# Which Litespeed for comfort & club riding?



## lawrence (May 17, 2005)

I went to my local Litespeed dealer yesterday and test rode a Litespeed Firenze. This was the first time I rode a titanium bike. What a difference between this and my aluminum bike. It really handled the bumps so smoothly I couldn't feel them.

But I'm confused about which model would suit my riding. I'm 55 yrs old and I want to ride for comfort. I want to ride alone, 25-60 miles; I want to ride with my club 25-60, I want to ride flat roads and I want to ride hills. I don't want to crank down on the bike and have the bike move sideways or at least not too much but I want the bike to handle the bumps well. I don't want too light a bike where you crank down on it and it moves sideways.

My LBS said the only 2 models that fit my criteria would be the Firenze and the Tuscany. He said some of the more expensive bikes would either give a rougher ride where I would feel the bumps more or would be too light and jump sideways when I crank down on the pedals.

One thing that I didn't like about the Firenze, the LBS said LItespeed doesn't size their bikes by cm, but by sizing. I rode the Medium Large Firenze. I'm 5'11" and tall in the legs. When I rode it I felt that I had too much weight on my hands as I felt I was leaning forward. The LBS said the bike was a little too small for me because the head tube is shorter on this bike. With a larger bike, it would have a taller head tube and that would move more of my weight to the seat.

Would this problem be solved with a large Litespeed?

Is the Firenze and Tuscany the only 2 bikes I should be looking at or are there others?

Which model would be best for me?


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## snyper0311 (Jun 8, 2006)

I have a Litespeed Firenze that I've owned for two years now and ride it the most out of all the bikes I own (I also have a Litespeed Vortex and a GT Mountain Bike). I bought the Vortex last year for racing and faster group rides, but my Firenze is my "go to" bike for most of the riding I do. I'm thinking of selling the Vortex and using the Firenze for all my riding. I think it's a great bike that can handle anything from racing to the slow Sunday rides with my kids. 

A good bike shop will fit you with the right size frame and components. They should take the time to get you set up properly. Make sure that the bike you get fits YOU. Overall, I would highly recommend the Firenze to anyone looking for a great bike at a great price.

Mark


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

lawrence said:


> I went to my local Litespeed dealer yesterday and test rode a Litespeed Firenze. This was the first time I rode a titanium bike. What a difference between this and my aluminum bike. It really handled the bumps so smoothly I couldn't feel them.
> 
> But I'm confused about which model would suit my riding. I'm 55 yrs old and I want to ride for comfort. I want to ride alone, 25-60 miles; I want to ride with my club 25-60, I want to ride flat roads and I want to ride hills. I don't want to crank down on the bike and have the bike move sideways or at least not too much but I want the bike to handle the bumps well. I don't want too light a bike where you crank down on it and it moves sideways.
> 
> ...


Um. I ride a litespeed ultimate and have never had it jump sideways on me. I think that's more how you ride than anything (I have a 1400 watt max sprint, I'm not easy on the bike when I'm out of the saddle)

In terms of putting more weight on the seat, meh.
Get a -8 or -17 degree stem, flip it, and it'll give you rise. Keep the spacers and don't do the attempted pro-look thing.
I wouldn't want to put more weight on the seat, so much as achieve balance. More weight on the seat may be more comfortable for 10, 20 miles, but it'd also be bad for the prostate and veins/arteries in that reason to have the pressure on them, not to mention that having weight htere's going to lead to more soreness, tenderness, and saddle sores.
I would try out all the bikes, although yeah the Firenze and Tuscany are probably your best picks. Then, the most important thing, get fitted to your bike!!! Make sure the fitter knows that you're getting fitted as a rec-rider not as an attempted pro.

HTH!
-estone2


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## tuscanybill (Nov 20, 2005)

I have a 05 Tuscany and I love it I think we have a ride goal that is close the same. I ride once a week with the club, I ride by myself, I love to climb, I like to do a few centurys in a season, I just like to ride. The Tuscany is a good all arounder and it really is, if they have a good fit for you it's a nice bike. The above posters also offer very good advice as well. All the best. -- Bill


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## Pepe (Jun 24, 2004)

tuscanybill said:


> I have a 05 Tuscany and I love it I think we have a ride goal that is close the same. I ride once a week with the club, I ride by myself, I love to climb, I like to do a few centurys in a season, I just like to ride. The Tuscany is a good all arounder and it really is, if they have a good fit for you it's a nice bike. The above posters also offer very good advice as well. All the best. -- Bill


Great bike. I've got a 2000 Palmares (same geometry, harder titanium & different tube shapes). I've ridden the Tuscany, though, it's a fine bike, not as stiff as my Palmares, but not at all whippy like some Titanium nay-sayers claim.

If you've got a 2006 Tuscany that fits, get it while you can. Litespeed only has compact geometry road frames in the 2007 line-up, with no Tuscany model. While you're at it, get the Chorus gruppo.


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## HerbertK (Sep 23, 2004)

lawrence said:


> Is the Firenze and Tuscany the only 2 bikes I should be looking at or are there others?
> 
> Which model would be best for me?


In my opinion you'd be fine with either option in terms of the ride, but make sure that it fits correctly.

Cheers

Herbert
Litespeed
www.litespeed.com


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## Red Sox Junkie (Sep 15, 2005)

lawrence said:


> I went to my local Litespeed dealer yesterday and test rode a Litespeed Firenze. This was the first time I rode a titanium bike. What a difference between this and my aluminum bike. It really handled the bumps so smoothly I couldn't feel them.
> 
> But I'm confused about which model would suit my riding. I'm 55 yrs old and I want to ride for comfort. I want to ride alone, 25-60 miles; I want to ride with my club 25-60, I want to ride flat roads and I want to ride hills. I don't want to crank down on the bike and have the bike move sideways or at least not too much but I want the bike to handle the bumps well. I don't want too light a bike where you crank down on it and it moves sideways.
> 
> ...


look for a NOS Litespeed Veneto. I was able to get one for half of the regular price. They made them in 2003 and 2004 for exactly the fit you are talking about. They have a taller head tube and a shorter top tube. This sits you up more, but the bike is a performance ride. I have one and have liked it so far, but then again, I haven't put a ton of miles on it. It is a LOT easier on the back and neck.


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