Lend Me Some Insight
 

This is my first post on the forum and I'd thought I'd introduce myself and propose a query or 4 to see what advice you experienced folks might offer. My name is Scott, I'm 34, grew up racing BMX and never owned a road bike until a few years ago when I bought a '78 Trek 510. I think it's a great bike, but I always knew putting any serious money into it would be an uphill battle.

As a 10 year old kid I would get Colorado Cyclist in the mail and was always intrigued by Litespeed's road offerings. When a "54cm" 1997 Litespeed Classic popped up on Craigslist I knew (from archived Litespeed catalogs) it was actually a 53 or a 55 and despite knowing 55 was probably a touch too big, I went for it. Cut to some two years later... I love my bike, but I just don't fit. I have a Thomson setback seatpost flipped, set(fast)forward style and my saddle rails are in maxed-out forward position. A good chunk of my commuting is in the rain and I really roll the dice sometimes with cars and wet rim(s) brakes.

I am in the market for a new bike. I commute to work 8 miles each way every day in Portland, OR. I like going fast, wet or dry, riding fire roads and eventually want to get into racing crits. I've been looking at 52cm 2016 T3 Discs (originally on Litespeed's site, then on Adrenaline). I know there's no such thing as a master of all trades but this one seems like it really checks all my boxes. I'm not rich and would probably have to finance for a complete build or just buy the frame and piece it out over time. My questions are:

1) Am I arrogant for discrediting the everyday-ability of modern carbon? (There are so many offerings)
2) I don't have a real parts bin, is piecing together a build not the most patience-molesting task... Should I just bite the bullet?
3) Am I sentimental/fixated on going for another Litespeed (I really do believe in their quality and value, relatively speaking)? What other bikes would you recommend?
4) Where else would you look for a groupset / part bundle?

I am a believer in doing it right the first time, even though my introduction contradicts that, but if I'm going to spend multiple thousands of dollars I feel like a long winded message on the internet is totally worth the risk of ridicule. Thanks in advance, I really enjoy this forum!

1. No.
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes

Hah, I'm your age and also drooled over Litespeeds in the catalogs back in the 90s. Was riding MTB until I saw an early 90's Litespeed Catalyst for sale on a local forum for $250, bought it and here we are 6-7 years later and my MTB is gathering dust. The Catalyst is long gone, I ride carbon frames daily, ~15 hours/week. They're not going to fall apart beneath you.

Personally, I enjoy buying parts one by one, when they show up cheap here/ebay/etc. I use itemalarm to send alerts for new ebay listings. If you use Facebook, the various sale groups are good. (mainly the one called "Online Swap Meet"

Scott, I think you should try riding a few other types of frames then decide if you think that that Trek really is "great." I also had similar era Trek (mid '80s, I think it was a 520) for many years and in retrospect I now know that that thing was a wet noodle and the handling was crap.

In your case I'd suggest test riding a bunch of different bikes and see what you like. Once you know that you can then decide how to find something like it that fits your budget.

m4rk540- Yes!

kramnnim- Itemalarm looks cool, I've heard of that kind of thing in the past but will be utilizing this one for sure. I've definitely used adhuntr.com before... just to give a little something back in case you hadn't known of it. I picked some brains at one of my LBS's and was hipped to online swap meet.

I have built every bike that I own. I find looking for parts (it could be a complete group or part at a time ) rewarding. I don't have local bike shops so most if not all comes from on line. I waited for almost 10 years to find one of my rides. Get what you really want, fulfill that childhood fantasy.

You're not going to do it right the first time. If you're spending thousands on it the first time you're doing it wrong.
My advice? Buy a nice-ish used (mid/late-2000's 9-10sp Ultegra/DA) road bike that fits you in the $400-700 range. Anything you buy new now will only have marginal improvements over the bikes from that era, that is unless you go grail-level with electronic shifting or hydro disc brakes.
Once you have that used bike, ride it for hundreds, if not thousands of miles; this way you get a nice standard to base your new bike purchase off of. Then you can compare to see just how nice or different Campy, disc brakes, 11 speed, light-ish wheels, etc. are. You will learn to see how much you like cycling, as well as what gets you the most for your money.

edit: I can't read. Still, get something that fits so you can know what discomforts are equipment-related and what is fit-related. Also, don't hesitate to test ride at shops. Lastly, carbon is fine, it can actually be cheaper to repair than steel and definitely aluminum.

Louis- Its tough because the times I've gone in to do that very thing, it seems like I don't get taken seriously. In all fairness I haven't been that assertive about a test ride, but perhaps you've inspired me to put my foot down. Either that or I should wear some dental scrubs to the shop.

So, carbon. It's awesome. Best overall material when taking frame design, ride "tuning" and strength to weight into account. However, if I were to only own one race/commuting/pub-going bike in a rainy place, it would be built around a titanium frame. In 5 years, there will be multiple crashes, a few chain drops and, heaven forbid, a broken rear derailleur. A rear derailleur hasn't been made which could damage a titanium frame.

Disc brakes. Well, that's another 50 page thread.

First, welcome to Paceline Forum, and nice first post.

1. Given the riding you do, and where you live, I think your desire to get another ti frame is spot-on.
   
2. The newer Litespeeds get very good reviews, so I think it is great that you are down to a brand and model even.
   
3. That said, of course test ride a 52 T3 as well as a few other bicycles, for sizing and for performance/feel. Why not?
   
4. What is your budget for the complete build?
   
5. Rather than jumping into a new frameset/bicycle, first definitely scour eBay, Portland CL, and the Classifieds here (including posting WTBs) for a used frameset + components, and see what comes up. You might be pleasantly surprised.
   
6. The used ti frame market is good for buyers recently; however, of course you are looking for a new-ish/non-standard size/disc frame, so you're not likely to find a really fantastic deal. Still, better than new $....
   
7. Also, check those markets to see what your current used 1997 Litespeed Classic could bring in (probably not a lot at all, but every dollar counts).

You will find a lot of nice people here willing to help/advise.

Good luck!

You have to do the test rides. You really do. No ifs, ands, or buts....
.

cadence- Message (test rides=must) received. Probably gonna try some out some 52cm Trek, Giant, Specialized to see what sticks out geometrically speaking.

Your fit problem is not going to be fixed by going to a 52cm frame. You have your saddle at least 8cm forward of where it should be, and a 52cm frame is only going to be 1-2cm shorter in top tube length (reach).

There's something going on here beside your frame size. You might want to get fit to find out why you're sitting so incredibly far forward.

Welcome to the forum!

Portland-er here myself - and have some thoughts - plus an offer to meet up for some in-person assessment - but it's late - so back atcha tomorrow...

Leaving this so I remember to come back to it ;)

Kontact- I had that same concerns, went to Western Bikeworks for a Guru Bike Finder fit with 52 and 54cm T3 geometry input and made certain to ask the fitter that I was within the middle of the rails. I got a printout with all my relevant measurements that I’ll bring for my test rides. My current ride I’m on a 90mm stem and that’s as short as I’m willing to go. It’s lipstick on the pig, but any shorter and my front end would be twitcher than my rear end is unweighted.

Thanks Clean39t!