Manitou or Litespeed Ti frame.
- Thread starter sandmangts
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Don't forget that Litespeed made a number of frames for other people so it could be a genuine Litespeed that doesn't follow their lineup. I would think that the lack of s-bend stays would rule out Merlin.
Nice score mind, especially for the brakes.
Nice score mind, especially for the brakes.
sandmangts
Senior Retro Guru
I got it. No serial number anywhere. Decals all say manitou and one litespeed decal on the seat tube. Says made in the USA on the bottom bracket. It has a signature decal on the chainstay that I can't make out. It is very dirty but no dents or cracks and it actually fits me. I am thinking of building it up as a singlespeed with modern parts. Any ideas? I think the dropouts and the signature should help id it. Thanks.
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jimjim2012
Gold Trader
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Love that chainstay bullet shaped cap detail.
Would be awesome if it was some ultra rare manitou xc frame.
Nice find.
Would be awesome if it was some ultra rare manitou xc frame.
Nice find.
That looks like a litespeed. The bullet caps are one of their features as is the Lynskey sig.
The BB is a syncros Ti and the seat qr looks to be Fast Feather
Very nice score
Edit: I may have to take that back - the bullet caps are actually not like most Litespeeds from the last few years as the Litespeed ones are more smoothed, that's not to say its not, just may not be one of their catalogue bikes, maybe one built for another company, hence the limited litespeed decals - it's certainly not a manitou
The BB is a syncros Ti and the seat qr looks to be Fast Feather
Very nice score
Edit: I may have to take that back - the bullet caps are actually not like most Litespeeds from the last few years as the Litespeed ones are more smoothed, that's not to say its not, just may not be one of their catalogue bikes, maybe one built for another company, hence the limited litespeed decals - it's certainly not a manitou
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sandmangts
Senior Retro Guru
Well Still no ID. It is most likely a Sandvik built frame. Litespeed replied to me and said it was not one of theirs. Lynsky was no help. Titanium Sports says it may be one of their pre-production not for sale frames. The brakes were not Grafton but something else I can't ID. I have stripped it down and it is beautiful, cleaned and polished it looks great. I will leave the decals for now. Rebuilding will begin after the holidays. Thanks for all the input.Caramba Kid":1bc01lpx said:
Wold Ranger
Old School Grand Master
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Looks very HeiHei to me, dropouts are also like a Fat Ti'. Having owned dozens of Ti drames over the years, you have to bare in mind most of the manufactures made frames for both each other and for other top brands, who didn't have their own facility, their was a lot of secrecy going on and many frames had split production between differing makers.
It could well be Answer had some Ti frames made up for them, as BITD, they were one of the "big names"
Some race teams even had their own frames made to order and decaled up with their sponsers names.
A bare scale weight can often tell a lot too, as they varied a lot between makes, some were no lighter than a good steel frame.
It could well be Answer had some Ti frames made up for them, as BITD, they were one of the "big names"
Some race teams even had their own frames made to order and decaled up with their sponsers names.
A bare scale weight can often tell a lot too, as they varied a lot between makes, some were no lighter than a good steel frame.
henrysthreeironbands
Senior Retro Guru
similar in some ways to this one:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=46933
1. Shape of dropout plate
2. Welded bullet chainstay end
3. Welded flat seatstay end with drainage hole
4. Wishbone seatstay
5. Rear derailleur wire guide bellow the seat clamp
6. Long seatpost sleeve
Differences:
1. Polished vs brushed
2. ?
I'd say these two are definitly made by the same manufacturer, perhaps Sandvik. The Answer stickers make no sense, I highly doubt they would have wanted anything to do with ti, and even if they did the stickers would not have looked like that.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=46933
1. Shape of dropout plate
2. Welded bullet chainstay end
3. Welded flat seatstay end with drainage hole
4. Wishbone seatstay
5. Rear derailleur wire guide bellow the seat clamp
6. Long seatpost sleeve
Differences:
1. Polished vs brushed
2. ?
I'd say these two are definitly made by the same manufacturer, perhaps Sandvik. The Answer stickers make no sense, I highly doubt they would have wanted anything to do with ti, and even if they did the stickers would not have looked like that.
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