# Buying new Litespeed is it worth ?



## Body

I would love to buy a new Litespeed T1 but here in the Netherlands I hear some news what makes me worried about the company. Is there any news that Litespeed is going to stop with their production?


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## pmf

Why is that a concern?

Frankly, Litespeed would be way down my list of companies I'd buy a titanium bike from. But even if they do cease production, why is that a concern? It's not like you need spare parts for your frame. And if you break the frame (highly doubtful) --- good luck trying to collect on a warranty.


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## adjtogo

Litespeed isn't the company it once was. Litespeed is now mass produced. The original owners sold Litespeed a long time ago, and now have their own company, Lynskey. I personally own a hand made 2014 Lynskey R255 with full Ultegra 6800. It is a beautifully, well built, hand crafted, titanium bike that will last me well beyond my lifetime. I'm sure they have a Lynskey dealer somewhere overseas.


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## pmf

Lynskey sold Litespeed/Merlin to American Bicycle Group in the early 2000's. Litespeed sells carbon bikes they have made overseas, and titanium bikes they make in the U.S. They probably still have some of the same guys welding the frames that were there when Lynskey owned the company. The T1 is their flagship all 6/4 bike. I think the only other manufacturer doing an all 6/4 bike is Lynskey (R460). 6/4 alloy is much harder to fabricate than 3/2, so you pay a lot more for a 6/4 frame (the difference between the 3/4 R360 and the 6/4 R460 is $1500). Frankly, I don't see what you get back that's worth that much money. Yes, the frame will be a little lighter, but it'll never be as light as many carbon frames. So if light weight is what you're looking for, you should look at carbon frames. It will be more durable and have a nicer ride than most carbon frames IMO. I've ridden a Litespeed Ultimate for 15 years and haven't managed to break it yet. The chances that it breaks are remote if that's what you're worried about. If it does break, the chances of any of these bike companies replacing it is probably even more remote. Why should I expect a replacement if I break a bike I've been riding for 15 years? That's not a manufacturing defect. Stuff breaks. 

My wife's Litespeed was recently stolen and the insurance company replaced it. She went with a Lynskey R350 and has been happy with it. I'm not enamored with the BB30 bottom bracket, or the integrated headset. She only weighs 125, so I doubt she'll have problems with the BB, but I sure wouldn't want one. Lynskey bikes are nice, but he's a bit of marketer. His bike models change/"improve" almost on an annual basis. I think the metal bending helix stuff he does is ugly. I kind of prefer the more classic look of a Moots or Eriksen -- maybe even Seven.


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## robt57

+1 Lynsky over Litespeed hands down. Easy for me to say being they are stateside. No idea what an overseas purchase brings to the table.

I have one Litespeed and it is here to stay... FWIW


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## giosblue

I have a Litespeed Icon, and I can't really understand why they get such a bad rap on these forums. +1 Lynsky over Litespeed hands down. 
Apart from warranty issues which have been posted on here.
Give me one good reason why a Lynsky is better than a Litespeed.
You get an handful of complaints on the internet and every bike they make is crap.
When Look at my Litespeed it looks like a real quality product, I can't see it breaking anytime soon. So come on guys, what am I missing here?


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## redmasi

^ Ditto. I've been riding my 2003 Vortex 6Al-4V titanium frame hard for 12 years now. Other bikes in steel, titanium, and CF have come and gone during that time, but my Litespeed Ti remains my overall favorite and I continue to love every mile I rack up on it. :thumbsup: 

Ciao!


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## robt57

giosblue said:


> I have a Litespeed Icon, and I can't really understand why they get such a bad rap on these forums.


American Bicycle Group's warranty policy maybe?

As stated already, Good luck getting a frame warranty honored. 

I also would get a Lynsky before another LS, my Blade is sure to be my last Litespeed.


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## giosblue

*Near Perfection*

This is My Icon. fantastic bike.


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## PbOkole

pmf said:


> Lynskey sold Litespeed/Merlin to American Bicycle Group in the early 2000's. Litespeed sells carbon bikes they have made overseas, and titanium bikes they make in the U.S. They probably still have some of the same guys welding the frames that were there when Lynskey owned the company. The T1 is their flagship all 6/4 bike. I think the only other manufacturer doing an all 6/4 bike is Lynskey (R460). 6/4 alloy is much harder to fabricate than 3/2, so you pay a lot more for a 6/4 frame (the difference between the 3/4 R360 and the 6/4 R460 is $1500). Frankly, I don't see what you get back that's worth that much money. Yes, the frame will be a little lighter, but it'll never be as light as many carbon frames. So if light weight is what you're looking for, you should look at carbon frames. It will be more durable and have a nicer ride than most carbon frames IMO. I've ridden a Litespeed Ultimate for 15 years and haven't managed to break it yet. The chances that it breaks are remote if that's what you're worried about. If it does break, the chances of any of these bike companies replacing it is probably even more remote. Why should I expect a replacement if I break a bike I've been riding for 15 years? That's not a manufacturing defect. Stuff breaks.
> 
> My wife's Litespeed was recently stolen and the insurance company replaced it. She went with a Lynskey R350 and has been happy with it. I'm not enamored with the BB30 bottom bracket, or the integrated headset. She only weighs 125, so I doubt she'll have problems with the BB, but I sure wouldn't want one. Lynskey bikes are nice, but he's a bit of marketer. His bike models change/"improve" almost on an annual basis. I think the metal bending helix stuff he does is ugly. I kind of prefer the more classic look of a Moots or Eriksen -- maybe even Seven.


Actually,only the top tube is 6/4 ti. The rest of the frame is 3/2.5.


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## giosblue

PbOkole said:


> Actually,only the top tube is 6/4 ti. The rest of the frame is 3/2.5.


That is correct, does anyone make complete 6/4?

Update. no they don't

Quote, Don Erwin Lynskeys 

You would never want a bike built using 6/4 for the stays, the seat tube needs to be round and seemless as well.


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## PbOkole

giosblue said:


> That is correct, does anyone make complete 6/4?
> 
> Update. no they don't
> 
> Quote, Don Erwin Lynskeys
> 
> You would never want a bike built using 6/4 for the stays, the seat tube needs to be round and seemless as well.


They used to make the Ghisallo, Vortex and Palmares that were all 6/4 bikes. These are also the ones that seemed to crack the most. I have never ridden a full 6/4 Litespeed but had several Ultimates that had a 6/4 downtube. I never trusted the full 6/4 due to the number of them I saw cracked. Now I ride an Icon which is essentially the same tube set as their T1 but with a 3/2.5 top tube instead of the 6/4 on the T1. They don't make the Icon any more but it is an awesome frame.


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## Scar

I have a Litespeed Tuscany that I bought in late 2003 and I love it. It makes me feel fast even though I am not. I'll guess that some of the welders who made mine are still there and building quality Litespeed frames. But, would I buy another Litespeed now? No.

At one time Litespeed was HUGE in my region. Now the only ones you see are the older ones like mine. Local dealers dropped Litespeed several years ago. One dealer told me about trying to contact Litespeed about a repair. Six emails and four phone calls later and the only response he received was to one phone call when he was told "someone will get back with you". Never happened. That dealer told me that the problem with Litespeed isn't the bikes, it's the current corporate owners. As another poster here said, Litespeed is not the same company that it was when the Lynskey family owned it.

Lynskey makes great Ti bikes and is family owned. I have two and my wife has one. What sets Lynskey apart from some other Ti makers is their wonderful shaping of the tubes. That metal shaping is one of the reasons I have always loved my Litespeed Tuscany, which was designed by David Lynskey when his family owned Litespeed. It is just beautiful. Plus, Lynskey is easy and pleasant to deal with directly if you don't have a local dealer.

In my opinion the Lynskey Helix is the single best looking Ti bike made today. It's like art work or eye candy. And everyone who sees it in person comments on how good looking a bike it is. I think plain round tubes on Ti bikes, like the Moots and Seven, are rather boring compared to the shaped tubed beauties made by Lynskey. But that's just me and your opinions my vary.

Good luck with your bike purchase, which ever brand or model you choose.


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## adjtogo

> I think plain round tubes on Ti bikes, like the Moots and Seven, are rather boring compared to the shaped tubed beauties made by Lynskey.


I have a Lynskey R255 with normal shaped tubes...like Moots...and Seven...

It is not a boring bike. It is very comfortable to ride. I chose the R255 because it fits my body geometry and riding style. It is a relaxed geometry bike like a Bianchi Infinito. I have degenerated discs in my neck and back and can't ride bikes with a more aggressive geometry. The R230 does have the shaped tubing like no others, and so does the Helix, but I can't ride neither.


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## Scar

adjtogo said:


> I have a Lynskey R255 with normal shaped tubes...like Moots...and Seven...
> 
> It is not a boring bike. It is very comfortable to ride. I chose the R255 because it fits my body geometry and riding style. It is a relaxed geometry bike like a Bianchi Infinito. I have degenerated discs in my neck and back and can't ride bikes with a more aggressive geometry. The R230 does have the shaped tubing like no others, and so does the Helix, but I can't ride neither.


Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. That's why I stated that it was my opinion and yours may vary. And I don't doubt that your R255 is very comfortable as I have read others say the same. Ti bikes in general give a very good ride, which is why Ti is the only frame material I now own. 

In 2012 we bought a Bianchi Infinito for my wife and she has almost 6,000 miles on it now. She loves it, but found out that on poor or broken pavement the Bianchi isn't as smooth or comfortable as her Lynskey. One example of her learning happened last summer as we were on a new ride in an area new to us when we turned onto a very rural road. It was only about three miles long but was really badly broken chip and seal pavement. My Helix handled it quite well but the Bianchi had to be ridden quite slowly. Any attempt she made to keep up with me gave her a beating. She said she never wanted on that road again, but if we ever did ride it again she would have to be on her Lynskey. 

By the way, my wife and I each have a herniated disc in our backs so I can sympathize with you. I think having disc problems in the neck is worse for cycling than problems in the lower back.

Thanks for your note.


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## Scar

giosblue said:


> I have a Litespeed Icon, and I can't really understand why they get such a bad rap on these forums. +1 Lynsky over Litespeed hands down.
> Apart from warranty issues which have been posted on here.
> Give me one good reason why a Lynsky is better than a Litespeed.
> You get an handful of complaints on the internet and every bike they make is crap.
> When Look at my Litespeed it looks like a real quality product, I can't see it breaking anytime soon. So come on guys, what am I missing here?



Your Litespeed Icon is a beautiful bike and no doubt it is well made. I'm sure that I could take one just like it and be happy. I love my Litespeed Tuscany and you would have to pry it from my cold dead hands.

As I said in another posting on this thread, the local bike shops dropped Litespeed because of the current corporate owners and not because of the bikes. Since I have only been on this forum a few months I'm not familiar with past complaints on here about Litespeed. I do know that I have not hear with my own ears any owner of a Litespeed Ti bike complain about the quality or workmanship. But since I seldom see a new Litespeed locally I'm not exactly up to speed on current Litespeed happenings.

Again, you Icon is one good looking bike and I hope you continue to enjoy it in good health.


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## myhui

$3195 for a bare frame, 2015 model, now on sale.

https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/store/helix-3326.html

I can easily move my 30mm crank spindle onto that bike if I choose their PF30 bottom bracket option, move the fork and handlebar from my current carbon bike onto it without even disassembling anything on the handlebar, and be riding a complete bike after just a day's work.


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