Early Christmas for Me

warren128 · #1 12-08-2020, 11:07 PM

Well, I didn't expect to find one so soon, but I've been hoping and waiting for a Litespeed Appalachian/Blue Ridge to come up for sale. And lo and behold, one popped up on eBay recently in my size, 57cm (LS designation), with a 56cm c-c TT.

After a bit of research looking through old LS catalogs online, mine looks like a 2000 model. The headset is 1" threadless. The fork that came with it looks incredibly beefy (and probably heavy for carbon). It has canti bosses and disc tabs, which looks just like the old Nashbar 1" Cyclocross generic fork a.k.a. Winwood (?)

It also came with a Campagnolo headset, and a Chorus 102mm square taper BB, and both are smooth and in good shape.

I have no idea if this fork is anywhere near the OEM fork's specs, but apparently the previous owner put some miles on the frame with this fork. Do you guys have any opinions about using this fork on this frame?

I'm inclined to just build it with this fork and see how it goes.

I'll be looking for a Chorus or Record Compact square taper crankset for this, and I know that they're sort of rare, but it would be my first choice to use the BB that came with the frame.

I have a few other things to consider on this build, it's part of the fun.

I'm considering making a swift all-road bike, maybe run 32mm, as my other recent all-road build (Lemond Wayzata) is on 35mm Panaracer GK Slicks that I've been happy with.

oliver1850 · #2 12-09-2020, 12:25 AM

Nice find. I have a new Nashbar CX fork in a box somewhere, don't remember if it is disc compatible. I can dig it out if you want to compare. The Nashbar and Winwood road forks look nearly identical, I have both.

What gearing are you shooting for? Record and Chorus CT square taper cranks were only made in 2005 and 2006 I think, and are pretty scarce.

warren128 · #3 12-09-2020, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Nice find. I have a new Nashbar CX fork in a box somewhere, don't remember if it is disc compatible. I can dig it out if you want to compare. The Nashbar and Winwood road forks look nearly identical, I have both.

What gearing are you shooting for? Record and Chorus CT square taper cranks were only made in 2005 and 2006 I think, and are pretty scarce.

Thanks

I want a Campagnolo compact (50/34), 10 speed. Yes, I know that they are scarce, and I'll remove that Chorus square taper BB and use something else if I have to.

m_sasso · #4 12-09-2020, 02:23 AM

From what is left of the top tube decal, looks as though it was originally configured as an Appalachian.

The optional forks were Chrome Moly straight bladed cyclocross fork or Litespeed Crome Molly touring fork. The BlueRidge had a 5.2 fork rake with the touring fork and the Appalachian had a 4.4 fork rake with the cyclocross fork.

The 57 cm BlueRidge had a 101.9cm wheel base and the 57 cm Appalachian had a 101.1cm wheel base, with their respective forks.

I would measure your frames wheelbase with the current fork and see how it compares. If they are close and the top tube is fairly level, put some parts on it and ride.

I thought my 1998 Litespeed Ocoee was a steel at $375, you made out like a bandit at $350!

ridesmasterx · #5 12-09-2020, 05:19 AM

Had one around 2000. It appears the fork is the original Winwood like mine came with too. I used to ride 25mm tires during the season and 32mm in the wetter months on Mavic Open Pro rims. Wish I still had it but it went to a good home somewhere in Ohio around 2007. I rebadged mine and it read “Slitespeed” in the original font and color.
Enjoy the build and the ride.

Peter P. · #6 12-09-2020, 06:18 AM

Of course run the bike with the existing fork first, and see if you like it.

Why toss it without trying it?

Since 1" threadless forks might be hard to come by, if you opt out of the original fork, just have a steel unicrown fork built for it.

C40_guy · #7 12-09-2020, 07:53 AM

Congrats on the find!

I've had one of these for many years. Replacing the Winwood fork with an Alpha Q really transformed the bike. Now I look forward to riding it!

Mine is set up with Record 10 Compact. I had a triple on it for a while, but didn't really need that much gearing... It's a lot of fun on trails and in the woods!

warren128 · #8 12-09-2020, 12:12 PM

Ha! $350 would have been a steal, but that was just the starting price. I avoided the bidding process and possible bidding war by trading offers with the seller until we reached a mutually agreeable price which we were both happy with.

I think the fork is fine because it is a 4.5 rake, and I'll just run it to see how it rides for now. Thanks for the information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_sasso

From what is left of the top tube decal, looks as though it was originally configured as an Appalachian.

The optional forks were Chrome Moly straight bladed cyclocross fork or Litespeed Crome Molly touring fork. The BlueRidge had a 5.2 fork rake with the touring fork and the Appalachian had a 4.4 fork rake with the cyclocross fork.

The 57 cm BlueRidge had a 101.9cm wheel base and the 57 cm Appalachian had a 101.1cm wheel base, with their respective forks.

I would measure your frames wheelbase with the current fork and see how it compares. If they are close and the top tube is fairly level, put some parts on it and ride.

I thought my 1998 Litespeed Ocoee was a steel at $375, you made out like a bandit at $350!

warren128 · #9 04-14-2021, 09:32 PM

Well, I finished it today. Here it is on its first ride.

original_dea8a8a3-e2b9-4848-bb96-2497f1e7599e_IMG_20210414_171029807 by warren t., on Flickr

fogrider · #10 04-15-2021, 02:56 AM

how does it ride?

warren128 · #11 04-15-2021, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fogrider

how does it ride?

I only rode about 6 miles yesterday to make sure everything was dialed in, but so far I find the ride to be super smooth and comfortable without sacrificing handling. It is as good as I expected and hoped for from this old titanium CX frame. I chose 32mm GK slicks with tubes.

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C40_guy · #12 04-15-2021, 09:38 AM

Not sure if that's a Winwood or not...but I don't know what else it would be. Have you thought about running a disc brake on the front?

warren128 · #13 04-15-2021, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Not sure if that's a Winwood or not...but I don't know what else it would be. Have you thought about running a disc brake on the front?

I'm pretty sure it's a Winwood/Nashbar fork. It's an interesting idea to run a disc in front, but I decided to use TRP CX 8.4 mini-vs, and I'm satisfied with their performance.

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eippo1 · #14 04-15-2021, 12:10 PM

I love the build. How do you like the Mini-Vs with Campy? I had heard that the pull ratio makes it so that they are pretty close to the rims.

warren128 · #15 04-15-2021, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eippo1

I love the build. How do you like the Mini-Vs with Campy? I had heard that the pull ratio makes it so that they are pretty close to the rims.

This is my 2nd set of TRP mini-Vs on Campy 10 because the 1st set worked well on my Lemond Wayzata also with Campy 10. I also considered Paul cantis, Velo Orange Grand Cru, and Avid Shortys, but in the end, I decided to go with the TRP CX 8.4.

The pads are pretty close to the rims. Once engaged, the brakes are strong and have very good modulation.