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LeMond Introduces New Steel Washoe Road Bike

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WasoheDi2bike

After leaking a few photos over the past few weeks, Greg LeMond has finally taken the wraps off their newest bike – the Washoe. Getting back to steel, the frames are all hand made, painted, and assembled here in the USA. LeMond opted for the use of Reynolds 853 steel for the build, with individual frame sizes getting custom butting to offer similar performance across the range. The name Washoe stems from the county where Greg grew up and started riding, as well as the local tribe of Native Americans.

“The Washoe tribe were native to that area. The name Washoe means ‘People from here’. That’s where I became a cyclist, and this company has a lot of roots, there.” – Greg LeMond

Eschewing the typical use of decals, the graphics on the Washoe are hand painted with the only sticker that of the Reynolds 853 mark. Incorporating Greg’s own “LeMond Geometry,” the bike is completed with an Enve tapered carbon fork. Available as a frame and fork, or a complete bike, the Washoe is added to the current line of Limited Edition carbon bikes manufactured by Time.

Details, pricing, and more, next…

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washoe-DSC_8434 washoe-closeUp1

Built to accommodate mechanical or electronic drivetrains, the Washoe also features hooded dropouts, a replaceable derailleur hanger, 27.2 seatpost, 28mm tire clearance, and strangely – a PressFit 30 bottom bracket. Complete bikes will all use Wheels MFG Enduro PF30 adapters, but the choice seems a bit odd considering the rest of the build.

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washoe-DSC_8627

No disc brakes or thru axles here, just a classic steel road bike with a modern twist. Claimed frame weight is listed at 1535g for an unpainted 57cm frame, and 1705g with paint. That complete bike built up at 16.18 lbs with a Dura Ace Di2 build kit and Hed Stinger 3 wheels.

Washoe steel bikes can be pre-ordered starting now with the first bikes expected to ship around the start of September. Frame kits start at $1,799, and complete bikes range from $2,599 for a 105 built, to $5,999 for Dura Ace Di2 with Campagnolo builds on the way.

geometery washoe lemond steel

greglemond.com

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vectorbug
vectorbug
9 years ago

Yeah buddy!

I bet there are a lot of Pot Bellied Cat 4 Pros who are going to be surprised or disappointed with the idea that a name like Lemond is doing steel but it really is a sign of the steel renaissance. Its funny to thing about all the hardcore cyclists out there who have never even heard of Ira Ryan, Rapha, Vanilla, Mosiac, Moots, GeekHouse, so on and so on… Discovering alternatives to Carbon Fiber every day. Yay!

Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
9 years ago

I don’t see why a steel LeMond should a be a surprise, most of the older LeMond bikes are steel and lots of them were made with Reynolds 853 so this is more of return to roots sort of bike.

Parker
Parker
9 years ago

@Slow Joe Crow — totally, with ya on that one

anonymous
anonymous
9 years ago

I miss the Trek Lemonds.

stllhogan
stllhogan
9 years ago

This is one of the most exciting bikes of the year to me. I grew up admiring LeMond bikes but they were always just out of reach. Recently I’ve been trying to find one made with Reynolds 853 used but they always seem to miss the mark with what I find. Here is a great bike with a great paint scheme, I can’t wait.

Al Boneta
Al Boneta
9 years ago

Clean looking rig

Chris
Chris
9 years ago

Nice bike and always great to see more **lightweight** steel offerings instead of the usual boat anchor steel offerings. Anyone riding a Surly or Reynolds 520 frame and saying “steel is real” doesn’t know what they’re talking about! Ride a Reynolds 753, Columbus SL, Reynolds 853, Tange Prestige (the original Prestige, not the stuff being used now) and you’ll really see why steel is real!

The one detail on this bike I really don’t like is the replaceable dropout. Replaceable alloy dropouts and 11 speed drive trains are a headache. A steel dropout will give better shifting performance and can easily be bent back in all but the most severe crashes. There’s a reason several pro teams replace the stock alloy replaceable dropouts on their bikes.

martin ross
martin ross
9 years ago

who’s the builder? is the top tube slightly oval? nice to see a press fit to stiffen up the bottom end now that proper press fit bottom brackets exist, perhaps a braze on front mech would have kept it a little less “future”

Hoshie99
Hoshie99
9 years ago

Yah buddy, that’s a bike I’d ride. Agree – throwback to his Zurich 853 models and darn near same geos with a few little twists like pressfit.

Good quality light steel, sensible performance geometry, and room for 30s makes this a great frame assuming competent build quality.

j

DC
DC
9 years ago

I wish it had a threaded BB shell.

jbyron
jbyron
9 years ago

A year or so ago I upgraded my SL3 to 9000 put the Red on my 14 year old all 853 IF Crown Jewel “the last year they made an all 853 CJ”. After 4 months of mostly riding the Jewel the 9000 is on it and the SL3 is gone. I can’t see me on anything but steel from now on. When my wife is not looking I think a deposit will be going down on a Washow.

ScottO
ScottO
9 years ago

Nice, except for the PF30 and the BS “Lemond geometry”

fullframe
fullframe
9 years ago

Good to see LeMond returning to steel bikes, but am I the only one who thinks the paint + graphics are pretty bad?

Highpointer
Highpointer
9 years ago

I wonder if these are Waterford built?

The Guy
The Guy
9 years ago

vectorbug, don’t bring Rapha into a classic steel forum discussion. Hate to break it to ya, but Rapha is an instagram-famous company t hat’s barely 10 years old, making over-rated and expensive apparel.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

Very cool bike, but I have to laugh a little bit. I already have a steel Reynolds 853 bike in orange that looks practically identical – Nashbar did a run of hardtail MTB frames in the same hue with Ritchey drop-ins and only main tubes in 853 (that one’s not made in the US, however @ $250 for the frame). Now I’ll have to explain to my wife why it’s essential that I have an orange road bike to go with my orange CX, MTB, and track bikes… nice work, Greg!!

@jbyron – like you, took a Red group and installed it on my 1993 Clark Kent Titanium frame and ride it way more than my Scott Addict. Also, it’s fun to park it at the mid-ride stop amongst a bunch of carbon fiber bikes; that’s the one everyone is ogling, not the C/F wunderbikes.

Colin M
Colin M
9 years ago

Very pretty and understated bike! I just rode my 853/carbon spine Lemond bike today. 10 years old and still a great bike.

Marcus
Marcus
9 years ago

@Hightpointer…I believe these are made by Zen in Portland.

The Seanman
The Seanman
9 years ago

OK, a bit of sarcasm here. This looks just like the Zurich bikes that Trek was making for Lemond 15 years ago. A Dura Ace equipped Lemond weighed around 16 pounds back then too. I agree with other uses, Reynolds 853 is a great way to make lightweight steel bikes, but really, this Lemond is old news.

Gus
Gus
9 years ago

Outstanding! Nice touch with the electronic shifting capabilities but lacking in disc brake compatibility. I built up something similar, modern components and wheels on a ten year old Reynolds 853 steel Lemond Zurich frame. I think I speak for many when I say we need to see a steel Lemond gravel grinder with hydraulic discs in the near future.

Velo
Velo
9 years ago

Nice looking bike. I like the fact that the frame is less “compact” than Jamis’ and Kona’s offerings.

I wish it had rack/fender mounts.

And I wish Genesis would get a US distributor for their bikes.

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
9 years ago

All it lacks is a proper head badge.

MGK
MGK
9 years ago

I like, but you do custom for that price. Just saying…

TRAVIS
9 years ago
fred
9 years ago

So awesome! Go Greg!

Charles
Charles
9 years ago

I saw the first pic and immediate thought of the Fairdale Goodship.

But of course the two bikes have very little in common (beside a colour scheme) and Greg LeMond has slightly more pedigree in road cycling than Taj Mihelic.

@Velo – Genesis make some great bikes and their inclusion of rack/fender mounts on the Equilibrium only improves it, in my eyes.

BubbRubb
BubbRubb
9 years ago

Love the old trek lemonds, super disappointed that he used ladies sloping geometry.

SBR
SBR
9 years ago

Ironic. Considering this a throw back steel bike, but LeMond was a pioneer in technology. Questioning authority and traditions he set the world on it’s collective ear when he chased down a virtual Fignon with “triathlon” bars. Still the closest Tour in history.

Ryan
Ryan
9 years ago

I love Greg Lemond bikes and more importantly have fallen in love with steel. I sold a carbon roubaix to keep my steel All City bike made from Columbus SL tubing. My only complaint about my current bike is that it is a bit heavy. I really want a bike made from reynolds 853, may need to start selling bikes to get one of these. I commute to work on a older Lemond Tourmalet made from reynolds 520 and love it.

Anonymoose
Anonymoose
9 years ago

Well the PF BB kills it for me, looked great up until then.

Why more steel frame makers don’t use replaceable hangers I’ll never know, this is literally the first steel road frame I’ve seen with a replaceable hanger.

@Chris, you know hangers being part of the dropout only came into fashion in the late seventies, right?

And different “shifting performance” from the choice of hanger material? You’ve drunk deeply of the kool-aid.

anonymous
anonymous
9 years ago

@Anonymoose
Campagnolo 1010 dropouts introduced in the 50’s disagree with you. That’s not including many other dropouts for many other standards. They’ve been a mainstay of high end bicycles for a long time. They just gradually trickled down to lower end bikes, but you will find even nowadays, Walmart level bikes don’t have integrated hangers.

The reason why steel frames didn’t have replaceable hangers was because they really were not needed on a good forged dropout. Dropout and hanger designs were designed around steel as the material. Replaceable dropouts are a workaround for carbon and aluminum to cover their shortcomings when used for a design meant to be done in steel.

David
David
9 years ago

We have a customer who insists on pronouncing it as the word ‘lemon’ with a D on the end, as opposed to the kind of Frenchy way. Very hard to keep a straight face.

Star Stevenson
Star Stevenson
9 years ago

I wanted a steel Cervelo renaissance or SuperProdigy for a minute. A really rare find these days…

tom
tom
9 years ago

@fullframe:NOPE. They are definitely pretty d*mn bad.

The Conductor
The Conductor
9 years ago

Good to see GL back in the game.

New Poprad please!

steve
steve
9 years ago

i’d rather have the Ritchey Logic if I was gonna get another of the rack steel bike. cheaper and has a 68 shell. and dont have to deal with annoying Lemond fan boys.

Full Disclosure – I have a Lemond Alp Dhuez 853.

Skip
Skip
9 years ago

I bought a new Lemond Zurich new in 1999 for a retirement to myself. I am still riding it and it is still one of the best bikes I have had. I am troubled however with, why are they making all of this really nice steel today but still using a carbon fork instead of a really nice steel fork. Am I missing something?

badbikemechanicx
badbikemechanicx
9 years ago

Seeet bike, Sweet Color, Steel is Real. It’s good to see lemond getting back into the game.

Alan
Alan
9 years ago

The Press Fit BB makes it a non starter for me too. I’ve had 3 bikes with Press Fits, never again.

B
B
9 years ago

@Skip I’m going with performance. Even a ‘really nice’ steel fork would be a noodly boat anchor compared to carbon. I’ve also never seen a steel fork for a tapered head tube. I think it’s good that many of these ‘steel renaissance’ frames don’t completely throw performance out the window. You can really feel a huge difference in the front end on a vintage bike vs. modern tapered head tube and carbon fork.

B
B
9 years ago

@myself no tapered head tube on this one. oops 🙁

david
david
9 years ago

lol @ ‘hardcore cyclists who haven’t heard of Rapha’. They don’t even make bloody bikes FFS. They make overpriced clothes for posers.

mike
mike
9 years ago

I agree that I’d prefer a threaded bb, but let’s not overreact to that one detail. does anyone know if it’s a Waterford product? That would put the price into perspective. On the whole, it is a bike I would enjoy, and the geometry would definitely work a little better for me than the old Lemond long and low geometry.

JET
JET
9 years ago

I happened upon a bit of a rarity 11 years ago–A Lemond Victoire titanium road bike (built by Trek). It fit like a glove and I’ve been ever so grateful to have had it as my main squeeze all these years. I’ve tried a few others here and there, but can’t imagine a bike that I’ll ever like nearly as much. But glad to see LeMond getting back to his roots.

Chris
Chris
9 years ago

If it is a Waterford product, why not just get a Gunnar Roadie and save the cash? Threaded BB too.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

LeMond simply had to do this very nice collector’s item, niche steel road bike. Many of his now middle-aged fans were riding steel back in the 80’s when they were teens (and some still do), and they now have the cash to have an extra bike made of high end steel if they want to. LeMond has always had at least one steel model. It’s a nostalgia play. Also, margins are generally higher with high-end steel than with low-end carbon at the moment.

That said, I do think LeMond should consider broadening his current carbon road offerings, if he wants to see higher volume sales. I think he needs production, complete carbon road bikes at the $3,000 to $5,000 pricepoint. Especially gravel bikes, and endurance bikes.

Spoke
Spoke
9 years ago

Very happy to see a steel LeMond. But confused by the branding and US assembly (which I love, by the way). Anyone know anything about “LeMond” (Time) vs. “Greg LeMond” (USA-built)? Is Greg going to have sub-brands and parallel manufacturing? Is he already drifting from Time? I personally like “Greg LeMond” bikes better, but that’s me.

wade
wade
9 years ago

Made by Zen in Portland

Sanch
Sanch
9 years ago

THANKFULLY this bike will not have any relationship to the BIG Brother of bicycle companies that took down the Lemond bicycle name at the beckoning of the cheater stripped of his drug-laden tour wins. I will proudly ride this bike because Greg Lemond represents what this country lacks (integrity). It will look nice next to my Tom Ritchey Road Logic. Can’t wait!

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