Litespeed 1999 Appalachian Older Cyclocross Bike

4.25/5 (4 Reviews)


Product Description

1999 Litespeed Appalachian, cyclocross, Shimano 105 components, Kinesis Cross custom fork


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Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)

User Reviews

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Richard a Road Racer from Spartanburg, SC, USA

Date Reviewed: May 21, 2001

Strengths:    Light weight, geometry, handling, ride quality, versatility

Weaknesses:    Front cantilever brake rigging.

Bottom Line:   
Excellent all around bike. I use it for commuting to work, long rides in the mountains and occasional off road rides. Its geometry makes it suitable for agressive riding as well as the casual family ride with a bike trailer attached. Buy this bike if you are an ex racer who now has a family and want a machine that you can enjoy to ride with the wife and kids as well as with the guys. It will definitely answer the beckoning call for performance you are used to in your true road racing machine.

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Price Paid:    $2500.00

Purchased At:   Colorado Cyclist

Similar Products Used:   N/A

Bike Setup:   Campy Chorus racing triple with Shimano XT cantilever brakes and 36 hole campy hubbed wheels with Mavic rims.


Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Geoff Milanovich a Road Racer from Chapel Hill, NC

Date Reviewed: May 14, 2000

Strengths:    super light, fairly plush ride

Weaknesses:    not stiff enough!

Bottom Line:   
I can't be too critical, because I got a deal on this bike. But, in comparison with my road bike, the litespeed is just not stiff enough in the bottom bracket. And yes, that's with road tires on the litespeed. also, i hate shimano stuff, but that can't be fixed really for a cross bike. Other than that, this bike is good. Soft ride, okay handling, super light for portages. I just expected lightning acceleration, and don't get it. not a major problem while in the woods, but not so good when you want to dust off cars on the way to work! Not sure if it's really worth the big bucks for titanium at this point.

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Favorite Ride:   to work :(

Similar Products Used:   None

Bike Setup:   shimano ultegra cross


Overall Rating:3
Submitted by Dan Rahrer a Cross-Country Rider from London, Ontario

Date Reviewed: July 16, 1999

Strengths:    
Light, great handling


Weaknesses:    
Customer Service


Bottom Line:   
Ordered the Appy on 08MR99, received 20MY99, much longer than the promised 4-5 weeks. Several problems 1) Dealer (Missing Link, London, ON) forgot to order the saddle, 2) missing lower headset seal, 3) missing aheadset stem spacers - I had requested 3 of spacers, 4) no front or rear brake cable adjusters, 5) cantilever mounts on custom steel fork were too low - brake pads would not contact rim, 6) shipping damage - 2 bent spokes and broken XT cantilever bushing cover, 7) wrong width bars sent, 8) wrong tires sent. By 27MY99, the saddle, correct bars and tires had arrived and I built up the bike (my request). However, did not receive 3 of spacers, front & rear brake adjusters, spokes, seal or bushing cover. Bought the spacers, adjusters and spokes from a better equipped dealer. Litespeed still promising to replace the fork in 2-3 weeks - I had to grind the cantilever slots to get the pads to the rims. Love the bike, just not impressed with the dealer or Litespeed customer service. Litespeed did not think about making the brakes adjustable. Litespeed suggested contacting Cane Creek for the headset seal, that's bogus - if I bought a car or motorcycle that was missing a widget, the manufacturer would not tell me to contact the widget manufacturer. One tip when buying any cyclocross bike - pay attention to crotch clearance. The dealer tried to sell me a larger frame saying that the top tube length was important, but I bought a smaller frame and longer stem - works fine - I like long stems. Will update if I ever get satisfaction.

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Favorite Ride:   
kain's woods

Similar Products Used:   
none


Bike Setup:   
105 w/Ultegra triple


Overall Rating:5
Submitted by monkeyboy a cross-country rider from Montreal, Quebec

Date Reviewed: November 7, 1998

Strengths:    None

Weaknesses:    None

Bottom Line:   


This bike is a lifer! This frame will do anything: casual road-racing, cyclo-cross, even touring (has rack bosses). Great feel, plush enough on rough surfaces to prevent bone-jarring but stiff enough to still feel very precise. I expect to be riding this bike for the next 10 years.

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Similar Products Used:   None




Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)

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