I spent months looking at framesets on EBay. I wanted an aluminum frame that was made in the US. (call it a fetish; I can live with that). So after agonizing over vintage Treks, Lemonds, CDales, etc, I stumbled across a LiteSpeed with carbon seatstays and front forks, alumnum main frame, and some unspecified titanium parts. It was advertised as a 58cm frame--I'm 6'-1", so this is my sweet spot. I negotiated a good discount and promptly received the frameset.
Then I put it together with odds and ends, mostly Ultegra mechanicals, a new crankset, cassette and chain. Also, a featherweight pair of Stan's wheels. But as I started to set up the saddle and bars, I found that I had to install a 120mm stem and slide the saddle all the way back to replicate the geometry of my favorite bike (a Serotta Fierte). Finally it dawned on me that this was a 56cm frame.
I considered tearing it all down and returning it to the seller for a refund. But hey, it's all together now--why not take it for a ride? So I did, and then I took another ride, and it's not a horrible fit. I think going to a 140mm stem and/or longer reach bars might do the trick.
At least as far as fitting into the cockpit. But I am a little disappointed in how it handles--there's sort of a vagueness to how it steers. Of course I'm comparing it to the Serotta, which handles like a Porsche. The Serotta seems to intuit just where you're going, and takes you there with precision and confidence. If you need to make an adjustment, deep in a curve, she says, sure, no problem, let me handle it. The LiteSpeed is more like--whatever...Even so, it has a wonderful response to the pedals--absolutely no mush in the works. And as stiff as the back end is, it gives back a cushy ride.
I'm thinking that the LiteSpeed would be happier with a shorter rider. That even if I achieve a comfortable fit with this bike, it's not going to perform as well as it could for someone whose weight is distributed more at the extreme ends of the frame.
So I am throwing all this out to the collective wisdom of the Forum. What would you do with this bike?
LiteSpeed Hyperion