1. Litespeed Bicycles Reviews
2. Litespeed Sale

And I can't seem to find a similar litespeed frame online. It's entirely possible it's a custom frame, but it's probably just as possible it's a fake. Litespeed can look up the serial number for a $25 donation to charity, which I'm willing to do, but if someone can spot something glaringly wrong with it that just screams fake I'd rather save. Sure enough, a Litespeed Tuscany with the serial #66223 was in the office area of the store. Police ran 75 bikes, but could only identify three of them (including the Litespeed) as stolen.One of the bikes was a Ridley Icarus that was stolen near Seattle University September 21.

• It was being sold as a Dean that the seller had polished and applied new decals too. They verified that the bike I am aquiring is a 1996 Litespeed Classic. I really appreciated the responsive but neutral handling, performance, and modestly light weight.Fast forward to mid August 2014, when I went out for a ride one day and noticed pronounced creaking noises, seemingly from the BB.
• When I got my 1999 Litespeed Vortex built with top-line Shimano Dura-Ace components, it was the most expensive bicycle I had ever owned. That’s a lot of money for a ten-speed. But a Litespeed Vortex isn’t just any bicycle. This thoroughbred represented the pinnacle of titanium bicycle construction at the time.
• One stop shop for all things from your favorite brand.

Litespeed is a U.S. bicycle manufacturer founded in 1986 in Ooltewah, Tennessee.^[1][2] Litespeed makes titanium and carbon fiber frame road racing bicycles and mountain bikes. Titanium bicycle frames are famed for their ride quality.^[3][4] Litespeed, along with triathlon specific bicycle manufacturer Quintana Roo,^[5] is a subsidiary of the American Bicycle Group.^[6]

History[edit]

The company has its roots in a custom machine shop known as Southeast Machine that specialized in exotic metals. Its interest in bicycles began when one of the workers took up cycling while recovering from a running injury. He used leftover titanium frames from a chemical job to build the first frame in 1986. Frame after frame was made until one was deemed show worthy and taken to the Long Beach bike show in 1987. Thus began the journey that would make Litespeed the go to authority on titanium bicycles.^[7]

Litespeed bicycles have been tested and ridden by many in the competitive cycling and triathlon world: Tour de France cyclists Greg Lemond, Robbie McEwen, and Lance Armstrong;^[8] wheel innovator Steve Hed; IRONMAN competitors Tim DeBoom and Cameron Brown; Olympians Simon Whitefield, Jeff Kabush, the ITU Triathlon World Cup champion Vanessa Fernandes (Portugal), and 59-time French champion and 13-time world champion Jeannie Longo.^[9]

In the 1999 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong rode a titanium Litespeed Blade painted and labeled as a Trek during time trials. Several professionals have ridden Litespeeds painted as other brands. European brands such as Eddy Merckx and Bianchi have contracted Litespeed to construct titanium frames in their own lines.

Litespeed purchased Merlin (bicycles) and Quintana Roo in 2000 from Saucony, and trademark of Tomac in 2001.^[10] In March 2011, American Bicycle Group announced that bicycle retailer Competitive Cyclist of Little Rock, AR had acquired the rights to the Merlin Metalworks brand.^[11]

Litespeed has also sponsored the professional cycling teams Lotto-Adecco, DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed, Calyon/Litespeed Pro Cycling, and Team Maxxis. In 2014, Litespeed announced that they would sponsor the Astellas Pro Cycling Team for three seasons.^[12]

Litespeed has been a contractor and consultant to NASA for projects that require titanium-intensive sub-assemblies including the landing gear on the Mars Curiosity Rover.^[13][14]

Models[edit]

Road[edit]

T-Series: The titanium T-Series includes award-winning T1 (formerly the Archon), the T3, T5, and the T7 which was introduced in 2013. The T1sl replaces the T1 in 2016. It is 15% lighter than the 2015 T1.

L-Series: The carbon L-Series was introduced in 2012. Litespeed has four L-Series bikes: L1R, L1 (SRAM Red), Li2, and L3 (Ultegra). The L-Series is an all-around road racing bike, with an asymmetrical frame, and UCI-approved.

C-Series: The carbon C-Series was introduced in 2008. Litespeed has four C-Series bikes: C1R, C1 (Dura-Ace), Ci2, and C3 (Ultegra). The C-Series is an aerodynamic road bike series.

M-Series: Litespeed has two M-Series bikes: M1 and M3. The M-Series are built to exceed the demands of training and racing, day in and day out, with design features that are unheard-of at this price point.

Non-Current Titanium Models: Classic, Ultimate, Catalyst, Vortex, Nachez, Tuscany, Liege, Palmares, Arenberg, Siena, Ghisallo, Veneto, Solano, Firenze, Teramo, Bella, Ardennes, Archon, Niota, Icon, Xicon, Tachyon, Blade, Appalachian

Aluminum Models: Sirius, Avior, Mira, Vela, Palio. Aluminum frames first introduced in 2002, remained in production until approximately 2010. These models included titanium wrapped, carbon forks and seat stays.

Mountain[edit]

Pinhoti SL: Named after the rugged trail system in Georgia, The Pinhoti SL is the perfect titanium hardtail. Whether geared or singlespeed, it has amazing vertical compliance with perfect torsional rigidity. Compact rear-center and shorter wheelbase create an agile platform for quick and responsive handling. Elevated seat stays yield more support and stability for a balanced center.^[15]

Citico: Named after the Citico Creek Wilderness in Southeastern Tennessee, the pro-grade, Archon-inspired Citico is the first MTB frame to use a T1 engineered 6Al/4V, 6-sided and flared top tube and an oversized bi-axially ovalized down tube to maximize steering feedback, accuracy, and front end stiffness. Compatible with both 26' and 650b wheels.^[15]

Pisgah: Geometry identical to the Citico, the Pisgah puts Litespeed performance into service for any cross-country, single-speed, or urban MTB build. Compatible with both 26' and 650b wheels.^[15]

Sewanee: A full-suspension cross country race bike, the latest Sewanee features 90 mm of rear travel in a cold-worked 3Al/2.5V titanium frame. Compatible with both 26' and 650b wheels.^[15]

Cohutta: Features the industry's first 29er-specific titanium tubeset.^[15]

Time Trial[edit]

Blade: The legendary Litespeed Blade^[16] has been reintroduced as a Limited Edition carbon frameset in Litespeed's 2016 model lineup.^[17] The Blade is a super-minimalist TT frameset, designed to excel on the hillier, windier, more challenging courses and no penalty on the flat, fast days.^[17] Astellas Pro Cycling competed with carbon Litespeed Blades in the 2015 UCI Road World Championship TTT (Team Time Trial). The original Blade models were crafted with titanium material and ridden by many great cyclists, such as Lance Armstrong.^[16]

Gravel[edit]

Gravel: A bike designed for the recent craze of riding on gravel roads. It has a road bike style frame and handlebars, disc brakes, and room for wide tires.^[18]

Technology[edit]

Titanium[edit]

Litespeed uses 6/4 titanium,^[19] which is an alloy of titanium with 6 percent aluminum and 4 percent vanadium, instead of the more-common 3/2.5 titanium.^[20] It is more difficult to work with, but has a better strength to weight ratio than other available alloys.^[19] It was initially not available as tubes, so Litespeed bought thin plates and cold-rolled and welded their own tubes.^[19]

AeroLogic[edit]

A key feature of Litespeed's C-Series of aero road bikes, AeroLogic is the incorporation of aerodynamic elements into frame design without the penalty of excess weight. AeroLogic features on the C-Series include a shrouded water bottle mount on the down tube, aero-tuned tube cross sections, a 'morphed' shaping of the seat stays, and a proprietary bladed and bowed aero fork. ^[21][22]

Reactive Pressure Molding[edit]

Litespeed's Reactive Pressure Molding (RPM) is an advanced molding method utilized during manufacture of Litespeed's newest composite frames. The three primary benefits of RPM are weight reduction, increased stiffness, and improved durability. This advanced process allows designs elements far beyond what can be accomplished with conventional bladder molding. Unique features such as an all-carbon head tube, compatible with the most precise ZS style press fit headsets, as well the multitude of AeroLogic aerodynamic elements are incorporated without the need of solid, permanent components and unwanted filler materials. The result is higher performance with no weight penalty plus additional benefits of improved strength, impact resistance, and stiffness. ^[23][24]

References[edit]

1. ^'Lynskey Helix OS'. Bicycling. Mar 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-09-10. Retrieved 2013-09-12. The Lynskey family formed Litespeed in 1986
2. ^'Titanium's First Family'. Bicycle Guide. Nov–Dec 1992. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
3. ^Gordon Black, Alan Coté, and Bob Howells (March 1996). 'The Showroom: The Worthiest Steeds, Circa 1996: Litespeed Hiwassee'. Outside. Retrieved 2017-09-14. The Tennessee-built bike offers Ti's legendary ride: The frame feels marvelously supple without being noodley soft, and it's second to none in both weight and durability.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ^Andrew J Bernstein (October 23, 2012). 'Nothing Like It: Titanium Dream Bikes'. Biycling. Retrieved 2017-09-14. Titanium bikes aren’t popular or cutting-edge—but their ride is unique and absolutely astounding
5. ^Mike Pare (August 28, 2016). 'American Bicycle Group rides into future, Litespeed, Quintana Roo maker shifts to Chattanooga location'. Times Free Press. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
6. ^Mitra Malek (February 23, 2015). 'See how Litespeed bikes are built in Ooltewah, Tenn'. Times Free Press. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
7. ^Adam Newman (December 22, 2014). 'Made: Lynskey Performance Designs in Tennessee'. Bicycle Times Magazine. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
8. ^Leander Kahney (September 25, 2008). 'Litespeed's Titanium Bike Looks Like a Stealth Bomber, Is Priced Accordingly'. Wired. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
9. ^'Litespeed's 30th Anniversary'. Litespeed Bicycles. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
10. ^Bob Gary Jr (March 13, 2001). 'Bike-Frame Maker Litespeed Buys Trademark of Colorado Manufacturer'. Times Free Press. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
11. ^'Competitive Cyclist Buys Merlin'.
12. ^'Litespeed Returns To The Pro Peloton'. Chattanoogan.com. February 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
13. ^Matt Cole (Oct 4, 2007). 'Litespeed Titanium is going to Mars'. BikeRadar. Retrieved 2012-07-17. NASA has built the landing gear using titanium fabricated by Litespeed.
14. ^'Litespeed on Mars, new models on Earth'. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. August 7, 2012. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
15. ^ ^abcde'Mountainbikes'. Litespeed. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
16. ^ ^abRobbie Stout (March 13, 2009). 'After a two-year hiatus, Litespeed's TT bike is back and looks sharper than ever'. Velonews. Retrieved 2017-09-14. the Litespeed Blade is a bike with a storied history
17. ^ ^ab'Blade | Time Trial | Carbon | Litespeed Bicycles | Litespeed Bicycles'. litespeed.com. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
18. ^Joe Lindsey (May 8, 2017). 'Litespeed's Newest Gravel Bike Does It All'. Bicycling. Retrieved 2017-09-14. This redesigned ride offers versatility with a road-bike feel
19. ^ ^abcRichard Moore; Daniel Benson (2012). Bike!: A Tribute to the World's Greatest Racing Bicycles. The Miegunyah Press, an imprint of Melbourne University Publishing. p. 180. ISBN9780522861839. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
20. ^Patrick Brady (2011). The No-Drop Zone: Everything You Need to Know about the Peloton, Your Gear and Riding Strong. Menasha Ridge Press. p. 75. ISBN978-0-89732-660-5. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
21. ^'AeroLogic Windproof'. Litespeed. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
22. ^Thien Dinh (August 31, 2010). 'Litespeed Announces Flagship Aero Carbon C1R'. RoadBikeReview. Retrieved 2017-09-14. Aerologic features including cross-section aero-tuning and proprietary water bottle shroud.
23. ^'Reactive Pressure Molding'. Litespeed. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
24. ^Roger Parmelee (August 2012). '2012 Litespeed L1R Review'. To Be Determined. Retrieved 2017-09-14.

External links[edit]

Our regular cycling partner, and one of Odette’s colleagues from work, had physical problems and was off his bike much of the winter. I got a text from him one day asking what size frame I rode and I replied, asking if he was building up to borrowing a tandem. He laughed and said no, that he wanted me to buy his Litespeed. (Odette later said that he had gone to a sports medicine place and figured out that he needed to work on bike fit as part of the solution to his problem – and as a consequence he decided to sell a couple of his bikes and to buy a Specialized Diverge.)

I wasn’t really in the market for a road bike – I’d begun to think about buying a new mountain bike and working on riding trails. The Litespeed was different, though – I’d hefted it when we’d loaded it on the roof of our car and I was intrigued by the idea of a titanium frame. I asked him how old it was and how much he wanted and he was vague but some googling revealed that the classic was made from 1991 until 2004. There seems to be a really thin market with Ebay listings asking maybe $600 for the frame only and something like $1,000 for the complete bike, depending on the age and components. I borrowed the bike from him and took it on a couple of short rides. It fit me well, it was as light as I had imagined, it seemed really nimble with only a little bit of toe-overlap, and I really liked the way it shifted. I told Odette that since I wasn’t working I didn’t feel like I could shell out that kind of money for a bike I didn’t “need” and that I wasn’t comfortable negotiating a “good” deal with a friend. I also told her that I really liked the bike and that if she wanted to buy it for me I’d love her forever. She ended up paying less than I would have, so I not only got a bike I was kind of lusting after, I got a good deal, and kept a friend. (I took the Garmin mount and sensor and his Look pedals off the bike and Odette returned them to him – he asked about a cadence sensor which I had to tell him wasn’t there, but we’ve ridden together since and I think we’re still friends.)

Our friend told Odette that he got the bike in 1994 and she understood that this was significant because it was “after the Lynskey family bought the company back.” The bike has external cables, cable stops positioned close to the head tube, the “sculpted” seat tube top, vertical dropouts, a Look fork and the Lynskey decal on the chain stay. It is set up with the Ultegra groupset – brifters, headset, hubs, cranks and derailleurs are all Ultegra (the only part with a visible model number is the headset which is stamped “600”.) It has compact 34/50 gearing, Ritchey carbon bars, an Easton threadless stem, an Easton seat post, and a Serfas saddle. Litespeed seems to have made frames in odd-numbered sizes – 51cm, 53cm, 55cm, etc. If I’m measuring right, this bike is a 53 while my Rodriguez Adventure touring bike and my Fuji Touring are 54s (and Odette’s Rodriguez Stellar is a 44.) The chain stays and top tube on the Litespeed are about the same length as on my Rodriguez, but the wheelbase is slightly shorter – 98cm vs 102cm (it’s actually shorter than Odette’s Stellar which has a 99cm wheelbase.) The stem on the Litespeed has more offset than the one on the Rodriguez and there are more spacers on the headset, but the drops are definitely lower than I’m used to. (There’s a saying that if your knees hit your gut instead of your ribcage you still have some weight to lose, and the Litespeed reminds me that I have some weight to lose.)

Bikepedia doesn’t have an entry for a 1994 Litespeed Classic and the 1995 Bikepedia entry for the Classic has the Dura Ace configuration. Here is the “as built” table in the Bikepedia format:

Litespeed Classic
Bicycle Type Road race & triathlon

Colors: polished

Frame & Fork
Frame Construction: Welded titanium
Frame Tubing Material: 3Al/2.5V titanium, tapered, butted
Fork Brand & Model: Look
Fork Material: Carbon

Components
Component Group: Shimano 600 Ultegra
Brakes: Shimano Ultegra Dual Pivot brakes, Shimano Ultegra levers (flight deck)
Shift Levers: Shimano Ultegra STI Dual Control (flight deck)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra, bottom-pull/braze-on
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra
Crankset: Shimano Ultegra, 34/50 teeth
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-UN72, 115 mm spindle
BB Shell Width: 68mm English
Rear Cogs: 9-speed, 12 – 27 teeth
Seatpost: Easton EC 70
Saddle: Serfas
Handlebar: Ritchey Carbon
Handlebar Stem: Easton EA 70
Headset: 1″ Shimano 600 Ultegra

Wheels
Hubs: Shimano Ultegra, 32-spoke
Rims: Mavic open pro SUP

The bike has serial number 39534 (DA) stamped under the bottom bracket. I gather that earlier years had the number stamped above the drive-side dropout, but I don’t know when the change happened. The two-letter indicator evidently refers to the welder who worked on the frame and in the “earlier” years that code apparently always ended in “Z”.

I emailed the serial number to Litespeed and didn’t hear anything back from them. A month later I emailed a second time and got this response:

Hello,

Our records indicate that it was manufactured in 1998.

Thanks!

Dave McDaniel
Account Manager
Litespeed & Quintana Roo

The 1998 Bikepedia entry is pretty much the same as the one for 1995 with respect to the frame, it lists all of the Ultegra components, and it gets the Look fork right. However, like the 1995 entry, the 1998 version differs on the handlebars, saddle, seat post and stem. If the frame was manufactured late in 1998 it could have been sold as a 1999 model, but the 1999 Bikepedia entry isn’t any closer. If it was manufactured at the beginning of 1998 it could have been set up with the 1997 configuration – but the 1997 Bikepedia entry has the same differences. I could go to the Shimano part numbers for help in dating the bike but I’d have to take the components off and find the numbers. (One clue, though, Flight deck wasn’t introduced until 1998.) The comment Odette relayed about the repurchase of the company ought to be another clue, but Wikipedia says that the Lynskey family sold Litespeed to ABG in 1999 and never bought it back (maybe she got it backwards and the significance was that the bike was built before Lynskey sold the company.) I could go back to Litespeed and ask them if maybe they really meant 1994, but they’ve already brushed me off once and besides, the guys on Bike Forum say that Litespeed doesn’t have records that far back (although there are threads that seem to indicate otherwise.) I could go back to the seller and ask if he still has the original paperwork…

The history of model changes at TiRides isn’t any help except that they show a change in 1999 to the position of the cable stops so that they are closer to the head tube – which is where they’re located on this bike. The catalogues available on-line show a change from horizontal to the vertical rear dropouts on the Classic with the 1996 model. (However, one of the commenters in the TiRides Classic model history says: “I have Litespeed classic serial #21692. It has vertical dropouts, but Litespeed rep says it’s a 1995…”) The 1994 catalogue describes the Classic as having horizontal dropouts with adjustable screws and this bike definitely has vertical dropouts and no screws. The 1994 catalogue also doesn’t offer the Look fork as an option while the 1998 catalogue does. There is a Bike Forum thread that identifies 1998 as the year the sculpted top of the seat tube was introduced – but the TiRides history doesn’t mention it and the only mention in the 1998 catalogues is as one of the things that differentiated the Classic from the Tuscany (the 1999 catalogue touts the sculpted top as new.) The illustrations in the catalogues show 1999 as the year when the shifter barrel adjusters were repositioned, but that likely also happened some time in 1998 and was picked up in the 1999 catalogue for marketing purposes. I’m pretty sure that everything on the bike is stock, as an aftermarket change from a quill stem to a threadless stem would mean a new fork and headset, too, so I can’t imagine that would have gone unmentioned. I’m going to guess that the compact gearing, the Easton stem and seat post and the Ritchey bars were upgrades that were just not featured in the catalogue. (Just like every other manufacturer’s catalogue, Litespeed says “specifications are subject to change and other options may be available.”) Based on the email from Litespeed, the fork, the dropouts, the seat tube, and the barrel adjusters, I’m pretty convinced that this is a ’98 bike and I’m not inclined to chase that any further.

When I got it I inflated the tires and adjusted the saddle but otherwise I didn’t do anything to it. I understand that it was taken to a local shop for an appraisal and they said it seemed to be in pretty good shape but that there was a crack in the rear rim. I inspected that rim really carefully and couldn’t see what they were talking about. I may use that as an excuse to have a wheel set built with deep-section rims that look fast. I put a chain checker on it and it slipped in on both settings so I probably need a new chain and probably ought to use that as the occasion to have it serviced and the wheels checked.

I went to buy a frame pump and found that to fit under the top tube I needed a Zefal #3 which nobody had in stock (at least not in silver.) On a ride a couple of weeks later I found a Zefal #4 on the road and brought it home. It works and with a doodad from my parts bin it fits along the down tube – but that means I have to give up a water bottle cage. When I took off that cage I noticed that the rivet nut for the upper bolt was loose. I’ll need to see if Recycled Cycles can do something about that.

The first couple of rides I took there was a lot of noise that I attributed to the fenders. It has Portland Design Works fenders with very little clearance from the tires. (I’d noticed those fenders before since they have front fender stays that use an eyelet on the quick release complicating the fork block attachment on my roof rack.) The noise went away when I tightened the rubber band on the seat tube, so I decided not to worry about it and just wait until I can take the fenders off for the summer.

Litespeed Bicycles Reviews

I put together a toolkit with an inflater, a couple of cartridges, a tube and a pair of tire levers. On my first long ride it startled me when the velcro came loose and the bag hit me in the backs of my thighs. I had a slightly larger saddle bag that mounts with a bracket so I switched to that, and it gave me enough room to add a second tube, a multitool and a 9-speed master link.

Litespeed Sale

Here is a gallery of photos taken a couple of weeks after I got the bike.