Made in Ooltewah: Litespeed Bicycles

Bicycling is not just a sport for exercise, but also for competition. There's a company in Ooltewah, that specializes in lightweight bikes that are shipped around the world. You'll find both lightweight carbon and titanium frames built at Litespeed Bicycles. With Chattanooga becoming a hotspot for bicycle racing competitions and just pleasure biking, local folks look to the advantages of bikes, MADE IN OOLTEWAH..The Litespeed factory has one goal in mind: "To bring the most power into the pedal stroke," says Litespeed's Heather Sweet, "to make the frame comfortable for the rider."Titanium is lighter and stronger than steel. To form the top tube, "we simply cut the tube to length, and then we will taper the tube using a machine called a sweager." The pipe goes into the machine round and comes out tapered into an oval shape. The seam inside is practically invisible..Litespeed engineers shape the raw materials, using machines they have modified themselves. After tapering the top tube, it's time to contour it to fit the head tube. "Rather than cut the tube with a conventional cutter, we're essentially griding a perfect surface," says designer Brad DeVaney. When finished, there are no gaps and no wasted welds. Bicycles made here have two parts, a front and rear triangle. "We have tried in mills, with all different kinds of things to cut it," says Litespeed's Steve Grubb. "A simple holdsaw cuts it better than anything we've ever tried." Each piece is washed and laid out according to an exact blueprint. They're all carefully welded together, aligned, and then sandblasted with glass beads.The finished product consists of a top tube, a head tube, a down tube, a seat tube, a seat stay, and a chain stay.How heavy is a titanium bicycle frame? After putting a finished product on the scale, Jeff Zajac finds it to be about 2.7 pounds. One engineer etches the seria