Sciguy 

I purchased this titanium framed bike from a friend back in the mid-late 1980s. It originally came with one of the very early Rockshoxs with what seemed about an inch of travel I seem to remember being told the frame was made by SouthEast Machine Works so I've written to David Lynskey to see if it was one of his. With all the brain power on this site I figured someone here might know more about the frame. I'm at a point in my life where I'm ready to pass it on to someone younger to enjoy it another lifetime or two.

Thanks for any informed replies.

Hugh Mason
Constableville, NY

The seat tube is 20.5" center to top.

Serial number 8477

Pantah

Can you take a photo of the drive side? Most photos we can find as reference online and in old catalogs are of the drive side so that would make it easier to match.

Sciguy 

Included with the post is a picture of the drive side of the bottom bracket which shows the number 8477 stamped on it. I see no other markings.

penlu

If I understand correctly, by "drive side" the meaning is the right-hand side of the bike. Your image shows the left-hand side, which obscures some details of the drivetrain.

BTinNYC 

With drive side we mean crankset & derailleur side

Sciguy 

If you look carefully, you'll notice the chainrings are directly above the stamped serial number i.e. the serial number is on the drive side or else I'm really losing my marbles today. The picture is taken from below.

Hondo6

What's being requested is a photo of the bike similar to your top photo above, but showing the other side of the bike. The top photo shows the full non-drive side of the bike.

Sciguy 

Aha, gotcha. I'll shoot one next time there's sun but I'll bet a fiver there are no identifiers on that side either. It's an incredibly sanitary frameset. The only markings on the bike are the numbers stamped on the BB. In thinking about it, I wonder if it was the 77th frame built in 1984.

Thanks for the clarification. .

Kontact

I don't see how this could be from the mid-late '80s. It has a top run rear derailleur cable and doesn't appear to have any sort of normal cable system for the rear cantilever. And isn't that a 1 1/8" steerer tube? Plus the use of a seat post clamp. Looks mid-'90s.

rickpaulos

I have a couple of 2000ish LiteSpeeds and they don't have holes like that in the dropouts.



They both have L cutouts.


And the serial numbers are 5 digits, the first 2 are the frame size in cm.
52xxx & 55xxx

The Classic has 2 pairs of letters on the other end of the bb shell. Perhaps those are the builders initials. TP and JA. Or maybe some unknown date codes.


The top of the bb shell on the Ultimate.

mstateglfr 

You bought it used in the mid-80s, so it's at least that old and possibly older?
Mindblow.

rickpaulos

I found this on the 2000 Litespeed catalog page 44. The 2 hole dropout and the reason.
Looking through the catalog, they use the L dropout on the right side of the mtb frames and the 2 holer on the left side.

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Sciguy 

It came with a very early Rockshox but I've just read that they came out in 1989 so obviously it's at least that young and well have been from later in the 1990s. I believe the seat post clamp is aluminum the while post itself is titanium. Thanks for jogging my little grey cells.

BTinNYC 

That adapter is very cool, and to my surprise, available on the Bay. That and a new fork... very cool indeed.

Sciguy 

The more I ponder this the more I believe I acquired the bike in the 1990s rather than 1980s. Here's a drive side look. The cranks, derailleurs, shifters, cassette, forks and brakes were upgraded over the years. It originally came with a 7 speed cassette.

bboy314

Cool looking frame, whatever it is. Perhaps a bit on the small side for you??

Sciguy 

For sure but I made it work I actually used it mostly as a gravel bike before there were gravel bikes. One acquaintance likened me riding it looking like I ought to be in a circus.

Pantah

The cable routing is rather unusual, nothing I'm familiar with. It's entirely possible it's a custom on-off. My brother and I have an early 90's titanium mtb with no decals and after years of trying, we have yet to match it up with anything and the manufacturer is still a mystery.