General Discussion Triathlon Talk » opinions on Litespeed? Rss Feed  
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2016-05-09 1:17 PM

Master
5557
50005002525
, California
Subject: opinions on Litespeed?

I came really close to buying a Litespeed T3 this past weekend, and I wanted to see if anyone else was riding one of their titanium bikes?

The intended use is a general purpose road bike.  I currently have a Specialized Tarmac but the frame is a tad big for me and honestly I'm sick of tiptoeing around with carbon frames.  That led me to looking at metal bikes and here I am.

I still have a separate tri bike, so that's not an issue.  I mainly want the road bike for group rides / races, crappy weather and occasional commuting.



2016-05-09 1:43 PM
in reply to: spudone

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Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?

Originally posted by spudone

I came really close to buying a Litespeed T3 this past weekend, and I wanted to see if anyone else was riding one of their titanium bikes?

The intended use is a general purpose road bike.  I currently have a Specialized Tarmac but the frame is a tad big for me and honestly I'm sick of tiptoeing around with carbon frames.  That led me to looking at metal bikes and here I am.

I still have a separate tri bike, so that's not an issue.  I mainly want the road bike for group rides / races, crappy weather and occasional commuting.

I had a Saber for a few years, my first dedicated tri bike.

I think it was Simon Whitfield that said he had a litespeed and a Cervelo, the LS was like a Bentley and the Cervelo like a Porsche    Titanium is very comfortable to ride on and the frame should last forever.  Although my saber did crack starting at a weld that propagated to the tubes.  LS replaced it under warranty but still a bit scary

2016-05-09 2:00 PM
in reply to: ChrisM

Master
5557
50005002525
, California
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?

Well titanium aside, I was planning on probably 25mm tires for the road bike just to get some more comfort on the crappy roads around here

2016-05-09 10:40 PM
in reply to: spudone

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Extreme Veteran
657
5001002525
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
I had a Mongoose Titanium frame bike that I liked a lot. It was sort of a take off on the Litespeed. I enjoyed it for it's lightness and snappy acceleration. The frame did crack near the bottom bracket. In my area there was only one guy who welded Titanium. He'd never done bicycles but did pretty high end welding. He fixed it and except for looking ugly it rode really well. Never broke again. That was about 10 years ago. I now use it for my indoor trainer.

2016-05-10 7:24 AM
in reply to: spudone

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Member
1748
100050010010025
Exton, PA
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
Don't know anyone on a Litespeed, but know 2 people who ride titanium bikes and love them. One on a merlin and the other on a Lynsky, these guys are roadies and put at least 5000-6000 miles a year on their bikes without any issues.

I am seriously looking to go with a Ti road bike in the future as well.
2016-05-10 8:34 AM
in reply to: mike761

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Veteran
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Southampton, Ontario
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
I have always lusted for a TI bike and litespeed is certainly one of the ones I would look at - they have been doing Ti for a while.


2016-05-10 9:33 AM
in reply to: spudone

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Elite
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2000200010010010025
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?

I have a Litespeed Siena (2003) and a Tuscany (2004).   I use them as you say for everyday riding.  There are pictures of both in my albums I think.  I also have a Trek Madone 6.9SSL.  My Litespeeds have the hourglass head tube and the cake-decorating welds that Litespeed is famous for.  Back in the day when I bought them, titanium was considered the best bike frame material.  Carbon was not really quite as good as titanium at the time.  I bought mine for the quality of the bike and the fact that they were handmade locally.  Litespeed is not the same today as it was in the early 2000's. They almost got out of the titanium road bike business for a while.  I don't know if their quality today approaches the older bikes.  Titanium is still a great material for a bike.  The ride is great and my bikes have many, many miles on them and many more to go.

If you shop around on eBay you can frequently find older Litespeeds for sale.  If you get one, I would prefer the Tuscany because you can run wider rims like the Zipp 303 and 25 mm tires.  This makes the ride very smooth and the handling is very secure if you are going fast downhill.  The Siena does not have clearance for 25 mm tires because of the carbon seat stays.  I run Zipps on both of these bikes.  The original wheels were not as good as the frames.

Fun fact.  One day I was out riding in the countryside around Ooltewah, TN.  I stopped to answer my cellphone.  When I looked around, I saw I was next to a mailbox that said "Lynskey".  I asked some friends about it and sure enough it was David Lynskey's house.  David's father started Litespeed and David worked there until he finally quit a few years after the family sold the business to American Bicycle Group.  After the non-compete clause of his contract expired, the family started Lynskey Performance bikes.  

 

TW

2016-05-10 9:44 AM
in reply to: tech_geezer

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Extreme Veteran
3025
2000100025
Maryland
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?

I race a litespeed saber, and got dam that is my favorite bike.  Rides like a cloud, good power transfer, and shes real Purdy.  highly recommend!

 

2016-05-10 6:40 PM
in reply to: spudone

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Regular
126
10025
Colorado Springs
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
I have been riding a Lynskey built Litespeed for years, 3000-5000 miles a year at least. I've replaced tri bikes and every couple years I go with the latest and greatest in mountain bikes but I've never seen a reason to the sweet ride of my Ti road bike. I don't know anything about the current Litespeeds but you could look at a Lynskey, their build quality was awesome. Happy riding.
2016-05-10 7:21 PM
in reply to: newt

Master
5557
50005002525
, California
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?

Thanks all, I'll probably pull the trigger this weekend.  I'll get some photos once it's all set up.

2016-05-11 1:27 PM
in reply to: spudone

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Fort Walton Beach
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
I have a 2001 Sienna that I love and will probably own for many more years. It's a great frame and rides really nice. I backed over it with and F250 and it survived! It is heavier that most of the modern road bikes. My Felt B12 feels very light in comparison and I love it, but I'd keep the Sienna if I could only keep one of them.


2016-06-03 1:31 PM
in reply to: lmihalcik

Master
5557
50005002525
, California
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
2016-06-03 10:22 PM
in reply to: spudone

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Regular
126
10025
Colorado Springs
Subject: RE: opinions on Litespeed?
Love it! Enjoy the sweet ride.
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