Hi All,
Need your opinion/advise on this.
I am currently riding a year2001 Litespeed Arenberg (similiar to a year 2005/6 Litespeed Firenze in Geometry etc, traditional top tube)
I like my Litespeed Arenberg. comfortable ride, good for long rides etc. As for my riding style I am more of a climber and do long rides. I am 179cm in height and weight in at only 67Kg so I am very lightweight.
I was recently thinking of getting a compact frame(due to my riding style etc), The Litespeed Ghisallo comes to mind, but the price is well too high for my limited budget...
I recently had an good offer on an previous years model (but in very good condition) Litespeed Siena frameset(size etc everything all right for me). This is a compact frame.
I was wondering if I should buy this frame or keep using my Litespeed Arenberg and just upgrade to a ligther wheelset?
My Litespeed Arenberg and the Siena has about the same weight, so weight saving here is not my primary concern, but i just wonder if thet different in frame-types(compact etc) is worth to spend the money on?
Lastly, the other thing I am worry about in this Litespeed Siena is that it is using a integrated headset. Any of you have bad experience with it? I personally prefer a traditional type Aheadset, but maybe I am just worry too much about the headset thing too.
Let me know what you think
Thanks
Howard Chan

The Arensberg is a good frame. If you not flexing it and it fits you correctly, going lighter will have very little impact. Light wheels feel great although lighter rims are what you will notice the most so take rim weight into consideration whan choosing a wheelset. I would choose a wheelset with a light rim and a heavier hub over the reverse if I was considering two wheelsets that weighed the same.

Howard, on the bike change I'm not sure, I have no expreance on those models. What I can coment on is the head set, I have a Tuscany 2005 model and have had no problems with the head-set of this type. My tuscany is stable at all speeds and it holds it's adjustment as well as the chris king traditional on my steel Jamis frame. I know a lot of problems have been writen about the "integrated" head-sets on litespeed frames, but I personaly don't know of any problems out of our local litespeed dealer, who has been selling litespeed for many years. All the best on what you deside. -- Bill

While if your headset should damage the cup you can replace the cup. But with Litespeed themselves going back to the non-integraded headset how long will replacement cups be available?

Well the cup issue is a good point I don't think that they would stop making the part for that frame, it would not be in thire interest to do so, they made a ton of that design. In my following of the issue Litespeed is following "customer" demand rather than thire own desire to change. I am very spoiled as I am a machinist and could turn out a cup in my garage if I needed one, that said take comfort in that if you could not get a cup from litespeed you could have it made if you needed and thats not likly. Most all of the "problems" were not related to the design itself but adjustment issues and or things that people blamed on the head-set. -- Bill

We actually still have a couple bikes in our line which utilize the integrated cups design. But even if we were to not have a single bike in the line with an integrated cup design, we'd still make those parts available.
That is part of doing business with a bike company that has been around for almost 20 years. 2006 is actually indeed our 20th anniversary since we first showed bikes at the Long Beach, CA bike show.
:)

Cheers,
Herbert
Litespeed