THROWBACK THURSDAY: LITESPEED UNVEILS NEW TITANIUM

New disc specific bikes roll at the Interbike show

It was a hot day in Las Vegas when we first spied these bikes some six years ago at the now long-gone Interbike trade show. Six years ago and this was a highlight…

“Just like the rear, the fork uses a flat-mount design along with the latest 12mm thru-axle standard that will start to become the norm on road disc bikes.”

Even though Outdoor Demo is mostly a mountain bike affair, there are always a few road-worthy bikes and products on display, with some even ready for riding. Chattanooga, Tennessee based Litespeed had two new bikes to show off, including what could be the lightest metal frame on the market today, according to Litespeed’s Brad DaVaney. The frame decreases weight by 15% over the T1, taking it down to 1,000 grams by removing unnecessary material from the head tube and bottom bracket shell. The triple butted chainstays and intricately-shaped top tube also gets reworked to remove weight without compromising stiffness. It will be available as a frameset for $4,000 or in a few complete build options. The build as pictured here will run in the $10,000 range.

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The other bike in the line to get an overhaul is the T3, which now has a disc brake option. With many of the same tube shape features as the T1SL, the T3 is still built as a performance bike, just in a slightly more affordable package. We had an opportunity to get a 15-mile ride on it and were impressed with how lively it felt, even with 28mm tires. It will be available as a frame only for $2,900, or $5,750 in a similar build as pictured. And of course, like all Litespeed titanium frames, it’s made in the USA.

The chainstays have been re-worked compared to the previous T3 to allow for the disc brake option, and utilize the brand new flat-mount design that was engineered specifically for road bikes.

Just like the rear, the fork uses a flat-mount design along with the latest 12mm thru-axle standard that will start to become the norm on road disc bikes.

Removable barrel adjusters allow for mechanical or electronic groups to be used. Upon removing the fixing bolt inside the head tube that holds the barrel adjuster in place, the hole doubles as the electronic routing. Of course, if you’ll be using SRAM’s wireless eTap, then wires and routing are a thing of the past.

For more info visit www.litespeed.com