X Lite Titanium Pro UPDATE 4.4.12

Barneyballbags

Old School Grand Master
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I thought I'd start a thread for this, as I'm just waiting for it to arrive :) :) :)

Bought a 1997 X Lite Titanium Pro off Gumtree from a guy in N.Ireland. Looks to be a very tidy bike with a fairly decent build, but I'll be changing a few bits (namely mechs, brakes, wheels, cranks).

I'll be going for XTR M95x for the mechs, brakes and shifters, Hope for the hubs and Middleburn for the cranks.

The bars and seatpost are X Lite Ti units, so they'll be staying.. As will the gorgeous forks :cool:

Definitely a keeper, this one.. Don't expect to see it split and advertised in the For Sale forum any time soon ;)

A few very helpful forum members have managed to give me a bit of background info on the frame - I believe that it's a Raleigh Special Products frame, which was manufactured in Nottingham for X Lite. As far as I can gather it's very similar to the Torus frames of the same era.

Claimed frame weight of 1500g and a fork weight of 910g, so I'm expecting this to be a nice lively bike, but as I want it to be a rider and not a garage queen, I'm building it with functional, reliable bits rather than venturing off down the weight weenie route. Well, not too much anyway! I'm aware of a few reports of cracks with regard to the forks, so I've made sure that the seller gave them a good check, and sent me an email to confirm that they're not cracked or damaged in any way (frame too).. That way I have something to fall back on if I receive it and find anything wrong.. "Better safe than sorry" and all that, and after my previous experience buying an "uncracked and NOS" Al-Mega, and it turning out to be anything but, I'm not taking any chances this time!

I'm planning to get the Hope-hubbed wheels first, and then colour-matching the rest of the build around it with regard to the bolts etc.

I'll be reserving the next post for picture updates as the build progresses. But the photo below is how it'll be coming to me, and this is how it'll be staying for the next month or so while I try to sort out the kit to re-build it with.

Can't wait. Did I mention that this is my first foray into Titanium? Nothing like jumping in with both feet ;)

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26.3.2012
The RaceFace chainset is now being replaced by this little beauty (thanks corduroyboy!)... Much more suitable ;)

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Very cool front end on it. This should be a very nice build. M95x is a great colour with titanium in my opinion.
 
I don't want to put too much colour on it - M95x is nice and subtle and I think it'll help to highlight the colour of the hubs and bolts a little better..

Was thinking blue for the hubs and bolts?
 
X-lite

This is the same frame as a Raleigh Torus, great handling and fast, but needs proper retro parts, especially cantilever brakes and 5 bolt cranks! Lots of X-lite of course, should look cool when it's done?????? ;)
 
Re: X-lite

Wold Ranger":4tcdgmw4 said:
This is the same frame as a Raleigh Torus, great handling and fast, but needs proper retro parts, especially cantilever brakes and 5 bolt cranks! Lots of X-lite of course, should look cool when it's done?????? ;)

Haha yep, lots of X Lite (bars and seatpost are X Lite Ti), a splash of anodising, a pinch of Middleburn, a touch of Hope and a dose of M95x..

Oh, and V Brakes ;) ... It's a personal thing. It's going to be a regular rider, and I just prefer Vs... Plus they won't look out of place as the frame is a '97 so could have been run with either at the time :)
 
I've just fired off an email to Alex Trimnell to see whether he can give me any more information about it... These frames seem to be pretty thin on the ground and there isn't an awful lot of info out there.
 
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