New Bike In The Stable
05-31-20, 04:09 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
New Bike In The Stable
Alright sports fans, I have scored yet another in my long string of Mac Daddy deals and I may have out Mac Daddied myself on this one. As those who follow my exploits know I have a Specialized Crossroads XC Pro FBRB which I am supremely happy, over the moon about. I come from a Road and Crit racing background so road bikes are and always will be in my blood and I keep a soft ear to the ground in case a deal comes along on a road bike that meets my needs and sets my heart racing and this week I found it and as with most of my finds it is the absolute ****, the poo, the real deal, all that and a bag 'O chips, the bees knees, the HHIC, the HNIC, the BMOC, the last word and every other superlative I can think of to throw down. I snagged a 60cm Litespeed Arenberg 3.2 Ti bike with a full 10-speed Campy Daytona groupset in amazing condition and I got it for a song.
Seeing how it is a used bike it is not perfect and I have some things to do to bring it up to my exacting standards but out of the box it is great as it is. It came with what I think is the original Sella Italia Anniversary Flite Ti saddle which I am going to change over to a Specialized Toupe or Phenom. The handlebars are 42cm and I plan to change them to a 44cm or if I can find a bar I like a 46cm. The bike has a full carbon (including steerer) fork which looks like it was not cut when the bike was assembled but I am seriously thinking about putting a stem riser on to get some of the strain off of my back. Changing the handlebar and putting the riser on will unfortunately require new cables but that is not necessarily the end of the world. The wheels are not original and horribly mis-marched but for now and for a while I can live with this because they work incredibly well together. The rear wheel is a mid-section aero Mavic Helium with direct spoking on the non-drive side and 2X on the drive side. The front wheel is a shallow section aero wheel made by Alex and a have a feeling the previous owner (or one of the owners) bought it from Amazon.Com. As I said, the wheels are working great. I thought I was not going to like them owing to the fact that I do not like straight spoked wheels but the buttery soft ride of the 3.2 takes away all of the harshness of the wheels so for now they will stay. The tires are also mis-matched with a 23mm Vittoria on the rear and a 23mm Vredstein on the front. I want to go with either a 25mm tire front and rear or more preferably a set of 28mm tires front and rear probably in a Panracer Stradius Pro variant. Those are the absolute best tires for a road bike bar none. Can anyone tell me if the Arenberg will take a 28mm tire? There appears to be enough clearance on the front fork and in the back with the seat and chainstays as well as the brake bridge and the brakes appear to have more than enough spread when released to get the wheel in when it is pumped. I would appreciate opinions as to whether or not a 28mm tire will work on my Arenberg. I don't want to spend the money and go to the trouble of mounting the tires only to find out that something unforeseen comes up and bites me.
The drive line is working like the typical Campy well oiled machine but that is a hallmark of Campy. Having ridden Shimano for so long I found myself cursing under my breath that the brake lever wasn't doing my downshifts until I remembered (silly me) that on Campy the brake lever is not used for shifting it is the secondary lever and the thumb tab that does this and I am sure that I will forget again (and maybe again) but eventually it will become second nature. Being on Shimano for as long as I have I had also forgotten the crispness of the Campy shifting and today on my test ride before I bought the bike and again on the ride I took after I dialed my bike in when I got it home it was a welcome re-acquaintance. Shimano shifting is fluid almost mushy as it switches between gears whereas Campy shifting is very crisp and positive. Speaking of shifting I plan to replace the chain and possibly the cog set after I get some miles in and can do a proper appraisal of the gear train. I am seeing some pretty good prices for Campy 10-speed chains on Amazon.Com but I seem to remember hearing that the KMC chains will work with Campy as well. Is this true. How does the shifting of a KMC chain compare to a Campy chain? Also is anyone making a decent alternative to the Campy cassettes? I am seeing good prices on them also on Amazon.Com but I want to know what my options are. I seem to remember that Wheels Manufacturing at one time was making Campy compatible cassettes but I haven't heard anything from them in a while. Are they still around? Also can I use lower level Campy components and will they work or is Campy not compatible across groups? I seem to remember Athena as being higher than Daytona but if I remember correctly Veloce is lower. If necessary can I use a Veloce level chain and cogset with Daytona or do they not cross over?
I have a couple of photos here on my laptop that I took with my cell phone this afternoon when I picked my bike up and I have tried posting them and as usual this cobbled together web site refuses to let me post them so you all will just have to live vicariously through my descriptions until these bozos get off their rears and get this site fixed and working properly. I have offered my services and skills as an IT Consultant several times to get the bugs worked out of this site and get it working properly but the people who run it in their arrogance think they can do it all on their own and refuse to accept help as if they don't see the multitude of problems that plague the site. Oh well, at least we have a biking site broken though it may be :-(
I'll post updates on how the bike is doing and what my impressions are but I can tell you that as a die hard lover of Ti my impressions and love for the bikes is everlasting. Stay safe everyone and keep the rubber side down.
Seeing how it is a used bike it is not perfect and I have some things to do to bring it up to my exacting standards but out of the box it is great as it is. It came with what I think is the original Sella Italia Anniversary Flite Ti saddle which I am going to change over to a Specialized Toupe or Phenom. The handlebars are 42cm and I plan to change them to a 44cm or if I can find a bar I like a 46cm. The bike has a full carbon (including steerer) fork which looks like it was not cut when the bike was assembled but I am seriously thinking about putting a stem riser on to get some of the strain off of my back. Changing the handlebar and putting the riser on will unfortunately require new cables but that is not necessarily the end of the world. The wheels are not original and horribly mis-marched but for now and for a while I can live with this because they work incredibly well together. The rear wheel is a mid-section aero Mavic Helium with direct spoking on the non-drive side and 2X on the drive side. The front wheel is a shallow section aero wheel made by Alex and a have a feeling the previous owner (or one of the owners) bought it from Amazon.Com. As I said, the wheels are working great. I thought I was not going to like them owing to the fact that I do not like straight spoked wheels but the buttery soft ride of the 3.2 takes away all of the harshness of the wheels so for now they will stay. The tires are also mis-matched with a 23mm Vittoria on the rear and a 23mm Vredstein on the front. I want to go with either a 25mm tire front and rear or more preferably a set of 28mm tires front and rear probably in a Panracer Stradius Pro variant. Those are the absolute best tires for a road bike bar none. Can anyone tell me if the Arenberg will take a 28mm tire? There appears to be enough clearance on the front fork and in the back with the seat and chainstays as well as the brake bridge and the brakes appear to have more than enough spread when released to get the wheel in when it is pumped. I would appreciate opinions as to whether or not a 28mm tire will work on my Arenberg. I don't want to spend the money and go to the trouble of mounting the tires only to find out that something unforeseen comes up and bites me.
The drive line is working like the typical Campy well oiled machine but that is a hallmark of Campy. Having ridden Shimano for so long I found myself cursing under my breath that the brake lever wasn't doing my downshifts until I remembered (silly me) that on Campy the brake lever is not used for shifting it is the secondary lever and the thumb tab that does this and I am sure that I will forget again (and maybe again) but eventually it will become second nature. Being on Shimano for as long as I have I had also forgotten the crispness of the Campy shifting and today on my test ride before I bought the bike and again on the ride I took after I dialed my bike in when I got it home it was a welcome re-acquaintance. Shimano shifting is fluid almost mushy as it switches between gears whereas Campy shifting is very crisp and positive. Speaking of shifting I plan to replace the chain and possibly the cog set after I get some miles in and can do a proper appraisal of the gear train. I am seeing some pretty good prices for Campy 10-speed chains on Amazon.Com but I seem to remember hearing that the KMC chains will work with Campy as well. Is this true. How does the shifting of a KMC chain compare to a Campy chain? Also is anyone making a decent alternative to the Campy cassettes? I am seeing good prices on them also on Amazon.Com but I want to know what my options are. I seem to remember that Wheels Manufacturing at one time was making Campy compatible cassettes but I haven't heard anything from them in a while. Are they still around? Also can I use lower level Campy components and will they work or is Campy not compatible across groups? I seem to remember Athena as being higher than Daytona but if I remember correctly Veloce is lower. If necessary can I use a Veloce level chain and cogset with Daytona or do they not cross over?
I have a couple of photos here on my laptop that I took with my cell phone this afternoon when I picked my bike up and I have tried posting them and as usual this cobbled together web site refuses to let me post them so you all will just have to live vicariously through my descriptions until these bozos get off their rears and get this site fixed and working properly. I have offered my services and skills as an IT Consultant several times to get the bugs worked out of this site and get it working properly but the people who run it in their arrogance think they can do it all on their own and refuse to accept help as if they don't see the multitude of problems that plague the site. Oh well, at least we have a biking site broken though it may be :-(
I'll post updates on how the bike is doing and what my impressions are but I can tell you that as a die hard lover of Ti my impressions and love for the bikes is everlasting. Stay safe everyone and keep the rubber side down.
05-31-20, 04:49 PM
#2
I'm good to go!
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Shouldn't that bike be in another sub-forum?
edit... I apologize for sounding so snarky at your new find. I'm just a little miffed because I was expecting to do a long ride today and that got canceled for other things.
edit... I apologize for sounding so snarky at your new find. I'm just a little miffed because I was expecting to do a long ride today and that got canceled for other things.
Last edited by Iride01; 05-31-20 at 04:54 PM.
05-31-20, 05:05 PM
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Iride01 thank you and no apology is necessary. Yes, this possibly could go into another sub-forum and I am sure if the Mods feel that way they will move it. There is no Litespeed forum that I know of and no Ti bike forum so I chose this as the best option. I hope your day gets better.
05-31-20, 05:08 PM
#4
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We need pictures! 🙂
05-31-20, 06:12 PM
#5
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Alright sports fans, I have scored yet another in my long string of Mac Daddy deals and I may have out Mac Daddied myself on this one. As those who follow my exploits know I have a Specialized Crossroads XC Pro FBRB which I am supremely happy, over the moon about. I come from a Road and Crit racing background so road bikes are and always will be in my blood and I keep a soft ear to the ground in case a deal comes along on a road bike that meets my needs and sets my heart racing and this week I found it and as with most of my finds it is the absolute ****, the poo, the real deal, all that and a bag 'O chips, the bees knees, the HHIC, the HNIC, the BMOC, the last word and every other superlative I can think of to throw down. I snagged a 60cm Litespeed Arenberg 3.2 Ti bike with a full 10-speed Campy Daytona groupset in amazing condition and I got it for a song.
Seeing how it is a used bike it is not perfect and I have some things to do to bring it up to my exacting standards but out of the box it is great as it is. It came with what I think is the original Sella Italia Anniversary Flite Ti saddle which I am going to change over to a Specialized Toupe or Phenom. The handlebars are 42cm and I plan to change them to a 44cm or if I can find a bar I like a 46cm. The bike has a full carbon (including steerer) fork which looks like it was not cut when the bike was assembled but I am seriously thinking about putting a stem riser on to get some of the strain off of my back. Changing the handlebar and putting the riser on will unfortunately require new cables but that is not necessarily the end of the world. The wheels are not original and horribly mis-marched but for now and for a while I can live with this because they work incredibly well together. The rear wheel is a mid-section aero Mavic Helium with direct spoking on the non-drive side and 2X on the drive side. The front wheel is a shallow section aero wheel made by Alex and a have a feeling the previous owner (or one of the owners) bought it from Amazon.Com. As I said, the wheels are working great. I thought I was not going to like them owing to the fact that I do not like straight spoked wheels but the buttery soft ride of the 3.2 takes away all of the harshness of the wheels so for now they will stay. The tires are also mis-matched with a 23mm Vittoria on the rear and a 23mm Vredstein on the front. I want to go with either a 25mm tire front and rear or more preferably a set of 28mm tires front and rear probably in a Panracer Stradius Pro variant. Those are the absolute best tires for a road bike bar none. Can anyone tell me if the Arenberg will take a 28mm tire? There appears to be enough clearance on the front fork and in the back with the seat and chainstays as well as the brake bridge and the brakes appear to have more than enough spread when released to get the wheel in when it is pumped. I would appreciate opinions as to whether or not a 28mm tire will work on my Arenberg. I don't want to spend the money and go to the trouble of mounting the tires only to find out that something unforeseen comes up and bites me.
The drive line is working like the typical Campy well oiled machine but that is a hallmark of Campy. Having ridden Shimano for so long I found myself cursing under my breath that the brake lever wasn't doing my downshifts until I remembered (silly me) that on Campy the brake lever is not used for shifting it is the secondary lever and the thumb tab that does this and I am sure that I will forget again (and maybe again) but eventually it will become second nature. Being on Shimano for as long as I have I had also forgotten the crispness of the Campy shifting and today on my test ride before I bought the bike and again on the ride I took after I dialed my bike in when I got it home it was a welcome re-acquaintance. Shimano shifting is fluid almost mushy as it switches between gears whereas Campy shifting is very crisp and positive. Speaking of shifting I plan to replace the chain and possibly the cog set after I get some miles in and can do a proper appraisal of the gear train. I am seeing some pretty good prices for Campy 10-speed chains on Amazon.Com but I seem to remember hearing that the KMC chains will work with Campy as well. Is this true. How does the shifting of a KMC chain compare to a Campy chain? Also is anyone making a decent alternative to the Campy cassettes? I am seeing good prices on them also on Amazon.Com but I want to know what my options are. I seem to remember that Wheels Manufacturing at one time was making Campy compatible cassettes but I haven't heard anything from them in a while. Are they still around? Also can I use lower level Campy components and will they work or is Campy not compatible across groups? I seem to remember Athena as being higher than Daytona but if I remember correctly Veloce is lower. If necessary can I use a Veloce level chain and cogset with Daytona or do they not cross over?
I have a couple of photos here on my laptop that I took with my cell phone this afternoon when I picked my bike up and I have tried posting them and as usual this cobbled together web site refuses to let me post them so you all will just have to live vicariously through my descriptions until these bozos get off their rears and get this site fixed and working properly. I have offered my services and skills as an IT Consultant several times to get the bugs worked out of this site and get it working properly but the people who run it in their arrogance think they can do it all on their own and refuse to accept help as if they don't see the multitude of problems that plague the site. Oh well, at least we have a biking site broken though it may be :-(
I'll post updates on how the bike is doing and what my impressions are but I can tell you that as a die hard lover of Ti my impressions and love for the bikes is everlasting. Stay safe everyone and keep the rubber side down.
Seeing how it is a used bike it is not perfect and I have some things to do to bring it up to my exacting standards but out of the box it is great as it is. It came with what I think is the original Sella Italia Anniversary Flite Ti saddle which I am going to change over to a Specialized Toupe or Phenom. The handlebars are 42cm and I plan to change them to a 44cm or if I can find a bar I like a 46cm. The bike has a full carbon (including steerer) fork which looks like it was not cut when the bike was assembled but I am seriously thinking about putting a stem riser on to get some of the strain off of my back. Changing the handlebar and putting the riser on will unfortunately require new cables but that is not necessarily the end of the world. The wheels are not original and horribly mis-marched but for now and for a while I can live with this because they work incredibly well together. The rear wheel is a mid-section aero Mavic Helium with direct spoking on the non-drive side and 2X on the drive side. The front wheel is a shallow section aero wheel made by Alex and a have a feeling the previous owner (or one of the owners) bought it from Amazon.Com. As I said, the wheels are working great. I thought I was not going to like them owing to the fact that I do not like straight spoked wheels but the buttery soft ride of the 3.2 takes away all of the harshness of the wheels so for now they will stay. The tires are also mis-matched with a 23mm Vittoria on the rear and a 23mm Vredstein on the front. I want to go with either a 25mm tire front and rear or more preferably a set of 28mm tires front and rear probably in a Panracer Stradius Pro variant. Those are the absolute best tires for a road bike bar none. Can anyone tell me if the Arenberg will take a 28mm tire? There appears to be enough clearance on the front fork and in the back with the seat and chainstays as well as the brake bridge and the brakes appear to have more than enough spread when released to get the wheel in when it is pumped. I would appreciate opinions as to whether or not a 28mm tire will work on my Arenberg. I don't want to spend the money and go to the trouble of mounting the tires only to find out that something unforeseen comes up and bites me.
The drive line is working like the typical Campy well oiled machine but that is a hallmark of Campy. Having ridden Shimano for so long I found myself cursing under my breath that the brake lever wasn't doing my downshifts until I remembered (silly me) that on Campy the brake lever is not used for shifting it is the secondary lever and the thumb tab that does this and I am sure that I will forget again (and maybe again) but eventually it will become second nature. Being on Shimano for as long as I have I had also forgotten the crispness of the Campy shifting and today on my test ride before I bought the bike and again on the ride I took after I dialed my bike in when I got it home it was a welcome re-acquaintance. Shimano shifting is fluid almost mushy as it switches between gears whereas Campy shifting is very crisp and positive. Speaking of shifting I plan to replace the chain and possibly the cog set after I get some miles in and can do a proper appraisal of the gear train. I am seeing some pretty good prices for Campy 10-speed chains on Amazon.Com but I seem to remember hearing that the KMC chains will work with Campy as well. Is this true. How does the shifting of a KMC chain compare to a Campy chain? Also is anyone making a decent alternative to the Campy cassettes? I am seeing good prices on them also on Amazon.Com but I want to know what my options are. I seem to remember that Wheels Manufacturing at one time was making Campy compatible cassettes but I haven't heard anything from them in a while. Are they still around? Also can I use lower level Campy components and will they work or is Campy not compatible across groups? I seem to remember Athena as being higher than Daytona but if I remember correctly Veloce is lower. If necessary can I use a Veloce level chain and cogset with Daytona or do they not cross over?
I have a couple of photos here on my laptop that I took with my cell phone this afternoon when I picked my bike up and I have tried posting them and as usual this cobbled together web site refuses to let me post them so you all will just have to live vicariously through my descriptions until these bozos get off their rears and get this site fixed and working properly. I have offered my services and skills as an IT Consultant several times to get the bugs worked out of this site and get it working properly but the people who run it in their arrogance think they can do it all on their own and refuse to accept help as if they don't see the multitude of problems that plague the site. Oh well, at least we have a biking site broken though it may be :-(
I'll post updates on how the bike is doing and what my impressions are but I can tell you that as a die hard lover of Ti my impressions and love for the bikes is everlasting. Stay safe everyone and keep the rubber side down.
06-01-20, 06:30 PM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Hi Everyone, a couple of people asked for a photo of my new Litespeed Arenberg and I have one I am going to
Litespeed Arenberg 3.2 Ti w/full Campy Centaur groupset.
try to post. maybe it is me but for some reason I have the hardest time posting photos to this site. Fingers crossed it works this time.
Litespeed Arenberg 3.2 Ti w/full Campy Centaur groupset.
try to post. maybe it is me but for some reason I have the hardest time posting photos to this site. Fingers crossed it works this time.
06-01-20, 06:46 PM
#7
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Mmm titanium. Nice. 
06-02-20, 12:09 PM
#8
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Hi Everyone, a couple of people asked for a photo of my new Litespeed Arenberg and I have one I am going to
Litespeed Arenberg 3.2 Ti w/full Campy Centaur groupset.
try to post. maybe it is me but for some reason I have the hardest time posting photos to this site. Fingers crossed it works this time.
Litespeed Arenberg 3.2 Ti w/full Campy Centaur groupset.
try to post. maybe it is me but for some reason I have the hardest time posting photos to this site. Fingers crossed it works this time.
