the return of the tesch is certainly exciting news! as a proud owner of a 101 via dale (painted, in his words, "ferrari yellow") I think that this has to be one of the zippiest (if not cushiest) bikes that I have ever been happy to own.
my interest in tesch was sparked by a (yes) BICYCLING article in '87 ("what the editors ride") which I always thought was or should be an ongoing concept. my memory, which serves me only upon occasion, is that the other bikes included serrotta, redcay, ciooc, erickson (perhaps the dullest-looking one ever produced) and cannondale. kind of an odd mix, but the tesch review always stuck in my head and stayed there, manifesting itself fully when dale was kind enough to part with his 55 cm frame for a very reasonable price.
I am not sure why racers would not be interested in a bike that was, for all purposes, identical to the 101. other than clearance for a larger cassette, I would be tempted to stay with it in all ways. well, perhaps a small change here or there for the sake of marketing. dave could always call it the 102!
ricky garni
carrboro, nc