Litespeed
Encyclopedia
Litespeed is a U.S. bicycle
manufacturer founded by David Lynskey in Ooltewah, Tennessee
, near Chattanooga
. The company has its roots in a family-owned custom machine shop known as Southeast Machine that specialized in exotic metals. Its interest in bicycles began while one of the members of the founding family took up cycling while recovering from a running injury; this led eventually to manufacturing its first bicycle in 1986.
Litespeed makes titanium
and carbon fiber
-framed road racing bicycle
s and mountain bikes. Litespeed is owned by the American Bicycle Group, parent company of bicycle manufacturer Quintana Roo
as well as component fabricator Real Design (ABG also owned Merlin (bicycles)
from 2000-2011).
In the 1999 Tour de France
, Lance Armstrong
rode a titanium Litespeed Blade painted and labeled as a Trek during time trial
s. 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 sponsored the DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed and Calyon/Litespeed Pro Cycling road teams and the Maxxis mountain bike team. The World Cup ITU Triathlon champion Vanessa Fernandes (Portugal) also raced on a Litespeed.
Litespeed has been a contractor and consultant to NASA for projects that require titanium-intensive subassemblies.
incorporates 6/4 titanium in its top tube for torsional stiffness and reduced weight. A number of tube junctions are welded in a contoured pattern called a wrap, claimed to increase the stiffness of the junction. The Archon is available in flat and sloping top tube. The Archon does not utilize an integrated headset but a traditional threadless headset with external bearing cups
Icon: A racing bicycle that incorporates many design elements of the Archon but a more supple ride at the expense of greater weight and reduced stiffness. The Icon utilizes softer 3al-2.5v titanium for its entire frame but weight. The Ardennes features impact-damping tapered seat stays similar to those on the Siena and geometry similar to the compact layout of the Ghisallo. Less aggressive tube butting and shaping accounts for higher weight and lower price.
Sportive: A road bicycle that favors comfort and stability over weight and race response. It is designed as an entry-level model to offer a comfortable ride.
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
manufacturer founded by David Lynskey in Ooltewah, Tennessee
Ooltewah, Tennessee
Ooltewah is a census-designated place in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 687 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, near Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. The company has its roots in a family-owned custom machine shop known as Southeast Machine that specialized in exotic metals. Its interest in bicycles began while one of the members of the founding family took up cycling while recovering from a running injury; this led eventually to manufacturing its first bicycle in 1986.
Litespeed makes titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
and carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
-framed road racing bicycle
Racing bicycle
A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike, is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale...
s and mountain bikes. Litespeed is owned by the American Bicycle Group, parent company of bicycle manufacturer Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo (company)
Quintana Roo is a company that produces products for triathlon, primarily bicycles and wetsuits. The company was founded in 1987 by Dan Empfield of Ironman fame and is owned by the American Bicycle Group, LLC...
as well as component fabricator Real Design (ABG also owned Merlin (bicycles)
Merlin (bicycles)
Merlin Metalworks Inc. is a manufacturer of bicycles, specializing in custom titanium hand built models.-History:The company was founded by Gwyn Jones, Gary Helfrich, and Mike Augspurger in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1986 to manufacture bicycle frames and racing wheelchairs constructed from...
from 2000-2011).
In the 1999 Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
rode a titanium Litespeed Blade painted and labeled as a Trek during time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
s. Several professionals have ridden Litespeeds painted as other brands. European brands such as Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
and Bianchi
Bianchi Bicycles
F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A is the world's oldest bicycle-making company still in existence, having pioneered the use of equal-sized wheels with pneumatic rubber tires in 1885. It was founded in Italy in 1885. It produced cars and commercial vehicles from 1900 to 1939; and motorcycles from 1897 to...
have contracted Litespeed to construct titanium frames in their own lines.
Litespeed sponsored the DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed and Calyon/Litespeed Pro Cycling road teams and the Maxxis mountain bike team. The World Cup ITU Triathlon champion Vanessa Fernandes (Portugal) also raced on a Litespeed.
Litespeed has been a contractor and consultant to NASA for projects that require titanium-intensive subassemblies.
Road Models
Archon: The Archon racing bicycleRacing bicycle
A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike, is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale...
incorporates 6/4 titanium in its top tube for torsional stiffness and reduced weight. A number of tube junctions are welded in a contoured pattern called a wrap, claimed to increase the stiffness of the junction. The Archon is available in flat and sloping top tube. The Archon does not utilize an integrated headset but a traditional threadless headset with external bearing cups
Icon: A racing bicycle that incorporates many design elements of the Archon but a more supple ride at the expense of greater weight and reduced stiffness. The Icon utilizes softer 3al-2.5v titanium for its entire frame but weight. The Ardennes features impact-damping tapered seat stays similar to those on the Siena and geometry similar to the compact layout of the Ghisallo. Less aggressive tube butting and shaping accounts for higher weight and lower price.
Sportive: A road bicycle that favors comfort and stability over weight and race response. It is designed as an entry-level model to offer a comfortable ride.