Litespeed’s top level race road bike, the T1SL, will soon be available in this disc brake version. It’ll use the same geometry as the rim brake model, but get thru axles front and rear. That allowed them to use differently shaped chainstays that are lighter because the rear thru axle increased the stiffness. It also means braceless seatstays, all of which adds up to a mere 150g weight gain over the rim brake version. Claimed weight is 1150g (size medium/54), which is very impressive for a metal bike…
The top tube is bent from a sheet of titanium to create the hexed shaping…
…then welded together to create a tube. The outside is then polished to smooth it over and make it look more like an standard tubeset.
An internal welded Ti tube guides the rear brake hose through the downtube to prevent rattling and ease installation. It passes the hose out and around the bottom bracket shell, then back into another tube through the chainstay.
Shift wires run internally as well, while mechanical drivetrains will have external routing.
The bike’s bottom bracket shell shows off just a small amount of the additional machining and attention to detail the T1SL receives to save weight and dial the ride quality. Look for it to deliver in June 2017 with several builds, including a full group of the latest Dura-Ace Di2 with hydraulic disc brakes and a sticker just under $15,000.
We spotted an early version of this at the Taipei Cycle show and got most of the details from them there, but the Litespeed Gravel bike is now official and will soon replace the T5G (shown directly behind it against the tent wall).
Frame weight will be about 1,550g for a medium/54. Look for external shift routing on mechanical builds, Bento Box top tube mounting bolts…
…rack and fender mounts, and clearance for at least a 700x40mm (left) or 27.5×2.0″ (right). The frame on the left is a preproduction test bike, and they told us the seatstay bridge will be higher up for production to improve top-of-tire clearance.
Their matching carbon fork will also get lower mounts for racks and fenders. Look for it to start shipping in mid May.
Lastly, they’ve started machining head tube extensions that press into the frame just like a headset’s upper cup would, but extends the tube by 20mm or 30mm. For riders that want a more upright position without resorting to normal steerer tube spacers, they now have options. They’ll retail for $100, all machined in house.
