![]() TST and Clark Kent both appear to have exited the market because of the costs associated with higher failure rates. So cracks around down tubes are the most common, but you might have a poor weld somewhere else that hasn't cracked because it isn't stressed very much. So the failure is likely to show up anywhere that has a polluted weld AND receives stress during riding. Ti bikes tend to crack at the welds from weld pollution, not from a structural design problem. I don't recall hearing about a specific trend. What part(s) of the frame was most afflicted, if you recall? Good memory on the part of Kontact, who also stated that some number of these frames reportedly had weld-area failures. Looks like Mike here hasn't revisited the thread he started, but I can confirm the exact same BR56xxx serial number for my 56cm (Center-to-Top of top tube) Douglas Precision Ti. That's the way they were usually shown in the catalog. ![]() You can see an unpainted Douglas Precision Ti in the photo I posted above. ![]() The Litespeed welds aren't ground, they're fusion welds. Both of mine came with 1" threadless Reynolds Ouzo Comp carbon forks.The bullets on the Douglas are longer than the Litespeed's. I'm light and was attracted to the low price with a 1" steerer tube, figuring it didn't need to be a very stiff frame for me to get good use out of it. I've had a couple of the Precision Ti models, in two different sizes, I kept the smaller of the two and it has been a favorite ride, definitely one of the most comfortably smooth-riding bikes I've ever ridden. The bullets welded onto the ends of the stays near the dropouts are a feature shared with my Merckx EX Ti, which is Litespeed-made, but on the Merckx the bullet-to-tube welds have been ground flat. The OP's frame sure looks like the Precision Ti, though the ones I'm familiar with had a fully polished rear frame with the rest being painted. It seems that internet consensus says that the higher-end Douglas Pro 6/4 Titanium model was produced by Litespeed, but that the Douglas 3/2 Precision Ti model was made by Titanium Sports, at least at one time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |