# Lynskeys Look Like....



## Litemike (Nov 1, 2005)

Been checking into the the new LYNSKEYS (former owners and founders of LS) and they look Litespeed "related". it almost looks like they get tube stock from LS. Not that its bad, I do like the LEVEL3 road. I have not seen 1 07 LS in a shop this year, are they maybe re-inventing themselves through the LYNSKEY brand?


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## midlife_xs's (Jun 18, 2004)

Litemike said:


> Been checking into the the new LYNSKEYS (former owners and founders of LS) and they look Litespeed "related". it almost looks like they get tube stock from LS. Not that its bad, I do like the LEVEL3 road. I have not seen 1 07 LS in a shop this year, are they maybe re-inventing themselves through the LYNSKEY brand?


Where is the Lynskey forum?


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## Litemike (Nov 1, 2005)

*No forum*

Just LYNSKEY PERFORMACE . COM


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## Rum_Runner1 (Feb 10, 2006)

I own a lvl 2, but the founders sold Litespeed, and I imagine wanted another bike company.


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## Litemike (Nov 1, 2005)

*Just looked at the ARCHON photos -*

The Lynskeys and LS ARCHON have the same asymetric chain stays. Interesting, they also use 31.6 or whatever seat posts. I would like a LYNSKY, but a custom is $3600 in brushed - I have a feeling the two companies are somewhat joined. Sorta like GM.


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

Litemike said:


> The Lynskeys and LS ARCHON have the same asymetric chain stays. Interesting, they also use 31.6 or whatever seat posts. I would like a LYNSKY, but a custom is $3600 in brushed - I have a feeling the two companies are somewhat joined. Sorta like GM.


Yeah, my Lemond uses a 31.6, too. So what? They adhered to the same industry standard. That's not abnormal...

Asymmetric chainstays... so does the LeMond Triomphe.

I can promise you Litespeed is not owned by Trek, so this is nothing but a coincidence.

Litespeed is owned by American Bicycle Group. They also own Merlin and Quintana Roo.

Lynskey is owned by the Lynskey family and is independent from ABG.

-estone2


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## midlife_xs's (Jun 18, 2004)

_*To answer the OP's query - "I have not seen 1 07 LS in a shop this year, are they maybe re-inventing themselves through the LYNSKEY brand?" *_


Here is a quote from Bicycling Magazine (11.16.2006)

Lynskey and one of his creations at his workshop in Chattanooga, TN.©Tony Baker

Unfinished Business

After a 7-year hiatus, Litespeed founder David Lynskey is back building bikes. 

By Matt Phillips

In 1985, aspiring bike racer David Lynskey built himself a bicycle from scraps of titanium tubing lying around his father's chemical-processing-equipment business. Titanium bikes were a novelty at the time; previous attempts had produced overly flexible and unreliable results. In 1986, Lynskey launched Litespeed Bicycles with four other family members. As Litespeed and rival bike maker Merlin refined titanium frame construction, riders began to clamor for bikes made of the metal, whose smooth ride rivaled that of heavier steel frames. Lynskey left Litespeed in 1999 when his family sold the company to American Bicycle Group, which then bought Merlin in 2000. Today, he's back in business as Lynskey Performance Designs (lynskeyperformance.com). bicycling managed to pull Lynskey, 46, away from his shop to speak about his new venture.Your family has a long history with titanium.My dad started working with titanium in 1970; I've been around it almost my whole life. I used to race bikes, and I built titanium bikes for myself and a guy named James Bacon. James was a better rider than I was, and he'd always win. In 1988 I was hit head-on by a car and went through the front windshield. It broke my shoulder and tore up my knee. I had 500-something stitches in my arm and had to have five or six surgeries to graft skin back. I tried to ride a little bit after that, but I just couldn't do it. So I said, "Well, if I can't ride them, I'll build them full time." How is Lynskey different from the old Litespeed?I'm still working with titanium, but now when I get a custom order from a guy, I get to sit down and talk with him on the phone, something I've never been able to do before. I can take a tube and work it to whatever thickness and shape I want--it's not just building a bike to a certain geometry. Two of my custom bikes may look the same, but they'll have totally different performance characteristics. I'm not saying that Litespeed ever built bad bikes, but we had to get them out at the price points. Now we take our time.How many frames have you built?I've built about 160 road bikes. Most cost $1,600 to $4,000 for the frame alone. I'm about to start building mountain and tri bikes. Then I'll start designing tandems, because I've had people ask about those.Is the new company a family affair?Yep. My mother is my accountant; my brother Tim helps me with the fabrication and my brother Chris helps with welding. My dad passed away the year before we sold Litespeed. His signature is on our crest. The falcon symbolizes my mom's heritage from Britain; the shamrock represents my dad's Irish heritage.Carbon fiber is the hot material these days. What's your opinion of it?It makes some real cool-looking bikes, the way you can mold it and shape it and so forth. It has its place. But there's just no way a carbon bike's going to go through what a titanium bike can go through. I ask customers how much they want their frames to weigh. Most of them say, "I don't really want a light bike--I want a durable bike." So, 2 to 21/4 pounds is where they end up. Is part of your motivation to beat Litespeed?I'm not out to get anybody. I just want to show people what I can do. I love building things--I always have my whole life. If you walked into my shop, you wouldn't pick me out as the owner. I'm the dirtiest, greasiest guy there.You left Litespeed when your family sold it. Why are you back in the frame-building business?Because I was the only one in the family who didn't want to sell it. I made all the equipment in the place. I designed all the bikes. It was the most fun I ever had in my life. I started down the road to another career trading commodities and futures and options, but it wasn't me, sitting in front of a computer all day.

So the answer is, Litespeed is not LynskeyPerformance nor LynskeyPerfromance - Litespeed.


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## Litemike (Nov 1, 2005)

estone2 said:


> Yeah, my Lemond uses a 31.6, too. So what? They adhered to the same industry standard. That's not abnormal...
> 
> Asymmetric chainstays... so does the LeMond Triomphe.
> 
> ...


HOW DOES THAT BEATER LEMOND RIDE?


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