1995 litespeed obed FS (amp rear) has arrived

My original post is below. I thought it best to update this thread than clutter the forum with another one about the same frame.

The frame is now in my possession and I must say, it looks as though it has never been ridden, not even any chain slap. There is barely, and I mean barely a mark on it. I thought I'd share a few pics and also get your opinion on a few things so here goes:

The frame/pics





A pic of the disc brake mount - home brew for sure, but quite a good one as it goes. I doubt I'll be using it though.


Brake bosses are missing. I've checked my B3 frame and they are simply bolted on. Anyone upgraded the standard ones to ti bossses/bolts, or something more than just the standard steel ones?


Finally, and apologies for asking, but with the decals being yellow/blue, whar are peoples thoughts on the build? I have some purple pauls v brakes - would these work?

Not sure of the seat post size yet, but I have some titanium titec bars and stem. Did they make a matching seat post, and if so, what sort of price would I be looking at to get me one? Sad I know, but I like things to match.

I'm open to suggestions on forks and components, but I hope to use parts from my stash unless something will just be too awesome not to use. I'm still looking for that build to unlesh the lawwill leaders - is this the one or should I stick to AMP F4-BLT or F3-XC (Ti or carbon)? Or is it a bit cliche to go with Amp forks?

I believe I have just broken my own rule and rather than sell the bikes/frames/parts I'm not using, I have gone and bought a litespeed obed FS

Now I own a few amps, and know that quite a few bikes used the amp suspension rear end, but aside from that, know little more.

Does anyone have any information on these bikes to whet my appetite while I wait for it to arrive? Build advice and/or examples? Known issues/things to look for?

As a result I'm likely to be selling a couple of bikes/frames to cover my outlay, so an Amp B3 and possibly either my amplifier or B5 could also become make weights, unless I'm going crazy and am seeing things through titanium tinted goggles and my potential sales are worth keeping over the litespeed?

Please furnish me with information and opinions about any of the above.

Cheers

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I think they had AMP rear suspension in 95 and 96. There are build specs on Bikepedia.

I've never understood the argument for a ti-framed full suspension bike. With suspension at both ends, you want the frame to be as stiff as possible, which isn't what titanium offers.

it's a litespeed triangle with a standard amp backend

uncomplicated, lightweight, just works. like all amps, flexy in the rear tho

I've heard the term flexy used with amps quite a bit, but whilst I've said I've got a few, I've never actually finished them off, something I hope to do with a few of my builds in the near future. So how does this flexiness affect them? I'm not going to be doing anything other than light riding so should I worry?

I've got a risse shock for a B3, would one fit a litespeed/amp frame and add any stiffness? Other things such as an amp brace help in this area?

The majority of frame builders using the AMP rear end used the B2 version but a few did use the later B3 & B4 back ends, have you got pics?

What's the difference between the B2 and B3 rear ends? Can you use the same rear brace on both?

Ian, we badly need pics!

:shock:

In 97/98 the obed morphed into the Hiwassee that I had, it used a RS rear damper and square section stays that were beefier than the older rear ends, and having owned a B3 and the Litespeed, to be honest other than the damping there wasn't much in the ride, but a lot in the weight, the B3 was very light.

I should have known that pictures would be needed so here are a few. Hopefully someone more in the know can tell me what rear end it has. I think based on my Mongoose Amplifier and B3, that it has a B3 rear, but please feel free to confirm/correct.

I'd also like to know what peoples thoughts are on a build. Depending on what I do with the bikes I have that will need to make way for this, I could have some nice black controltech finishing kit, some M900 or M952, some syncros finishing kit (depending in the seatpost size needed for the litespeed) etc etc.

Colour wise, I will have parts for greem (well a king headset and ringle cage, controltech bars), blue (probably as above with some other bits and bobs). I've seen the thread for annodising colour suggestions with ti, but I'd be interested in opinions too, as well as forks for this. I could go RS Judy FSX, SL or XC Noleen Carbon crosslink, Pace RC35, Lawwill leader 3, white bros xc 90 (I think, though this needs a service - anyone know how?), Amp FX3 carbon, Amp F4 BLT (ti ish colour), Amp FX3 in the ti colour or even a fox fork (will probably be black and have F80X innards - need to get it resprayed and rebuilt).

Here are the pics.

The disc mount will probably go, I think it is one for a standard/IS mount rather than the AMP version, and the non-drive side chain stay has a signature on it - I think it is Lynksey, which, whilst I may have this wrong, does it have something to do with the titanium manufacturer/welder? If so, why on the non titanium rear? Google images also throws up a few examples of this signature too - any ideas?

I also think that one of the mounting bolts on the rear (non ds) is the wrong way around, which will obviously change once I get my hands on it (after customs no doubt gets their hands on it first).

Lynskey is the litespeed family. That's a B2/3 back end with a homemade mount by the looks of it.

The mount is a bit rubbish, so will be losing that straight away. The back end I'm not 100% sure on, but there is a difference between the B2 and B3 shock (the B3 is shorter) so I guess I'll find out which I have when it arrives, unless someone can tell from the pics.