Litespeed Fan Letter :)

Instead of another blog about our bikes, our frames, or technology we wanted to take an opportunity to celebrate the biggest asset to Litespeed...YOU. We love our customers. We love biking. It really warms our hearts when we get letters like the one below. Thank you to everyone who supports Litespeed and shares our passion for our bikes. I want to thank Litespeed for building the best bike in the industry. I raced for years and have ridden countless miles averaging somewhere around 7500 miles a year. I've replaced my Dura Ace kits several times, but the frame is still in great condition. In my 10 years of racing and many more years of riding, my frame has never let me down.

Three years ago I was stricken with a condition called malignant hypertension. It’s like having high blood pressure on steroids. It led to kidney issues and just a few months ago a heart attack. After having the blockage repaired and some rest and recovery I am now 3 weeks into my cardiac rehab on my trusty Litespeed Ultimate. Your bike kept me on the road for all those years and my cardiologist believes my previous fitness level is the reason I’m still alive.

My machine is not the weekend warrior machine of the past. It is now the cardiac rehabilitation machine. Thank you for putting out a product that can take the abuse of miles of hard road riding and now give me the ability to recover for my family. God bless and thank you.

Fred

Sylacauga, Alabama

Pain Junkies: RAW (Race Across the WEST)

Don Oliveria and his biking partner, David Huckobey, are planning on racing the RAW (Race Across the WEST) next summer. Start time is June 13, 2012.

RAW is one of the most challenging bicycle races in the United States. Unlike other well-known road races, like the Tour de France, RAW is not a stage race. RAW is a single stage. Once the clock starts in Oceanside, California it doesn't stop until the racer reaches the finish line in Durango, Colorado. RAW is the second longest endurance cycling race in the United States. The race is essentially a time trial - a race against the clock, sometimes referred to as the race of truth. The route is about 860 miles, passing through 4 states and climbing over 40,000 feet.

Don and David are raising money for the Wounded Warriors Semper Fi Fund. They are both active Marines. Don is training overseas on a Quintana Roo CD0.1 and a Litespeed C3.



"Our goal is $10,000! Very ambitious we know, but through the power of networking and mass communication we hope to achieve our goal for our Wounded Warriors through the Semper Fi Fund. The Fund www.semperfifund.org is a non profit organization that helps America's true heroes recovering from catastrophic injury. 100% of the donations go to help injured Marines.
We respectfully request two simple things:

First, you pledge to donate to the Semper Fi Fund!The easiest way to contribute is to go to our campaign page and donate securely online.

Second, you pledge to tell five people about our fundraising campaign and ask them to do the same.Via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogger, etc.

Team Semper Fi (TSF) was established in 2006 by the Semper Fi Fund as an extension of the assistance that the Fund provides to those who are injured in combat and training. The idea for Team Semper Fi was inspired by those wounded Marines and Sailors who refused to let their challenges prevent them from competing in athletic events, and whose drive and determination was inspirational to us all"

Cohutta 29er is Across the Pond!

First Look – Litespeed Cohutta 29er

Posted by Albert Steward | Thu 17th November

With the wagon-wheeled world of 29ers looking set to take the UK mtb market by force in 2012 you’re likely to see most manufacturers frantically trying to jump on the bandwagon. North America has pretty much accepted the advantages the larger wheel size straight from the inception and with sales of 29er bikes now far outweighing those of conventional 26” wheeled bikes in the States the ‘switch’ looks to have been firmly made and set. Without doubt 29ers are here to stay and 2012 looks to be the breakthrough year for them here in the UK.

Tennessee based Titanium pioneers, Litespeed aren’t new the world of 29ers, and were in fact pioneers and early adopters of the new standard, having released the much acclaimed Obed hardtail in a 29er version way back in 2007. It was time when 29er’s were still very much considered a niche, flash-in-the-pan fad, let alone a 29er made from Titanium!

With knowledge and understanding of 29” wheel applications having moved on significantly since those early days Litespeed deemed it necessary to go back to the drawing board…

Litespeed are proud to present the brand new 2012 Cohutta 29er frameset. A highly adaptable and versatile 29er platform that’ll happily tackle both trail and XC race duties depending on the spec and flavour of the build.

Litespeed Titanium models are always given a Native American name as a nod to the heritage of the area in which they’re based (Chatanooga, Tennessee). The Cohutta, rather fittingly, shares its name with a grueling 100-mile endurance mtb race (http://www.newleafadventures.com/Cohutta.html/) and also a picturesque forest that spans nearby Georgia and Tennessee.

Stars’n’stripes – Litespeed Titanium frames always have and always will be handcrafted in their factory in Chatanooga, Tennessee.

The usual immaculate welds and attention to detail we’ve come to love and expect from Litespeed are ever present on the Cohutta.

The Pressfit 30 BB allows for either oversize 30mm crankarm axles, standard 24mm diameter (via the used of aftermarket adaptors) or even an aftermarket eccentric BB (to fit the 46mm ID) for single speed duties. The Press Fit 30 system is similar to the concept that Shimano is using – a nylon sleeve/cup holds the bearings and thus does away with the fiddly snap rings of the BB30 system. It gives you a nice big BB shell area for which to attach larger chainstays, downtube and seattube, no counter miters and lastly does not require a tolerance that is +/- .001" as the bearings don’t sit directly in the BB shell of the frame. Neat!

The heatube on the Cohutta is oversize too, but like the BB it’s not for looks and the reasons for speccing it are 100% functional. The headtube measures 1.5"/49mm ID which ultimately makes the Cohutta one extremely versatile bike (suitable for either 80/100/120mm forks); allowing for fine tuning of the headtube angle (if used with the recommended Cane Creek AngleSet ZS49/EC49), accommodation any steerer tube standard (1.5", traditional 1 1/8" or 1.5" - 1 1/8" tapered) and adjustment of stack height (whether you choose to run an internal/external bearings/headset cups).

In addition to increasing torsional stiffness of the entire front triangle, the 49mm ID headtube allows for total freedom with reagrds to headset and fork selection. The above chart should help with selection and setup for the intended use.

Such are demands on a 29er frameset so different from that of the smaller wheeled 26” cousin, the Litespeed engineers have pulled out all the stops and specced exclusive, specially selected and sized 29er-specific tubing for the Cohutta (TT, DT & HT) milled by Litespeed in Tennessee to give optimum ride and performance characteristics.

The mech hange is a non-replaceable but judging by the thickness of the dropouts we don’t think it’s going to be an issue!

With x4 sizes available there should be a Cohutta for everyone – big or small (above geometry chart based on sagged bike w/ 100mm fork).

Headtube Size: 1.5” internally butted (49.6mm internal diameter)
Seatpost Size: 31.6mm
Seatclamp Size: 34.9mm
Dropout: standard 9mm QR (non-replaceable mech hanger)
Front Derailleur Clamp: 34.9mm (top routed)
BB Size: Pressfit 30 (PF30) 73mm x 46mm internal diameter
Suitable Fork Size: 80mm / 100mm / 120mm

Frame Weights:
S – 2018 gr / 4.4 lbs
M – 2088 / 4.6lbs
L – 2160 / 4.7lbs
XL – 2182 / 4.8lbs

We’ll be building up a demo bike as soon as we’ve rounded up all the parts so keep your eyes peeled for reviews from the usual suspects over the coming months! To view/buy the Cohutta on the Evans website please click here.

For more images and details please visit the Litespeed website here.