Third Time's a Charm: Litespeed T3

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shuttlenote
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by shuttlenote

Was really hoping to see it debuted as PEE. How many decals do you have on hand lol!

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nickf
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by nickf

How does that t3 compare to the ultimate? Any experience on the ultimate?

by Weenie


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NiFTY
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by NiFTY

Ryan how many times did you dump your girlfriend before you married her?
Evo 4.9kg SL3 6.64kg Slice RS 8.89kg viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RyanH
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by RyanH

Hold on while I count...

LOL, no, hobbies are the only part of my life that I'm like this. In the past it was photography and firearms, but I use hobbies as a mental distraction/break from near round the clock work. My insanity in hobbies keeps me sane in the rest of my life.
nickf wrote:How does that t3 compare to the ultimate? Any experience on the ultimate?
I've never had an Ultimate so I don't know.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

My first Ti bike was the original Litespeed Ultimate, one of those ridden by the LA Sheriff pro team. It has a really short wheelbase and it’s really a crit bike with stiffness best suited for a powerful sprinter. I didn’t know any better at the time and I wanted the same bike as what the pros were riding. It beat the crap out of me but the bike looked great, haha. I don’t know much about the current Ultimates but I assume it’s still a bike designed for sprinting.


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owlbass
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Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:31 pm

by owlbass

RyanH wrote:
Fri May 17, 2019 5:39 am
Got my first ride on it today, did the Rose Bowl ride and got in about 75 miles tonight. Took a handful of 450w pulls on the backside to establish the break but spent the next 45 minutes in a small break that somehow grew over time (people kept jumping in...poor form). All I can say is man I missed this bike.

Image
I think that’s a Darimo post. What do you think of it? Also, how long until you put EPS 12 speed on?

RyanH
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by RyanH

I am almost ordered EPS 12 and then I did the math on weight, it was depressing. Without checking my build sheet I think it was 268g heavier than Di2 when factoring in the cassette.

Right now, eTap is my lightest option since Di2 feels like crap with ee and won't shift the XG-1190 11-28 cassette so while eTap shift group is heavier than Di2, I can run eeBrakes and an, xg Cassette which makes the system weight lower. Since I have it, I'll see how I get along with it. I did have some numbness in the hand and forearm on my Thursday ride. When I had the first crumpton, I had eTap and couldn't get rid of the numbness issue. We'll see.

Regarding the Darimo post, I'll report back after the week. The only thing I can say is that it's little finnicky to setup since it uses a regular taper head bolt that you have to twist with your fingers, but now that I think about it, it's better than my mcfk post which required taking the saddle off to change the height of the front clamp.

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

When I was running 9070 it shifted perfectly with XG-1190 11-28. Perhaps you could have just gotten a 9070 RD and everything would be just fine. Or just get a Dura Ace 11-28 if you can get used to not having the 16 cog...

oldturd
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by oldturd

Gosh this bike must be that good.. even your Focus is exiting your stable!

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pdlpsher1
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by pdlpsher1

It's crazy to see so many bikes come and go...

Etienne
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by Etienne

Hi Ryan,

I've been a permanent lurker of this T3 thread ... the new version is interesting but for purely aesthetic reasons, I am nostalgic of the 1st version below (2016 ... ) that was, in my opinion, exactly what I like for a Ti bike :wink:

Still a very nice bike anyway ...
Attachments
30019369802_abb8406ce6_o.jpg

RyanH
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by RyanH

This bike has gone through nearly every iteration possible:

October 2016:
Image

December 2016:
Image

March 2017 - Oops, that may have been too WW:
Image

July 2017 - Need more slammage
Image

August 2017 - The "Mr Black" version
Image

August 2017 - Campy Galore with SRM
Image

Sep 2017 - Mr Low Profile
Image

Dec 2017 - No Garmin no rules phase
Image

Feb - May 2018 - The WW Versions
Image

Image

Image

July 2018 - Setup for the Classics
Image

Etienne
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by Etienne

RyanH wrote:
Sun May 19, 2019 4:43 pm
This bike has gone through nearly every iteration possible:
Sure, a true showcase of bike components, this bike seems like a cameleon ... would you say that the each iteration is better than the previous one ?

glepore
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by glepore

RyanH wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 7:37 pm

Right now, eTap is my lightest option since Di2 feels like crap with ee and won't shift the XG-1190 11-28 cassette so while eTap shift group is heavier than Di2, I can run eeBrakes and an, xg Cassette which makes the system weight lower. Since I have it, I'll see how I get along with it. I did have some numbness in the hand and forearm on my Thursday ride. When I had the first crumpton, I had eTap and couldn't get rid of the numbness issue. We'll see.

I do agree with the brakes comment. Recently moved mine from a shimano bike to a campy bike and man, what a difference. I don't get the cassette comment, as my xg's shift fine with di2. Not so well with Campy mech.
Cysco Ti custom Campy SR mechanical (6.9);Berk custom (5.6); Serotta Ottrott(6.8) ; Anvil Custom steel Etap;1996 Colnago Technos Record

RyanH
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by RyanH

I wouldn't say "better" but more just a reflection of what new components I'm trying at the moment as well as my preferences for known good components. The image you linked had 404s, which I would never ride again and while Campy SR mechanical is a good mechanical group, I find it limits my ability to shift while sprinting which utlimately makes me slower and that Quarq clashed with the rest of the bike (and eventually died, as did all my other Quarqs).

Right now, these are preferred components and mostly stay the same among my current bikes:
-Mcfk saddle, I found this saddle to be significantly better than the Berk saddle. Better support, no numbness after an hour or two, and looks better.
-SRM...mostly because it's an SRM and I've had the least issues with SRM.
-Electronic shifting. I find it handles shifting under loads and hard efforts better and I can adjust while riding the bike.
-A very stiff stem (pro vibe 7s or Zipp sprint)
-Campy Boras and Veloflex tires (I have a rotation of wheels but if I could only keep one, it'd be these)

Relatively new components that I'm trying are:
-Alptitude cages
-Darimo T2 Setback post
-S Works 38cm bars

Items subject to change:
-Bars...these are on loan from dudemanppl and I have Haero Carbon 38cm coming Wed. I like the profile of the S works though, look significantly better from the side than 3T.
-Stem? I need the 140mm due to the shorter reach on eTap but I may go back to a Pro 7s stem. Maybe 140mm if the reach on the Haero is the same as S works.

by Weenie


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