A restomod (restoration and modernization) mashup of a 1990 Ti frame, 2007 Campagnolo carbon/Ti group set, 2015 wheelset, and a few modern parts reassembled in 2023.
Like many bike nerds, I've long wanted a titanium-framed bike. It has a reputation for a 'magical' ride feel, is light and just looks super cool. Purchased new, they are really, really expensive. But, they are also known as 'forever frames' for a reason. Ti has a very high fatigue life and doesn't rust. If the frame was made correctly in the first place, it can last a lifetime. So I started looking for an older Ti frameset to rebuild.
After searching for a while, I found a Litespeed (one of the early brands famous for Ti) frame in my size for a good price on eBay. Thanks to a cooperative seller and Litespeed still keeping serial number records, I was able to determine that it was a 1991 (actually built in 1990) model called "Classic Road". The frame had survived 32 years structurally sound but aesthetically... well, questionable. It had been partially painted in white by a previous owner (probably looked good enough if not my taste) and then 'wrapped' in a pattern overlay by the last owner (not bad from 10 feet but...). Along the way, the paint had been damaged then painted over poorly in an attempted repair then plastidipped to cover up the bad paint. It was not looking sharp. But this can all be fixed.
On arrival, I went through a process of attacking the frame with a heat gun and prying to remove the wrap. This was followed by three, 24hr rounds of soaking chemical stripper and scraping to get to bare titanium. Then a bit of experimenting with various high-grit rubbing methods brought back the brushed shine that is so coveted in titanium and low maintenance too boot.
A previous owner had already modernized the fork to a carbon fiber one with a threadless Chris King headset. The frame was originally built for a straight, 1" threaded steerer. The threadless part is straightforward, but most threadless steerer tubes are 1-1/8" or more. But, conveniently, it arrived with both a slam-cut (minimum length with resulting low bar positon) Columbus fork and a no-name fork with a longer steerer tube, both with 1" steerers. So decisions to make. More bar height or more trustworthy. Then a 130mm/17deg stem to the rescue to get the bars in a good position for me.
After scouring local Craigslist and FB Marketplace along with eBay for a suitable groupset, I found a 15-year-old, low miles, 10-speed Campagnolo Record Carbon/Ti group set to go with the Ti and black theme in NYC of all places. That groupset was once top-of-the-line and super bling - and still looks cool. Funny that this project ended up 10s after the Klein exercise that went to 11s. One sprocket really doesn't matter if the ratios are right. And Campy is just so cool, perfect for a near-vintage titanium build. (Go ask your parents about Campagnolo, children)
I was able to pick up a somewhat newer set of Mavic Ksyrium wheels with red hubs and nipples for some color bling. Fortunately, Mavic used to make parts readily available including Campy freehubs to swap for the HG one that had been on them so that was a simple adjustment.
Once all the parts were gathered and prepared, the assembly turned out to be fairly straightforward. (My very first complete build from scratch) For the most part, this older frame was fully compatible with the 15 year newer groupset. BSA bottom bracket is the time-proven option, now just with external bearings. Rear axle spacing in 1990 was already at the 130mm that was used until thru-axles. But of course, there were a few surprises along the way like having to learn about rivnuts (to hold bottle cages and one was damaged), some non-metric threads for the cable guide in the BB, etc. and it became this.
- Frame: Litespeed Classic Road - Size 62cm - Produced April 1990 as a 1991 model - 3AL-2.5V Ti
- Fork: Columbus Minimal - Carbon fiber replacement fork - 1" steerer but modernized with threadless setup
- Group set: Campagnolo Record Carbon Ti (super bling) - 2007 or 2008 as distinctions are small - 10 speed
- Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium Elite 2015
- Saddle: Selle Italia with Ti rails (of course)
- Completed weight: An amazing (for an XL frame not specifically built for lightweight) 8.33 kg (18.4 lbs). The lightest bike I've ever had.
Frame before
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Frame as delivered and no name fork
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