Litespeed Aero Road Bike Review: The Archon C Series

Many will remember Litespeed as the name in titanium bikes. Twenty-year-old titanium Litespeeds can still be seen out on the roads, their fanatic owners swearing by their durability and feel. It's a surprising and gutsy move then, for this brand to introduce a carbon fiber, aero road bike. This is a new material for Litespeed, as well as a new philosophy for the brand.

Litespeed is offering three versions of the Archon C series: the C3, C1, and C1R. The C3 will be the most affordable and easiest to maintain, with an adjustable seat post and external cable routing. The C1 series uses more expensive, lighter carbon fiber, and offers internal cable routing. The C1R is available only as a frame set, and features an integrated seat mast, even lighter carbon fiber, and a stiffer front end. Interestingly, the C1R goes back to external cable routing, as Litespeed believes bike racers will prefer the ease of maintenance and lighter weight.

Overview

All of the bikes in the Archon C lineup share the same shape and aero features. Every tube is airfoil-shaped to cheat the wind, including the all-important head tube, which is nicely scalloped. This is an area often overlooked by other bike makers. Another feature, first introduced by Litespeed and only seen elsewhere on the Cervelo S5, is the downtube water bottle shroud. This reduces the penalty of carrying water bottles, an important benefit since bike races are rarely short enough to go without. There are a number of other details that set the bike apart, such as a slightly asymmetric seat stay design to optimize stiffness, comfort, and aerodynamics. All models also use the BB30 bottom bracket standard to improve weight and stiffness.

Features

• Aerologic Tubes - All Models - Aerodynamic Tube Shapes +More
  • Every frame element is aerodynamically shaped, including the scalloped head tube and airfoil seat stays.
    
• Seat Tube Cutout - All Models - Hide The Rear Wheel From The Wind +More
  • A feature not available even on top aero road bikes like the Cervelo S3, the Archon seat tube cutout is placed very close to the rear wheel to reduce drag. Other bikes pay lip service to this feature but place the rear wheel too far behind the cutout to be effective.
    
• Invisible Water Bottle - All Models - Hide The Water Bottle From The Wind +More
  • The shape of the downtube is widened at the water bottle location to direct the wind around the bottle. Litespeed was the first brand to market this design, and currently, the new Cervelo S5 is the only other road bike that offers this feature.
    
• BB30 - All Models - Lighter and Stiffer +More
  • BB30 is a bottom bracket standard started by Cannondale in 2000. The standard allows for larger bottom bracket spindles, which can be lighter and stiffer than the older standard designs.
    
• Internal Cable Routing/Di2 Routing - C1 - Less Drag For Cables and Wires +More
  • While the C3 and C1R opt for the lighter, easier to maintain solution, aero weenies may prefer the C1 models, which feature internal cable routing to get the cables out of the wind. The cable routing system can accommodate Shimano Di2 wiring as well. Cables enter the frame at the top tube behind the stem, and cable housing is run throughout the entire frame.

2011 Litespeed C Model Breakdown (UPDATED for 2012) ATC has all models in stock, come take one for a test ride!

Model	Build	Improvements Over Previous Model	More Info	Image (click to zoom)
Litespeed C3	Ultegra	Baseline	more info
Litespeed C1	Dura Ace	Lighter Carbon, Internal Cable Routing	more info
Litespeed C1	Ci2 Ultegra	Lighter/Upgraded Components	more info
Litespeed C1R	Frameset	Lighter Carbon, Stiffer, External Routing, Integrated Seat Mast	more info

Litespeed Supports Local Racers

Litespeed has been stepping up to the plate and supporting local bike racers. Check out the ATC Litespeed builds of Tristan Uhl's Archon C1R and the ATC Women's Racing Archon C3

Tristan Uhl - Pro Mountain Biker and Cat 1 Road Racer - Litespeed Archon C1R

Tristan Uhl is a Mountain Biker first, but he competes regularly in cat 1 road bike races in the off-season, so look for him in his ATC kit at local races. Tristan reports that he is enjoying the bike more than the Cannondale Supersix that he rode previously. The new Litespeed build is lighter and feels stiffer overall, he says, and the rigid rear end has been great at the local Driveway crits.

Litespeed C1R Build Specs

Frame	Litespeed Archon C1R
Size	S
Wheels	Easton SLX
Stem	FSA OS-99
Gruppo	Shimano Ultegra
Crankset	FSA Carbon BB30
Weight	15.6lbs (w/ lightweight tubulars)

ATC Women's Racing - Litespeed Archon C3

Litespeed is one of the sponsors of the new ATC Women's Racing team. Cat 3 racer Kat Hunter, currently racing the C3 for ATC Women's Racing, reports that the new frame feels smoother and faster downhill, and is just as comfortable as the steel round tube bike she rode before.

Litespeed C3 Build Specs

Frame	Litespeed Archon C3
Size	ML
Wheels	HED Jet 90 Powertap
Cockpit	3T LTD Stem and 3T Pro Handlebars
Gruppo	Shimano 105/Ultegra Mix
Crankset	FSA Gossamer BB30 52/38
Weight	16.9lbs (w/ lightweight tubulars)