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Road Racing

Buyer’s Guide 2017: Litespeed L1

Litespeed built the L1 for racing: this is the go-to ride of the Astellas pro cycling team. The frame utilizes multiple asymmetric tube shapes, particularly where the down tube and seat tube meet at the bottom bracket shell, to create a snappy platform. The 1.125- by 1.5-inch tapered head tube…

Size Reviewed

M/L

Price

$4,750

Brand

Litespeed


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Litespeed built the L1 for racing: this is the go-to ride of the Astellas pro cycling team. The frame utilizes multiple asymmetric tube shapes, particularly where the down tube and seat tube meet at the bottom bracket shell, to create a snappy platform. The 1.125- by 1.5-inch tapered head tube brings responsiveness to the front end. In total, it makes for nimble, refined handling in a race-worthy package.

The geometry is fairly aggressive, with a short head tube (160 millimeters), and 73-degree head tube and seat tube angles. It makes for a short wheelbase of 982 millimeters and 405-millimeter chain stays. Perfect for carving.

While the bike isn’t much of a looker–gaudy logos are plastered about the bike–the parts package is solid. The Ultegra groupset is as robust and practical, and saves you gobs of money over a Dura-Ace spec. The 3T stem, handlebar, and seatpost are comfortable, light, and easy to adjust. Though the Reynolds carbon wheels that came with our test bike might bring you a bit of bling, braking was poorer than average. The optional Ultegra wheelset would be our preferred choice.

Finally, when was the last time you saw a new bike with external cable routing? For do-it-yourselfers, it may make working on the bike considerably easier. For the clean lines of modern bikes, look elsewhere.

An American in France

What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France? Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view.

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