# My new Dave Tesch LC-1



## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Guys, I think I finally scored a nice one. SE Pennsylvania is not exactly a hotbed for VRC, so imagine my surprise to see this fillet-brazed California beauty hanging next to the BMX bikes in my local shop...
Obviously, the good news is that with a quick bit of horse-trading and negotiation, it is now mine.  The bad news is that I'm pretty sure my wife is going to consider this my "big" Christmas gift, so it will probably be stowed from my sight until Christmas morning!:nono: 
The bike has been used but well cared-for. The build is mostly Suntour XC Comp. The wheelset is Campy Contax rims with Suntour XC Comp hubs. The fork is a Scott Unishock Clark Kent VR--was this one of the ones under recall?

I'm not sure yet what will stay on it and what will go--I'd love some input to get me started. 
I know Tesch mountain frames are rarer than their road framesets, but is it true that just a handful are out there? It has a "BiKyle" frame sticker, a nearby pro shop that specializes in High-end stuff--even so, I can't believe this has made its way to my house...

I'll be posting more pics when it's all cleaned up, but for now...


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## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

Very nice.


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## iamthewalrus (May 20, 2009)

The "LC" stands for Leo Castellon, Dave Tesch's frame builder in the late 80's/early 90's. His fillet-brazing skills are second to none, with the exception of Ross Shafer. Beautiful bike.


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Nice bike, the fork should be one of the recalled items.


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## muddybuddy (Jan 31, 2007)

Great! Another So-Cal built bike I ned to put on my want list. 

Very cool. Every time I see a Tesch it makes me wish I hadn't sold my OTTL. And I have no desire to ride a road bike. Teschs are good stuff.:thumbsup:


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

chefmiguel said:


> Nice bike, the fork should be one of the recalled items.


Thanks guys! The fork also seems to be "frozen" at the moment. Is it worth my effort to rehab it, or did the recall pretty much eliminate its value? Should I be happy it "survived" the recall, or do I have another "death fork" on my hands here?

Any guesses as to year of manufacture on the frame? Markings on the BB are "1065" over "18," which I assume refers to the size.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Wow!!! Nice find. That's a super nice bike.

I'm not sure which of he Scott forks were recalled, but I always liked their looks. A unicrown suspension fork was a cool idea - I wish others had made them.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

i like it a lot. i like everything: the campy headset, suntour thumbies, dia compe levers SS5. cool stuff all over and it looks like it will ride quick, fast and supple.


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## burritoguru (Aug 22, 2008)

Less than a 100 were made. This is the second one I have seen.
Funny that Dave Tesch could not stand mountain bikes and swore he never would make them. He said there were other fine builders out there making excellent mountain bikes. He named Ross Schafer and Tom Ritchey as the reasons.
Here is my S-22 and 101


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

colker1 said:


> i like it a lot. i like everything: the campy headset, suntour thumbies, dia compe levers SS5. cool stuff all over and it looks like it will ride quick, fast and supple.


Thanks Colker! I'm thinking of changing only the handlebar, stem, and seatpost. I just can't feel any love for the Scott AT-2.

I really like the Dia-Compe 986's with the SS-5 levers, as well as the XC Comp shifters etc...


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

burritoguru said:


> Less than a 100 were made. This is the second one I have seen.
> Funny that Dave Tesch could not stand mountain bikes and swore he never would make them. He said there were other fine builders out there making excellent mountain bikes. He named Ross Schafer and Tom Ritchey as the reasons.
> Here is my S-22 and 101


Thanks for that info Burritoguru! Obviously this is the ONLY one I've ever seen. Beautiful bikes you have there.:thumbsup:


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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

A Tesch road bike has been on my dream list for a while. Now I need to add one of his mountain bikes!


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Very nice Tesch MTB:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I almost had one a few years ago:cryin: but wasn't ment to be. In my research I was able to contact David Tesch's business partner from the early '90's. He said they only made about 10 of these MTB's and he was the one who painted them. I'd say yours is about a '91 or so. This is the 4th one I've seen, 10 or 100 built I still want one


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Matt, that beautiful bike is too small for you....you'd be much more comfortable on one of the "too big" bikes cluttering up my garage, hint hint  


Seriuosly though, fantastic pick up...I'm pumped for you. Merry Xmas for sure.

Steve


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

eastcoaststeve said:


> Matt, that beautiful bike is too small for you....you'd be much more comfortable on one of the "too big" bikes cluttering up my garage, hint hint


Steve, you are as perceptive as you are witty. It is indeed a size smaller than I would have wished, but I'm not averse to showing a little extra post if needed!  Besides, as I recall, you don't have a 20" MB-1 collecting dust in that newly expanded bike loft I've heard about...


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm a happy man. My wife said "of course" I could start the lovin' . Now the fun part begins.

Curves so smooth my camera can't properly focus without the daylight:


Ritchey dropouts:thumbsup: 


Truly built for speed. The passion of Dave Tesch and his craftsmen is evident in every detail of this bike 

Cool head decal:


Yikes! This rider didn't like to use protection:eekster: How hard is it to slap something on there? :nono: 


I've decided to keep the Scott Uni on for now. Can't wait to tear into this bad boy and fix what ails it:


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

a mag 21 would give you a warm fuzzy feeling.


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

colker1 said:


> a mag 21 would give you a warm fuzzy feeling.


Yeah, especially since this Scott is resisting all my efforts at removing its lowers--currently involving a rubber mallet, wood blocks, a roof rack and a car jack...:madman:


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Success...sort of. I expected maybe seized-up springs or brittle elastomers, typical problem internals...what I found was NO internals. What do you guys make of this? The uppers were slid all the way into the lowers, then locked down with the bolts. Basically a "dummy" suspension fork. Could this have been some type of factory-approved solution to the recall? Or perhaps some hardcore racer saw running it as a rigid fork as preferable to all that bouncing around? I don't quite know what to do with this...


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## schneidw (Mar 8, 2005)

Sweet FIND... I am originally from SE PA and I never heard of this builder but his frame looks VERY similar to a Ritchey that I have... I wonder if this bike originally came with a rigid fork... What size is the headset>


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

schneidw said:


> Sweet FIND... I am originally from SE PA and I never heard of this builder but his frame looks VERY similar to a Ritchey that I have... I wonder if this bike originally came with a rigid fork... What size is the headset>


Thanks Schneid. It's a 1". I guess I'll be looking for an appropriate rigid fork until I can find a nice 1" period-correct sus.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Matt H. said:


>


Matt, You're a brave man posting photographic evidence on the internet of you working on your kitchen table...my dear wife would beat the hell out of me if she ever caught me stripping a bike on "her" furniture 

Steve


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

eastcoaststeve said:


> Matt, You're a brave man posting photographic evidence on the internet of you working on your kitchen table...my dear wife would beat the hell out of me if she ever caught me stripping a bike on "her" furniture
> Steve


Haha I guess she's used to it! She came in to find me struggling with the fork and didn't bat an eye. She was impressed with my jack contraption, because I actually had the jacks from both cars (one was too wide to fit), as well as an assortment of wooden blocks and levers, spread about the kitchen. She snapped the picture after I finally figured a way to make it work.


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## ASI CA (Apr 27, 2008)

Too funny!

My brother has an S-22 in pristine condition.

I had no idea (before this post) that Tesch made a mountain bike or two.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Matt H. said:


> Haha I guess she's used to it! She came in to find me struggling with the fork and didn't bat an eye. She was impressed with my jack contraption, because I actually had the jacks from both cars (one was too wide to fit), as well as an assortment of wooden blocks and levers, spread about the kitchen. She snapped the picture after I finally figured a way to make it work.


awesome wife.


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## locominute (May 29, 2006)

what a score!!
never seen a tesch mtb before now.


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Today I stopped by the shop of Harry Havnoonian, a very-respected local frame-builder. I told him about my Tesch, and of my need for a period-correct rigid fork worthy of the frame. Well it was definitely my lucky day, because he dug around the basement and came up with this beauty he silver-brazed with Vitus tubing back in the day.  The yellow's not an exact match, and it's got a purple fade...but I'm planning to run it as-is, at least for now. The purple's kind of growing on me...


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Very nice Matt. I'm digging the fork.


Can't wait to see this one all back together.


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## yo-Nate-y (Mar 5, 2009)

sweet


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Not there yet, but getting closer...I can't wait to get this on the trails.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Looking great Matt. 

Better keep it locked up...I know where you live  




Steve


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## AKamp (Jan 26, 2004)

Nice bike, I used to want a 101 so bad back in high school. I haven't seen a Headseal in a long time. Those were made by a buddy of mine, Mike, when I worked at the Bike Rack in Scotts Valley Ca. He was the manager at the shop. Boy that was a long time ago. It was prob made around 90 or 91. And the SS5's are the best levers ever as far as I am concerned. I still have a NOS set waiting for something to put on.


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## Austin Dave (Jul 7, 2010)

Wow, Matt. That bike is really a winner. Thanks for posting. Dang....


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm not sure whether or not this is an unusual frame detail, but I've never seen it before so I figured I'd post it up...
Tesch dispensed with a rear brake hanger, and simply cut a slot in the seat-post clamp lug for the brake cable to run through. Elegant simplicity. Did any other builders do this?


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

the color clash between frame and fork is unbearable.
and i reaally like your Tesch.


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## 92gli (Sep 28, 2006)

Is that a cycles-bi-kyle sticker on that ? Thought that was a roadie only shop.


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## Schmitty (Sep 7, 2008)

That's hot. Makes me want to listen to the TomTom club and talk like MaxHeadroom.

-Schmitty-


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

colker1 said:


> the color clash between frame and fork is unbearable.


I agree...and yet, I find the "Devil may care" sense of incongruity oddly appealing. At least for now.


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

92gli said:


> Is that a cycles-bi-kyle sticker on that ? Thought that was a roadie only shop.


Yes, it apparently came through BiKyle (although mainly a roadie shop, they do sell mountain bikes). I'm about five minutes from there, and plan to take it in when it's all back together. I'm thinking maybe there's a chance they'll remember it. It might be neat to have some background on it from their recollections.


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## Fred Smedley (Feb 28, 2006)

Matt H. said:


> Success...sort of. I expected maybe seized-up springs or brittle elastomers, typical problem internals...what I found was NO internals. What do you guys make of this? The uppers were slid all the way into the lowers, then locked down with the bolts. Basically a "dummy" suspension fork. Could this have been some type of factory-approved solution to the recall? Or perhaps some hardcore racer saw running it as a rigid fork as preferable to all that bouncing around? I don't quite know what to do with this...


I just pulled the guts out of my unishock that came on a GT Avalanche. On your uppers where it is flush with the end of the tubes mine has 3 or 4 inch extensions that fell/sound like they push against a coil spring giving travel. It has a lockring of sorts that a spanner wrench fits into. My spanner is too wide to get a good grip so that is far as I got. Mine is a 1 1/8 , are you sure of your measurements, as I really don't see using this fork .


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Fred Smedley said:


> I just pulled the guts out of my unishock that came on a GT Avalanche. On your uppers where it is flush with the end of the tubes mine has 3 or 4 inch extensions that fell/sound like they push against a coil spring giving travel. It has a lockring of sorts that a spanner wrench fits into. My spanner is too wide to get a good grip so that is far as I got. Mine is a 1 1/8 , are you sure of your measurements, as I really don't see using this fork .


No thanks, Fred. I've moved on from the idea of using a Unishock, and sold my inoperable example on ebay (it went for all of 99 cents!). I'm going to run it rigid for now, and I have a Mag 21 on the way. A few weeks ago, I probably would have relished the opportunity to get yours for the springs etc. Good luck with your Avalanche!


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## JJY (Jun 6, 2004)

The MAG is heading your way Monday, glad it is going to a good home. -jy


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

The unbearable color clash will soon be remedied. I finally picked up a Mag 21 to replace the Havnoonian fork (courtesy of JJY), and figured I'd get a profile shot before I make the switch:




Anyone have a Ritchey Force without hanger you'd be willing to trade for this one? PM me if so...


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Matt, you're really going to have to stop teasing me with this one  



Bouncy fork will probably ride nice, but I still like that rigid fork, (clash and all).



Looking forward to a ride report when you can convince youself to get it dirty again...




Steve


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

eastcoaststeve said:


> Matt, you're really going to have to stop teasing me with this one
> Bouncy fork will probably ride nice, but I still like that rigid fork, (clash and all).
> Looking forward to a ride report when you can convince youself to get it dirty again...
> Steve


Put this fork on your Fat and we'll ride 'em together...


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Might be just a tad bright for the Fat, but I've never been the epitome of good taste.  


Not sure I could keep up on a ride...your bike looks too fast just standing still.





Steve


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## Williwoods (May 3, 2004)

keep the rigid fork!


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## yo-Nate-y (Mar 5, 2009)

Why not paint the rigid?


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

yo-Nate-y said:


> Why not paint the rigid?


I've been considering that. I'm wondering how hard it would be for someone to match up the yellow. What other color do you think would work?


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## yo-Nate-y (Mar 5, 2009)

Hmm....Silver like the post and stem, the purple there already looks pretty cool, and it might be cool to match the tealish green in the logos. White might look cool too.

Take a nice pic with a plain background and play around in photoshop!


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

I like the Mag 21... but you could paint the rigid fork in BLACK.


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## Williwoods (May 3, 2004)

if you went with red it could be a close match and wouldnt stand out all that much and still look like it belongs.


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

colker1 said:


> I like the Mag 21... but you could paint the rigid fork in BLACK.


Yeah, I was considering black because that often looks good on a straight blade fork, and I can paint that myself...


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Williwoods said:


> if you went with red it could be a close match and wouldnt stand out all that much and still look like it belongs.


I was thinking that as well. The red on this bike should be much easier to duplicate than the yellow. There's a powder-coater nearby that would probably have that red in stock. I'll see how the Mag 21 works out, but I'm definitely going to keep the rigid fork and give it a good try as well. I appreciate all the input guys, thanks!


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Sorry this thread has gone so long without an update--our house is on the market, resulting in very little bike activity. I finally had the fork refinished (shout-out to Dave Wix at Delco Powdercoating in Clifton Heights PA), and just managed to get everything together. I think it is more or less complete now. I've decided the rigid fork more properly represents the "Built for Speed" Tesch ethic, and I am happy with how it turned out. I hope you guys like it. Hopefully, the next update will include some dirty pictures--as I (shamefully, I know) still have not had it in the woods yet...


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## Austin Dave (Jul 7, 2010)

Wow, Matt. That came out soooo nice. Thanks for posting the pictures!


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

AWSOME.

Great job as always Matt, and the fork looks fantastic.



Steve


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Fantastic turn out on that thing!


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## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

Definitely like the (matching) rigid fork better, looks like the painter did a great job color-matching it too. Just as an FYI, and since there were so few made, here's a (pretty bad) shot of another Tesch MTB (light blue) that used to be at Pacific Coast Cycles in Oceanside, CA. I'm pretty sure it sold awhile ago, but you never really know at that shop, things move around a lot.


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## 92gli (Sep 28, 2006)

Wow. That fork does look great now. Harry hooked you up. He is literally the nicest person I have ever met in a bike shop. 2nd is the guy that works for him that is always there, can't remember his name at the moment.


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.  

Anomie, thanks a lot for the pic of the blue Tesch--it's cool to actually see another one. I had given up on finding a pic of one besides mine! I'm glad to see it has a straight-bladed fork. 

And 92gli, just to put into perspective how lucky I was to get that fork from Harry Havnoonian, the night before I stopped by his shop, I was about to pull the trigger on buying a Chinese-made Tange knock-off that would have cost me about twice what he charged me for this hand-made craftwork. I agree that he is a super nice guy. :thumbsup: (And his brother, Frank, owns nearby Drexel Hill Cycles--he's a go-to source for obscure and hard-to-find parts as well)


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Looks great


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Ok, so it's official...Matt is one of the coolest guys out there....

I just got back from a quick blast around the neighborhood on the Tesch, (after lowering the seat a bit...he's a tall one), and I am so in love with this bike it's ridiculous.

Feels like it was custom made just for me, and it's great looking to boot.

I promise this one won't get dunked, 
but it may get a bit dirty 


Action shots coming as soon as the kids are back in school...can't wait.



Steve


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## erol/frost (Jan 3, 2004)

Just went through the entire thread, what a beautiful bike. There`s something special about fillet brazed frames. 

Does Tesch still build?


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## locominute (May 29, 2006)

Sadly, he passed away a few years ago.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Hard to believe this bike has been waiting seven months to get in woods. Between a broken ankle, and then a broken wrist, I've been out of commission for quite a while, and it's been killing me to have so many cool bikes going unridden...it was a no brainer which one I was going to ride today though. 

Finally:



























Smiling on the inside 


















Those leaves are hiding a great big smile...









Matt, not sure if you're still hanging around here, but thanks again for passing the Tesch my way, it's definitely found a home 

Steve


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## jeffgothro (Mar 10, 2007)

*I like just about anything fillet brazed*



Matt H. said:


> Guys, I think I finally scored a nice one. SE Pennsylvania is not exactly a hotbed for VRC, so imagine my surprise to see this fillet-brazed California beauty hanging next to the BMX bikes in my local shop...
> Obviously, the good news is that with a quick bit of horse-trading and negotiation, it is now mine.  The bad news is that I'm pretty sure my wife is going to consider this my "big" Christmas gift, so it will probably be stowed from my sight until Christmas morning!:nono:
> The bike has been used but well cared-for. The build is mostly Suntour XC Comp. The wheelset is Campy Contax rims with Suntour XC Comp hubs. The fork is a Scott Unishock Clark Kent VR--was this one of the ones under recall?
> 
> ...


This ones no exception, awesome bike.


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

eastcoaststeve said:


> Matt, not sure if you're still hanging around here, but thanks again for passing the Tesch my way, it's definitely found a home
> 
> Steve


Thanks for that update Steve! I'm glad to see you back in action, and I know the Tesch has found a good home. Enjoy it in good health! :thumbsup:


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Good to hear you're back on bikes Steve and out of ERs.


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## xtrain81 (Feb 16, 2012)

*Tesch LC-1*







Another Tesch LC-1 hitting the trails hard.

Dave built this pearl white frame. I have no idea how many of the LC-1 but it was less than 100 and probably less than 50. I also have a beauty 101.

Dave Tesch was a good friend of mine and I worked with him for 8+ years. He came to a camp I ran in Colorado, th en I would hang with him and the boys in San Marcos.

I can drop more photos if anyone is interested.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

xtrain81 said:


> View attachment 985776
> Another Tesch LC-1 hitting the trails hard.
> 
> Dave built this pearl white frame. I have no idea how many of the LC-1 but it was less than 100 and probably less than 50. I also have a beauty 101.
> ...


You need to send that beauty East to live with its brothers.

.....or at least post a lot more pics 

Steve


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## burritoguru (Aug 22, 2008)

*Tesch*









Dave Tesch and Glen Benveniste at an expo with one of the 12 or so made mountain bikes in the background.

I have one of the first bikes Tesch made in Wisconsin.


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## thekid (Mar 13, 2006)

It's a longshot, I know, but if anyone knows of an LC-1 in 19" or larger size available, then I am very interested in owning one.

Beyond just bikes, I like things which come in related sets of three. A Tesch MTB could represent the third brother-from-another-father to complete a triptych in my collection.

Thanks for your time and attention. Congratulations to those who are currently enjoying LC-1s, and much respect to those who have passed one on to someone else's care.

Cheers,
The Kid


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## Silver King (Mar 5, 2013)

xtrain81 said:


> View attachment 985776
> Another Tesch LC-1 hitting the trails hard.
> 
> Dave built this pearl white frame. I have no idea how many of the LC-1 but it was less than 100 and probably less than 50. I also have a beauty 101.
> ...


A new thread on Dave would be appreciated! I own a Team Stumpy and a Team Allez that I used to race on both built by him. Amazing bikes! I always wondered what happened with him and Sinyard and how many of those bikes were made.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Ok, so I've been looking for Leo Castellon for almost five years now, and have struck out at every turn....

until today!

Here's what he had to say:

Hello Tesch fan:
I worked for Dave so anything that was made while I was employed there was a Tesch. You can't really say I built them, Dave did, it was his shop. I had a part in building all of the Tesch frames while I was employed there for 5 years but a lot of other people helped too during that time. We all worked for Dave and he was the one who paid us our wages, so anything that was produced at his shop was a team effort, but in the end, they were all pure Tesch frames. As far as how many were produced, my memory is kind of fuzzy on that but I would venture to say less than 50 were made. We used True Temper tubing back in those days for the most part, sometimes some Tange tubes and maybe some Ritchey tube sets now and then. The mountain bike frame came about because some of his dealers were interested in seeing a "custom" Tesch style of mountain bike frame and that is what we came up with. All of the mountain bikes frames were fillet brazed. We did experiment with some TIG welded road and mountain frames but those were totally experimental at that stage and I am pretty sure that would have totaled less than 10 pieces. I hope that helps.

Leo

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The era is correct. As far as what LC-1 stood for, only Dave can tell us that and unfortunately, he is no longer with us. I will not say how many frames I brazed or what percentage as it goes back to what I had said before, I was a Tesch employee during that time. I did not work at Tesch for personal glory, I wanted to work for another talented builder who had a passion for frame building. I personally started building frames when I was 18 years old and was in the bicycle industry full time for 25 years, and no, I am no longer part of the industry.

Leo

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You can share the info with anyone who is interested. After Tesch folded, I bought some of the tooling and struck out on my own again. I only made about 100-150 frames after the Tesch days with my own name on them. My frame building business was focused on building frames for other people, they were private label frames and frames for some big companies. That is not up for discussion though, lots of nondisclosure issues involved with that.

Thanks for the offer of the pictures but I saw each and every frame that came out of the paint booth at Tesch. Plus my wife always lets me know when Tesch frames are up on Ebay so I see them there too.

take care, Leo

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you guys are as excited to read this as I was.

Pics just because:





Steve


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

awesome thread. i can never have enough of looking at that red Tesch.


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Classic, clean simple lines.


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