Older Lemond steel bikes
#101
Junior Member
you said orig campy c record. what is it now? mines' converted to Dura Ace 7800.
the logo was always yellow on black field with the TEAM PRO.
the logo was always yellow on black field with the TEAM PRO.
#102
Senior Member
Oh, what's that? You want to see mine too?
Mine is a 2002 Alpe d'Huez. I bought it new and rode the crap out of it until I got a team deal on a Cannondale. It wasn't until I quit racing that I decided to sell off the Cannondale and rebuild the Lemond with 10-speed SRAM Force parts. I let my brother borrow it for a couple years while I was Cannondale-ing, and in transit from Europe, courtesy of the military PCS movers, the fork got a little crunched and I had to put a new one on. I put a Columbus Minimal 1" fork on, and it looked AWESOME and dropped a ton of weight from the bike.
For the people that were interested in the tire clearance, it really seems like Lemond wasn't terribly consistent in the goals and aspirations of Lemond frames. I recall people saying that Lemonds were really slack and laid back, but you can see from the pic above that the geometry was *tight*. There's a sub meter wheelbase and a 73.5° HTA. The front-center of this bike is shorter than my CAAD8 and CAAD10's, this thing is a race bike through and through and it handled AWESOME. Unfortunately, it means that the tire clearance is tight too. This pic below is when I tried to put a 28mm tire on, it was too close for comfort and went back to a 25mm.
I rode it for a couple years with the SRAM stuff, until I noticed a creaking that happened every time I stood to climb. Turned out there was a crack in the head tube weld HAZ. I used a boroscope, and there was a ton of rust in the frame tubes, I think the weld crack was caused by the corrosion.
RIP Lemond. I stripped the parts down, and its currently hanging in my home office.
Mine is a 2002 Alpe d'Huez. I bought it new and rode the crap out of it until I got a team deal on a Cannondale. It wasn't until I quit racing that I decided to sell off the Cannondale and rebuild the Lemond with 10-speed SRAM Force parts. I let my brother borrow it for a couple years while I was Cannondale-ing, and in transit from Europe, courtesy of the military PCS movers, the fork got a little crunched and I had to put a new one on. I put a Columbus Minimal 1" fork on, and it looked AWESOME and dropped a ton of weight from the bike.
For the people that were interested in the tire clearance, it really seems like Lemond wasn't terribly consistent in the goals and aspirations of Lemond frames. I recall people saying that Lemonds were really slack and laid back, but you can see from the pic above that the geometry was *tight*. There's a sub meter wheelbase and a 73.5° HTA. The front-center of this bike is shorter than my CAAD8 and CAAD10's, this thing is a race bike through and through and it handled AWESOME. Unfortunately, it means that the tire clearance is tight too. This pic below is when I tried to put a 28mm tire on, it was too close for comfort and went back to a 25mm.
I rode it for a couple years with the SRAM stuff, until I noticed a creaking that happened every time I stood to climb. Turned out there was a crack in the head tube weld HAZ. I used a boroscope, and there was a ton of rust in the frame tubes, I think the weld crack was caused by the corrosion.
RIP Lemond. I stripped the parts down, and its currently hanging in my home office.
Last edited by Phatman; 04-26-22 at 07:41 AM. Reason: spelling issues!
Likes For Phatman:
#103
Full Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Lehigh Valley
Posts: 247
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 122 Post(s)
Liked 53 Times
in
43 Posts
Oh, what's that? You want to see mine too?
Mine is a 2002 Alpe d'Huez. I bought it new and rode the crap out of it until I got a team deal on a Cannondale. It wasn't until I quit racing that I decided to sell off the Cannondale and rebuild the Lemond with 10-speed SRAM Force parts. I let me brother borrow it for a couple years while I was Cannondale-ing, and in transit from Europe, curtesy of the military PCS movers, the fork got a little crunched and I had to put a new one on. I put a Columbus Minimal 1" fork on, and it looked AWESOME and dropped a ton of weight from the bike.
For the people that were interested in the tire clearance, it really seems like Lemond wasn't terribly consistent in the goals and aspirations of Lemond frames. I recall people saying that Lemonds were really slack and laid back, but you can see from the pic above that the geometry was *tight*. There's a sub meter wheelbase and a 73.5° HTA. The front-center of this bike is shorter than my CAAD8 and CAAD10's, this thing is a race bike through and through and it handled AWESOME. Unfortunately, it means that the tire clearance is tight too. This pic below is when I tried to put a 28mm tire on, it was too close for comfort and went back to a 25mm.
I rode it for a couple years with the SRAM stuff, until I noticed a creaking that happened every time I stood to climb. Turned out there was a crack in the head tube weld HAZ. I used a boroscope, and there was a ton of rust in the frame tubes, I think the weld crack was caused by the corrosion.
RIP Lemond. I stripped the parts down, and its currently hanging in my home office.
Mine is a 2002 Alpe d'Huez. I bought it new and rode the crap out of it until I got a team deal on a Cannondale. It wasn't until I quit racing that I decided to sell off the Cannondale and rebuild the Lemond with 10-speed SRAM Force parts. I let me brother borrow it for a couple years while I was Cannondale-ing, and in transit from Europe, curtesy of the military PCS movers, the fork got a little crunched and I had to put a new one on. I put a Columbus Minimal 1" fork on, and it looked AWESOME and dropped a ton of weight from the bike.
For the people that were interested in the tire clearance, it really seems like Lemond wasn't terribly consistent in the goals and aspirations of Lemond frames. I recall people saying that Lemonds were really slack and laid back, but you can see from the pic above that the geometry was *tight*. There's a sub meter wheelbase and a 73.5° HTA. The front-center of this bike is shorter than my CAAD8 and CAAD10's, this thing is a race bike through and through and it handled AWESOME. Unfortunately, it means that the tire clearance is tight too. This pic below is when I tried to put a 28mm tire on, it was too close for comfort and went back to a 25mm.
I rode it for a couple years with the SRAM stuff, until I noticed a creaking that happened every time I stood to climb. Turned out there was a crack in the head tube weld HAZ. I used a boroscope, and there was a ton of rust in the frame tubes, I think the weld crack was caused by the corrosion.
RIP Lemond. I stripped the parts down, and its currently hanging in my home office.
#104
Senior Member
I only did the scientific "heft in hand" weight method. Maybe a pound? The old fork was a carbon blade/steel steerer that was probably at least a pound or so heavier than the all carbon columbus fork. I also replaced the steel headset with an aluminum one, I'll bet that saved some poundage also.
#106
HTX Road Warrior
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 30
Bikes: Road Bikes: 2000's Lemond Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mailott Jaune, Wayzata, Buenos Aires, Zurich, Nevada City, Fillmore; 1997 Diamondback Expert, 2000's Bianchi Veloce, Eros, 2004 KHS Flite 800, 1984 Gitane
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times
in
7 Posts
I have been slacking this month and haven't been able to get into the garage or ride as much. I did make it to the shed though to start cleaning it out and found two more frames that were projects way back when. One is a 2001 Lemond Buenos Aires and the other is an 06 Lemond Mallot Juane. The MJ isn't a steel frame per se but a spline bike. Once I get the shed cleaned up I'll be able to get more pics of the stable and get them posted.
#107
Banned
These were made using Reynolds 531 steel and this is a great material. Only problem with older bikes is that they were engineered for 5-speed cassettes and there may be a problem with going with a 7-speed one. But then again 10 speeds is all one really needs even for tours of thousands of miles. I had 12-28 cogs on the freewheel and 52/45 on the chainrings and had no problems in the high sierra with a touring load. At my age a inner chain rind of 35 teeth would work better and possibly a 30T to replace the 28T "granny" gear.
All I would change on an older bike is going to brake shifters and a compatible deraileurs and new wheels with rims that could take 28mm tires.
I would be careful though as in the old days the "race" bikes often had very steep head tubes and tight geometry with very little fork rake. One notable exception were the Dave Scott Centurion Ironman bikes made for sale to triathletes. Best used 10-speed steel bikes you can buy for general riding in terms of the frame geometry. Very stable at high speeds up to 50 mph which was as fast as I ever dared to go with mine. I rode mine for 33 years and only sold it a year ago to make room for a new road e-bike.
All I would change on an older bike is going to brake shifters and a compatible deraileurs and new wheels with rims that could take 28mm tires.
I would be careful though as in the old days the "race" bikes often had very steep head tubes and tight geometry with very little fork rake. One notable exception were the Dave Scott Centurion Ironman bikes made for sale to triathletes. Best used 10-speed steel bikes you can buy for general riding in terms of the frame geometry. Very stable at high speeds up to 50 mph which was as fast as I ever dared to go with mine. I rode mine for 33 years and only sold it a year ago to make room for a new road e-bike.
#109
Newbie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 63
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 29 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 33 Times
in
18 Posts
2003 LeMond Zurich
I’m riding a 2003 LeMond Zurich as a temporary replacement for my under repair Ti bike. I hadn’t ridden steel in 20 years. It felt great. Snappy and comfortable. The slightly longer wheelbase you find on LeMond bikes makes for a very stable ride, especially descending.
#110
HTX Road Warrior
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 30
Bikes: Road Bikes: 2000's Lemond Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mailott Jaune, Wayzata, Buenos Aires, Zurich, Nevada City, Fillmore; 1997 Diamondback Expert, 2000's Bianchi Veloce, Eros, 2004 KHS Flite 800, 1984 Gitane
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times
in
7 Posts
It was a nice day today and I needed to clean up the garage for another project and was able to get the stable out in the sun. The only one missing is the 2004 Zurich. There are two 853 Buenos Aires in the collection, a Maillot Jaune (the spine bike with OX Platinum tubing), a 520 Nevada City, a 525 Tourmalet. I put in the Alpe D'Hueze even though it's an Aluminum one just cause I haven't found a steel one in my size yet
Likes For bikenraider:
Likes For Mr_Stop:
#112
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2,599
Bikes: 06 Lemond Reno, 98 GT Timberline mtn.bike
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 427 Post(s)
Liked 699 Times
in
436 Posts
Always hears "steel is real" and while I understood it, never fully grasped it until a neighbor asked me to look over a bike he is selling. Turned out to be a 2002 Alpe d'Huez. Said he hadn't ridden it in last 15 years (no doubt-it's like new). All original. While it was too small for me, took it for a short ride anyway. Now I get it!! Sure is a smooth riding bike. While I like my '06 Reno a lot, the 853 steel frame of the Alpe is in a "league of it's own".
Likes For freeranger:
#113
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Redmond, WA & Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 565
Bikes: 1999 Giant ATX MTB, 2002 Lemond Zurich, 2018 Fuji Transonic 2.3, 2019 Specialized Tarmac Disc Expert
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 170 Post(s)
Liked 391 Times
in
226 Posts
It was a nice day today and I needed to clean up the garage for another project and was able to get the stable out in the sun. The only one missing is the 2004 Zurich. There are two 853 Buenos Aires in the collection, a Maillot Jaune (the spine bike with OX Platinum tubing), a 520 Nevada City, a 525 Tourmalet. I put in the Alpe D'Hueze even though it's an Aluminum one just cause I haven't found a steel one in my size yet
#114
HTX Road Warrior
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 30
Bikes: Road Bikes: 2000's Lemond Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mailott Jaune, Wayzata, Buenos Aires, Zurich, Nevada City, Fillmore; 1997 Diamondback Expert, 2000's Bianchi Veloce, Eros, 2004 KHS Flite 800, 1984 Gitane
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times
in
7 Posts
#115
HTX Road Warrior
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 30
Bikes: Road Bikes: 2000's Lemond Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mailott Jaune, Wayzata, Buenos Aires, Zurich, Nevada City, Fillmore; 1997 Diamondback Expert, 2000's Bianchi Veloce, Eros, 2004 KHS Flite 800, 1984 Gitane
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times
in
7 Posts
Always hears "steel is real" and while I understood it, never fully grasped it until a neighbor asked me to look over a bike he is selling. Turned out to be a 2002 Alpe d'Huez. Said he hadn't ridden it in last 15 years (no doubt-it's like new). All original. While it was too small for me, took it for a short ride anyway. Now I get it!! Sure is a smooth riding bike. While I like my '06 Reno a lot, the 853 steel frame of the Alpe is in a "league of it's own".
#116
HTX Road Warrior
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 30
Bikes: Road Bikes: 2000's Lemond Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mailott Jaune, Wayzata, Buenos Aires, Zurich, Nevada City, Fillmore; 1997 Diamondback Expert, 2000's Bianchi Veloce, Eros, 2004 KHS Flite 800, 1984 Gitane
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times
in
7 Posts
Likes For bikenraider:
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
PeaceGrabber
Road Cycling
26
06-29-19 06:43 PM
heatherw
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals.
7
09-05-11 11:00 AM