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:
Used Litespeed Bicycles For Sale
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
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. A representative from Litespeed will contact you within 24 hours to process the Serial Number Lookup. They will provide the year, model and size of the Litespeed as this is the extent of information we have on file. Please add your serial number in the 'notes' section when checking out.
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.
Litespeed Bicycles Reviews
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.
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.
Here is a gallery of photos taken a couple of weeks after I got the bike.
Litespeed offers a Lifetime Warranty to original owners. In the event that your frame is no longer covered under warranty (see full terms and conditions below) we offer low-cost repairs and crash replacement pricing on brand new Litespeed models. To start your warranty, repair, or crash replacement process please fill out the form accessed by the button below.
Litespeed Warranty/Repair Process Overview
Litespeed bikes have been designed and built for outstanding performance and durability, however normal wear and tear, including the results of fatigue, can result in damage to a frame that is not covered under our limited lifetime warranty policy.To avoid any misunderstandings and best understand your options, please take the time to read our entire warranty policy (using the up and down arrows located to the right), where you will learn about the difference between what constitutes a warranty repair, and a failure due to normal wear and tear.
In the event your frame is in need of repair, following the procedure described below will provide us with the necessary information to ensure the quickest turnaround time, and get you back on your bike as soon as possible.Once we have reviewed your information we will reply via email and advise whether your purchase information qualifies the frame itself for warranty review. If we do not receive the above information in full, we will be unable to process your request and we will not issue a Return Authorization number (RA). Remember, you must be the original owner with proof of purchase from an authorized Litespeed dealer. Without the original proof of purchase, we will charge for any work carried out on your frame. The proof of purchase supplied will be checked against our records to confirm the information submitted by the consumer is valid.
We will issue you an RA number should you decide to return your frame for review. The issuing of a return authorization number does not mean we will agree to cover your frame under warranty. You are responsible for all freight charges to return the product to ABG.For frame returns that are being sent from outside the United States, sender must include a copy of the Commercial Invoice inside the box attached to the frame or risk additional duties or taxes being applied.Frames should to be sent in bare condition, completely devoid of components. Customer is responsible for any charges to remove components from the frame.If the frame qualifies for warranty repair, it will be repaired or replaced in accordance with our terms and conditions. A fee of $195.00 will return your frame to it's original brushed appearance including new decals. Chain suck damage, dents and deep scratches cannot be completely eliminated by refurbishing. Your frame will also be inspected for additional damage and will be aligned to ensure the best possible future performance.
Our technology is constantly evolving so you may be asked whether or not you would like to upgrade to one of our most recent models for a moderate charge along with an exchange for your damaged frame, if we feel the repair cost would greatly exceed the current value of the frame after repair.Some frames may be denied warranty coverage due to crash damage, abuse or cause other than defect in material or workmanship. If this is the case, we will quote you an approximate charge prior to commencement of work. It is your responsibility to respond within two weeks from the date we provide you with a cost estimate.Once we have received the go-ahead from you, the work will be scheduled and we will provide an approximate completion date.
Please be patient. Our ability to repair a titanium frame provides a cost effective alternative to purchasing a new frame. Many people take advantage of this feature, and our craftsmen take the time to meticulously return your frame to like-new condition. Typical lead times are 6-8 weeks, although the specific nature of some repairs may mean the repair will take longer than this.
Litespeed Limited Warranty
Please note, all 2012 and older Xicon models will not be compatible with Zipp Firecrest wheels.Litespeed Bicycle's frames are warranted to be free from manufacturing defects in material and/or workmanship for the lifetime of the original owner. Litespeed branded forks, stems, bars, seat posts, paint and decals are warranted for 1 year against defects in material and workmanship. Alignment is warranted for 30 days from date of purchase. This warranty is redeemable only by the original owner when purchased and maintained through an authorized Litespeed dealer. Demo frames carry a three-year factory certified warranty.
Useful Product Life Cycle
Every Litespeed frameset has a useful life cycle. This useful life cycle is not the same as the warranty period.This warranty is not meant to suggest or imply that the frame cannot be broken or will last forever. Bicycles and/or frames will not last forever. The length of the useful life cycle will vary depending on the type of frame, riding conditions and care the bicycle receives.Competition, jumping, downhill racing, trick riding, trial riding, riding in severe conditions or climates, riding with heavy loads or any other non-standard use can substantially shorten the useful product life cycle of a Litespeed frameset. Any one or a combination of these conditions may result in an unpredictable failure of a Litespeed frameset that would not be covered by this warranty.All Litespeed framesets should be periodically checked by an authorized Litespeed dealer for indications of potential failures including cracks, corrosion, dents, deformation, paint peeling and any other indications of potential problems, inappropriate use or abuse. These are important safety checks and very important to help prevent accidents, bodily injury to the rider and shortened useful product life cycle of a Litespeed frameset.
This Limited Warranty Does Not Cover
Any damage resulting from normal wear and tear, including the result of fatigue. Any damage from the result of improper suspension set-up or faulty shock resulting in bottom-out. It is the owner's responsibility to inspect his or her bicycle before each and every ride.Any damage, failure or loss caused by abuse, neglect, improper repair, improper maintenance, alteration, modification, failure to follow instructions or warnings in owner's manual, an accident or crash or other abnormal, excessive, or improper use, including, but not limited to, stunt riding, ramp jumping acrobatics or other similar activities, or in any manner for which the bicycle was not designed.This warranty is void if product is purchased through eBay or any other unauthorized online or auction dealer.The original owner shall pay all labor charges connected with the repair or replacement of the frame. Cost of shipment or transportation to Litespeed and return shipping are specifically excluded and not covered by this warranty.An authorized Litespeed dealer must do the complete assembly and adjustment of the frameset and component parts. Framesets and/or bicycles that are not assembled and adjusted by an authorized Litespeed dealer are specifically excluded and not covered by this warranty.The warranty does not cover dents, dings, or scratches.The warranty does not cover inadequate seat post insertion or the use of a seat post of incorrect size. The seat post must be inserted a minimum of 10cm or 4 inches.
Limitations
There are no warranties which extend beyond the description on the face of this limited warranty, and any other warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose, are expressly excluded by the terms of the limited warranty.Litespeed shall in no event be liable for incidental or consequential losses, damages or expenses in connection with its bicycle products. Litespeed's liability hereunder is expressly limited to the repair or replacement of goods not complying with this warranty or at Litespeed's elections, to the repayment of an amount equal to the purchase price of the product in question.Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or the exclusion of limitation of incidental or consequential damage. The above limitations or exclusions may not apply to your situation. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights, depending on which state you are in. Litespeed does not authorize or permit anyone else, including its dealers to make any other warranties, express or implied, for Litespeed.
Important Things to Remember About Your Warranty
A copy of the original dated receipt of purchase and Litespeed registration receipt must accompany the product for warranty consideration. Litespeed is responsible only for the bicycle frame and Litespeed branded products, however, we will honor valid component warranty claims as a service to our customers for the same period of time offered by the component manufacturer. Any product submitted to Litespeed without a valid Return Authorization number (RA#) will be returned to the shipper. Product must be registered within 30 days of purchase as condition precedent to coverage as provided herein.I have read & understand the Litespeed warranty policy and am ready to proceed with online warranty/repair claim form. I am ready to start the process by completing the online warranty/repair claim form.
ASTM Riding Conditions Classifications
Every Litespeed has an intended level of use as defined by the ASTM Riding Condition Classification Chart. Click here to review the conditions.