steel vintage & classics out there.
The gold Universals probably are not light.

bikemig 

Totally cool bike. I agree. I like to tinker and ride old bikes that are not too perfect cosmetically. That way I don't mind scratching them up a bit when riding and/or changing parts to suit my needs. I'm not really into building a bike completely to original spec (not that there is anything wrong with that).

crank_addict

Let the games begin!

Appears to have a very good start on components, though the comment on dent and ding should not be taken 'lightly'.

Last ride 76 

I know that Teledynes were made of CP Ti - chemically pure Titanium. I know that failures occurred frequently at the welds. Do they suffer from catastrophic failure, generally, like Al, or more like steel, (Danger, Will Robinson, Danger...) Would it be helpful to put some sort of structural sleeve over it? (I'll alsoask this in frame builder's along with photos), but any knowledgeable comments appreciated. This was is unlikely to become a frequent rider, in any case.

Last ride 76 

had to use DA shifters, etc etc, but should be rideable tomorrow, and that's a start.

Not as light as I thought it would be... Greedy bast*** that I am. Came in at 16.8 with lightish 36 spoke weyless hub wheels, modern Avocet saddle, minimal tuning bits. I probably can bring it down to 16.5 with tuning parts for the brakes and seatpost. Lose !/2 lb more with lighter wheels and Ti axled pedals. Not going to happen overnight, but getting under 16 lbs would make me smile for an "older" bike. I'll adjust and do a test ride tomorrow morning.

Nemosengineer 

Very Nice

: Mike

RobbieTunes

Titan owners agree. Go fer it.

J.Higgins 

THIS!

One of my favorite things to do is to bring back to life and older bike that was unused neglected. Scratches and blemishes on a frame are like a nicely-broken-in pair of boots. I have a Holdsworth frame that I'm on the fence about restoring to its former glory or just clean it up and ride it. In fact, I have several frames on that very same fence!

xiaoman1 

Very, very nice indeed!
Ben

repechage

I would drop the fork, remove the crown race and crack dye check the region where the race had been.

( well actually I would walk two doors west from work and have the non destructive test guys X-ray it)

the other areas these bikes crack is in areas that are visible and won't really be well -being threatening.

make sure the seatpost is a true 26.8
this was an odd size even then and from time to time guys would use a 26.6 those caused deformation / tearing issues.