2004 NOS litespeed vortex on ebay

[bthornt]

I have some interest in this bike:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-59cm-Lite-speed-Vortex-Dura-Ace-10-Speed-/121898697087?hash=item1c61ba817f:g:UEIAAOSwpzdWs7w S

However, I seem to recall a thread on this forum with a litespeed vortex that had a weld failure where the top tube meets the head tube.

I would welcome any observations or comments on any aspect of this bicycle, including whether it is well priced or not.

I would also be interested to know if this is the last non-carbon bike to be raced professionally (by this I mean in the professional ranks in European races). I seem to recall that one of the many variants of Lotto raced on Litespeed bikes, and that Peter Van Petegem won Omloop Het Volk on such a machine.

[bicycletricycle]

CSC raced some cervelo steel superprodigy things I think

[thirdgenbird]

CSC raced some cervelo steel superprodigy things I think

I'm pretty sure belkin riders used an alloy bianchi in some classics just a few years ago.

Edit:
Sorry, it was Vacansoleil-DCM. All but one rider used the aluminum impulso at Paris Roubaix in 2012. Apparently the teams has several top 5 finishes in the spring classics.

[45K10]

I had one for a couple of years until a weld cracked at the bottom bracket/seat tube junction.

I would steer clear especially for that price.

[ldamelio]

Avoid 6/4 ti. In the heyday of ti it was marketed as exotic, stiffer, and lighter than 3/2.5. To a certain extent,these things were true but not necessarily good. Also hard to work with so tubes were generally formed from flat sheets and welded and thus had long seams. The role of the seam at the weld junctions may be the reason for the higher failure rates with 6/4 than 2.5. It may also be inherent in the material; a lurking engineer or metallurgist may want to comment. I owned a 6/4 bike (2009 vintage) that spent more time on the UPS truck for repairs than it did on the road. Failures at the DT/BB followed by a separate one at the ST/BB. Ultimately had to be trashed after only 15K miles. Happily sold the warranty replacement as it was a harsh, unenjoyable ride anyway.

WRT older 6/4 frames, the 'stiffer' aspect negated the smooth ti ride and made frames harsh (think CAAD3 or 4). The 'lighter' was still the same or still heavier than much cheaper alloy frames. I would have achieved my objectives (light, stiff race bike) for about $3000 less with a CAAD10.

In short, there's a reason the masters of ti (Firefly, Seven, IF et al) build with 3/2.5.

In addition, this bike is not old enough or exotic enough to be a collector's piece. Unless you have strong emotional ties to the 2002 Lotto team who rode these, I'd pass.

PS: last non-carbon bike that I'm aware of in the peloton is a 'secret' Specialized branded Pegoretti ridden by Boonen circa 2007 or 2008

[Exonerv]

I seem to recall Dave Kirk also commenting that he saw a number of Vortex frames that were out of alignment.

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

[Climb01742]

...

[djg21]

I have some interest in this bike:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-59cm-Lite-speed-Vortex-Dura-Ace-10-Speed-/121898697087?hash=item1c61ba817f:g:UEIAAOSwpzdWs7w S

However, I seem to recall a thread on this forum with a litespeed vortex that had a weld failure where the top tube meets the head tube.

I would welcome any observations or comments on any aspect of this bicycle, including whether it is well priced or not.

I would also be interested to know if this is the last non-carbon bike to be raced professionally (by this I mean in the professional ranks in European races). I seem to recall that one of the many variants of Lotto raced on Litespeed bikes, and that Peter Van Petegem won Omloop Het Volk on such a machine.

I had one and it was a good bike. It got destroyed in an encounter with a car and I replaced it with a Lynskey R420, which essentially is the updated aversion of the Vortex. Both were 6/4 Ti bikes designed by David Lynskey. My Lynskey is far stiffer than the Vortex as a result of the biaxial downtube.

The Vortex was ridden by Lotto, and a rebadged Vortex was ridden by Lance.

I don't know if I'd spend that kind of money on a 13 year-old frame built with Dura Ace 7800. Maybe under $2,000.

If it's NOS being sold by a shop, I'd maybe ask if it still would be covered under Litespeed's warranty (despite being a final sale). The shop may not want to deal with it, but IME, Litespeed always has been helpful. It actually repaired my Vortex and replaced the top and down tubes that had been destroyed when I got hit. I paid for the tubes (less than $900) and received what amounted to a brand new bike in the mail. I was impressed, and the Vortex is still on the road.

[Steelman]

...

I would also be interested to know if this is the last non-carbon bike to be raced professionally (by this I mean in the professional ranks in European races). I seem to recall that one of the many variants of Lotto raced on Litespeed bikes, and that Peter Van Petegem won Omloop Het Volk on such a machine.

IIRC, the last non carbon bikes in the European peleton (outside of perhaps Paris Roubaix) were ridden in 2007 by DFL Cyclingnews Litespeed. They were one notch below a ProTour Team, but one step above a Continental Team.

I suspect that, if Ti frames could be manufactured with the same profit margins as carbon, and on the same scale, you might see the Ti mfgrs sponsoring a team. It all comes down to dollars.