Litespeed is the originator of titanium alloy frames, representing the world's top titanium alloy processing technology, and even the steering suspension system on NASA's "Curiosity" Mars rover also has a part of Litespeed's credit.
 
Litespeed in the 90s competed in a series of top events including the Tour de France, titanium alloy has a very obvious advantage over steel and aluminum, Litespeed once dominated, becoming the largest top bicycle manufacturer in the United States, but now the race car is basically monopolized by carbon fiber, the master is in the millimeter, the top riders for lightweight and high rigidity of the demanding demand makes carbon fiber an inevitable choice, as for durability, texture and other factors, It's not a race car at all. The advertising effect of the event makes carbon fiber very popular, giving people the impression of high-end and advanced. Nowadays, most brands use aluminum alloy for entry-level models and carbon fiber for mid-to-high-end models, and it seems that titanium alloy is an extremely superior material.
 
After all, not all riders have to race, and the quality of a bicycle is not only the dimension of "fast", but also the lightweight, texture, comfort, and durability, isn't it what we like to see? For civilian vehicles that don't have to worry about it, the comprehensive performance of titanium alloy is better than carbon fiber! Titanium alloy is a superior aviation material, light weight, high rigidity and toughness, can absorb vibration, ride comfortably, and the comprehensive performance is better than aluminum alloy and steel. Compared with carbon fiber, titanium alloy is slightly lighter and less rigid, but the durability is much higher, there is no aging problem, almost no maintenance, and it lasts as good as new. Titanium's high corrosion resistance means that the frame does not need to be painted, and the original sheen of titanium is attractive with polishing or brushing.
 
The main reason for limiting the popularity of titanium alloy is that the smelting difficulty of titanium is high, the raw materials are expensive, and the welding and processing difficulty of titanium is several times that of steel and aluminum, and there are very few manufacturers who have mastered the mature titanium alloy processing technology. The mere use of titanium alloy for a frame is already a big selling point. Due to the high difficulty of processing, most of the titanium alloy frames on the market almost have no technical content, and the lack of very mature pipe, forming and other processes on aluminum alloy or steel frames on the titanium alloy frame has led to the material advantage being smoothed out by the backward process, and there is no advantage over aluminum alloy in weight.
 
Each tube on the frame is subjected to completely different stresses, so adjusting the shape and thickness of the tube based on the stress distribution can significantly improve the strength and weight of the frame. Litespeed is one of the very few manufacturers in the world that has the strength to process 6AL/4V titanium alloys. 6AL/4V titanium alloy has more than double the tensile strength of 3AL/2.5V titanium alloy, but it is also more brittle and difficult to machine, while 3AL/2.5V has the advantage of toughness, Litespeed uses the two titanium alloys for different parts, taking into account both rigidity and comfort. Litespeed uses multi-layer tube technology to reduce weight and hydroforming polygonal tubes for different purposes, some with better bending resistance, some with better elasticity, and some to reduce wind resistance. According to the stress calculation, Litespeed uses titanium tubes of different materials, tube types, and thicknesses to flexibly create different parts of the frame, achieving a combination of high rigidity and light weight, and giving full play to the advantages of titanium alloy.
 
Litespeed also produces carbon fiber models, but there are many choices of carbon fiber models on the market, titanium alloy is the advantage and feature of Litespeed, the more recommended hardtail model is the new "Ah:wi" and the classic "Citico", using 6Al/4V titanium alloy and polygonal pipe and other housekeeping technology, the frame price is about 20,000 yuan, suitable for the pursuit of performance and texture of the car enthusiasts. The Pinhoti and Pisgah, on the other hand, use round pipes, which are aesthetically pleasing, slightly lower in performance than the former, and much lower in price. The single-turn suspension design of the Sewanee is more traditional than that of the virtual turning point design, and it needs to be equipped with a suspension liner with a "pedaling platform" for better performance.
 
Litespeed was founded by the Lynskey family, Lynskey is also a top titanium bicycle manufacturer, both in terms of technology and design have a deep history, interested riders can find out for themselves.