Is this Liteville overpriced?

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1738805/

Numerous dents allround/both sides of the downtube? Check

Shortened the seat tube himself? Check.

£900? 😯

“cosmetic” dents. Always an interesting concept. 😕

I’d not be worried about the seat tube though.

Considering they’re about 3 grand new I suppose not.. whether I’d pay almost a grand for a dented bike with a bodged seat tube is another story!

says he’s in West Yorks, close enough for you to head over and have a look.

A year ago Bromley bikes was knocking them out at just over a grand weren’t they (from memory): http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-bromley-bikes-selling-liteville-301s-cheap-on-ebay

Wonder what the rest of it’s like if it’s that battered & modded TBH 😯

Maybe it’s one of the bikes being used for their “Grass Roots” race team.

I enquired before the pics were up. Seems like a nice enough chap, however those dents are anything but cosmitic.
£900 is very overpriced, I doubt very much he’ll sell at anywhere near that.

My MK10 has dents like that all over the downtube – it’s been like that for years no issues. And the frames have a 10 year transferrable warranty that includes race use.

Worst case it snaps and you get a new one!

They are bloomin’ awesome bikes.

Mk11 for £950 no dents and in a better colour! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Liteville-301-frame-/281645967378?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4193686812

My MK10 has dents like that all over the downtube – it’s been like that for years no issues. And the frames have a 10 year transferrable warranty that includes race use.
Worst case it snaps and you get a new one!

Chopping down the seat tube and not being the original owner may void the warranty

a better colour!

just adds weight, imo 😉

for £950 including a dropper post is a good price.

Starting to realise why they’re so light.

Chopping down the seat tube and not being the original owner may void the warranty

The “transferable” bit takes care of your second point, but yes I suspect chopping the seatpost down may have invalidated it. Bit harsh if it failed from a dent on the downtube though.

From the Liteville site: “The Warranty is valid for all Liteville owners, not only for the first owner, and permits DH and race usage”

However, point taken on the seattube “reducing”.

Mind you, on MK10 frames, they actually produced a user guide to drill a hole for a stealth dropper! Not many manufacturers would do that!

Drill your own!

on the Mk10’s they said if you drilled them for a dropper post (which they gave instructions for on their website) it voided the warranty on the seat tube but the rest of the frame was still covered. I’d hope they’d take the same approach for a trimmed seat tube.

Still not sure they’d cover a downtube that failed due to failure/damage resulting from hitting a rock though?

wwaswas – Member

a better colour!

just adds weightprotection from dents 😯

Was going to say that looks OK, not 900 OK, but fine to ride. Don’t like the look of that dent closest to the bb, though, looks a bit creased.

why are they denting so easily?

Was going to say that looks OK, not 900 OK, but fine to ride. Don’t like the look of that dent closest to the bb, though, looks a bit creased.

I happily rode a three year old Spesh Enduro frame with a big dent in the side of the downtube. Sold it for £160 on here with the (hopeful) proviso that it wasn’t to be filled in, powdercoated and sold on to an unsuspecting buyer for lots more. Who knows though?

That dent IS a crease isn’t it? 😯

why are they denting so easily?

what makes you think they dent easily?

There are several examples of a very rare frame with multiple dents?

A very rare very light frame with multiple dents…

Mine hasn’t got any dents, neither has the black one on ebay.

Maybe they attract the sort of people who ride in a way or in places where falling off results in heavy impacts on the bike frame?

It’s not worth starting an stw bickerfest over but extrapolating one damaged/bodged frame on the classifieds plus one other poster on here with dented down tubes into “they must dent easily” seems to be a bit ott?

Maybe they attract the sort of people who ride in a way or in places where falling off results in heavy impacts on the bike frame?

+1

Most aluminium frames end up looking like that after a while, well maybe not that big crease, but peppered with dents anyway. And the kind of person looking at those frames is probably someone who rides a lot.

It’s not worth starting an stw bickerfest over but extrapolating one damaged/bodged frame on the classifieds plus one other poster on here with dented down tubes into “they must dent easily” seems to be a bit ott?

That’s a bit of a leap of faith, he asked “why are they denting so easily?”, based on a sample of two, 100% of which were dented. You’ve now come along and changed that to 50%, but that’s still more common than (say) a Spesh Enduro. Seemed a reasonable question.

Fairly sure I “know” the guy selling it he used to post on here. I bought something from him and collected it in Holmfirth – seemed like a decent bloke FWIW

The rock strikes needed to do ‘THAT’ IMO are either coming off a crazy fast front motorcrosser wheel or its been dropped or even stored on its downtube badly for transit?

I’ve seen dents on many frames- none as many (or on the sides as well) as that one in my link. Unless it was a hire bike in the Alps or Scotland?!

Similar dents in my frame have all been large rock strikes coming off the front wheel during Alpine stuff – TransProvence trails etc.

The rock strikes needed to do ‘THAT’ IMO are either coming off a crazy fast front motorcrosser wheel or its been dropped or even stored on its downtube badly for transit?

It doesn’t take much, just do a search on google images for downtube dents, rocks tend to flick up and hit just above the BB, doesn’t need to be in the Alps, a quick run down Cavedale will do it!

The rock strikes needed to do ‘THAT’ IMO are either coming off a crazy fast front motorcrosser wheel or its been dropped or even stored on its downtube badly for transit?

I’ve seen dents on many frames- none as many (or on the sides as well) as that one in my link. Unless it was a hire bike in the Alps or Scotland?

I think in this case you IMO is a bit off the mark. A week in Morzine did a pretty thorough job on a Kona Dawg for me. I’m sure if I’d been there much longer it would have resembled that Liteville

Ok so we agree on one thing, Dents can happen out on the trails.

I’ve probably got a couple of small ones under the BB of my 4yr old Santa Cruz thats not seen a trail centre in the year that I’ve owned it.

However would you put almost a grand into a frame that obviously has been used (or something) regardless of how it came about the damage?

The tubing diameters on all the Litevilles are huge – but the weights are very low, so the wall thickness has to be very low. If you read through their site you’ll see they’re obsessed with the tiniest engineering details so I’d doubt there are any durability issues – especially as they dare to offer a 10 year transferable warranty!

Saying that, I wouldn’t pay that much for a dented frame, it just bothers me…

Saying that, I wouldn’t pay that much for a dented frame, it just bothers me…

Agree on all your points and on the last one.

When SC mega-bucks frames get to a couple of years old with signs of use- how much would they really be worth secondhand?

I only really ever buy secondhand (frames).

Warrenty isn’t the same crash replacement, if it failed at one of those dent’s that’s not a warrenty job. Warrentys covers materials and workmanship, so if it cracked at a weld, or the rocker.

I’m with Hora*, I’d not pay that much for a frame in dubious condition when there are cheaper brands selling new frames for that (codein etc) or more durable s/h fames, example 5’s often have dented downtubes, but I’ve never seen one fail as a result. That’s a spare rear triangle and shock for someone.

*although I silently judge him for not manageing to get more dents in a year of riding in the Peaks, i can’t manage a day there without adding at least one significant battle scar (the culprits usualy being rocks on cavedale/pindale geting pinged onto the downtube)!

That’s a spare rear triangle and shock for someone

I was tempted to make an offer for the 160mm travel plates 🙂

thisisnotaspoon- answers on a postcard…. I ride all the cheeky stuff weekly in the Peak District and Calderdale and although far from being a riding stallion I still bimble along nicely. You’d think there would be some sort of damage to my frame?!!

Not wanting to jinx the b/hols riding 8)

I ride my 301 in Lake Garda pretty much every day for 6 months, possibly the rockiest place I’ve ever ridden next to Sedona. I use a carbon downtube protector that clips on round the BB shell made by MiRo. I haven’t had any issues apart from one dent that I picked up when I forgot to put the guard back on after washing the bike (rare occassion in Garda!) I’ve done 2 seasons on LV bikes now and in 6 months of riding the only things I have to do on the bike are change the brake pads, which is great as downtime for servicing/repairs is absolutely minimal. The amount of time I spent fettling other bikes in previous years was depressing.

The downtube as well as being butted is also thicker underneath than at the sides. I really don’t think there is any problem with this frame other than cosmetic.

I’ve sent a message to the tech guys at LV though to ask their opinion and also about the warranty/seatpost issue.

If anyone ever needs info/bits/spares/bikes for these let me know, I have plenty, including complete ex demo bikes, new frames, 160mm rocker plates, all spare parts etc etc.

The downtube as well as being butted is also thicker underneath than at the sides. I really don’t think there is any problem with this frame other than cosmetic

I’d accept small shallow dents, but that’s almost and inch long!

And that one at the BB looks like it’s creased rather than dented.

I’d love a liteville, but that looks like a very very well used example for £950.

5’s often have dented downtubes, but I’ve never seen one fail as a result.

Have you ever seen a Liteville fail as a result of such a dent?