2014 Cohutta

2014 Cohutta
•
Features the industry’s first-ever 29er specific
Ti tubing
Innovative 4nine technology allows
rider to ride tune in regards to fork
and headset selection
•
Litespeed Tech Feed: 2014 Cohutta
•
Compatible with the Cane Creek AngleSet
for a steeper or slacker head angle
•
Geometry optimized for 80, 100mm, and
120mm fork travel delivers ideal suspension
•
Sold as frame only
Bryce Walsh
You will not find a better value in a 29er hardtail this technically
advanced. The Cohutta is crafted in Litespeed’s legendary, expert
titanium shop, and value is built right into its durability and
amazing performance.
Named for a dirty and demanding 100-mile mountain bike race in
Copperhill, Tennessee, Litespeed’s new titanium Cohutta 29er hardtail
features the industry’s first-ever 29er specific Ti tubing. The Cohutta
provides the rigidity needed for surviving heavy-duty single-track terrain,
yet the nimbleness required for stellar tracking and performance.
The tubeset features a BB30 bottom bracket, 49mm head tube, oversized
tubes and a curved downtube to clear the adjusting knobs on suspension
forks. While the Cohutta handles steep descents with control and tackles
climbs like a champ, Litespeed’s 4nine technology allows ride tuning in
regards to fork and headset selection.
Litespeed’s 4nine technology is 4ward thinking for 29-inch wheels. With
clean-sheet-of-paper thinking in regards to tubeset and geometry,
Litespeed designed a fully optimized 29er that increases torsional stiffness
of the entire front triangle of the frame and permits a wide range of fork
Rider Profile
Ultra cyclist Bryce Walsh will ride the
Cohutta in the 2014 Tour Divide, an
unsupported race that challenges riders to
traverse the backbone of the U.S. and part
of Canada, starting in Banff, Alberta, and
ending in Antelope Wells, New Mexico.
The Tour Divide is the world’s longest offpavement cycling route. At completion, a
rider will have climbed nearly 200,000 feet
(the equivalent of summiting Mount Everest
from sea-level seven times!).
choices. The rider can truly customize based on preference, distance
and terrain.
Litespeed’s 4nine technology increases torsional stiffness of the entire front
triangle of the frame and creates a wide range of fork choices, allowing
the rider to truly customize based on preference, distance and terrain.
Riders can use a straight 1.125” or a 1.125 x 1.5” tapered steerer fork or
easily set the bike up with 80-120mm travel forks without compromising
handling. (CONT
)
Racers must not only navigate old forest
service roads and jeep trails but also
complete the ride wholly unsupported
(barring a few exceptions). Bryce, who
is also a cycling coach at Vision Quest in
Chicago, will ride through Grizzly country,
bivy sack along the route for rest and
endure 16-plus-hour days in the saddle.
He’ll be riding through (CONT )
© 2013 American Bicycle Group | All Rights Reserved
1.125 x 1.5” tapered steerer fork, the frame is capable. In addition, you can easily set the bike up with
80-120mm travel forks with no compromises in handling. Should you wish to tune a bit beyond fork
travel, the new 49’er head tube allows you to choose between internal or external cup lower headsets.
And finally, you can utilize the Cane Creek AngleSet with a tapered steerer. The following guide will help
you with the fork and headset selection for your intended use.
The frame geometry is ideally designed around a 100mm travel fork, using an external cup lower
headset. However, we also suggest the use of 80-120mm travel forks depending on the rider’s intended
use.
Set Up Options
Here are suggestions when making the decision regarding fork choices,
Here are suggestions when making the decision regarding fork choices, head tube angle selection, and
head tube angle selection and headset specification:
headset specification:
Fork Travel
Discipline
80
XC Short
Course
XC Race
100
Steerer Diameter
120
1.125
1.125x1.5 Taper
Headset
Cups
(upper/lower)
Litespeed Tech Feed: 2014 Cohutta
Litespeed’s 49mm head tube allows the
rider to tune beyond travel fork by choosing
between internal or external cup lower
headsets. The rider can also utilize the Cane

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stock
ZS49/EC49


-0.5°
ZS49/EC49

stock
ZS49/EC49
stock
ZS49/ZS49

+0.5°
ZS49/ZS49
frame geometry is ideally designed around a

-1.0°
ZS49/EC49
100mm travel fork, using an external cup lower

-0.5°
ZS49/EC49
headset. However, Litespeed also suggests

stock
ZS49/EC49
the use of 80-120mm travel forks, depending
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
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

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
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
Marathon
Head Tube
Angle
2014 Cohutta
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Trail
rider preference
Rider Profile
desolate country, but will
occasionally pass through towns,
where he can resupply and rest up.
“Just ride until you have to sleep,”
Bryce says of his strategy, which is
something he’s used to doing in
endurance races around the world.
Bryce’s 2011 race roster included
the Paris-Brest-Paris and the Hill
Country 600 (Race Across Oregon).
Just before he rides the Tour Divide,
he’ll have ridden a Litespeed bike
from Cairo to Cape Town, travelling
the entire length of Africa in the Tour
d’Afrique, averaging 77 miles a day
for four months. “I’ve been joking that
I’m doing a 7,400-mile training ride
in Africa,” says Bryce with a laugh.
“And I’m hitting up all the Wizard of
OZ animals, from lions and tigers to
bears.”
Creek AngleSet with a tapered steerer, so you
can tweak your stock settings without having
to re-weld a new headtube. The Cohutta
on the rider’s intended use.
Dirty Talk
Litespeed answers the burning questions of mountain
bikers who’ve been drooling over the Cohutta
Q: Why is the size of the head tube larger than normal?
LS: The large head tube makes the frame compatible with a variety of internal and
external cup headsets that can use either tapered or straight
steerer tube forks. The owner can optimize the bike to his or her choice of fork, length
of travel and riding style.
Q: Has the tubeset for the Cohutta been used on other titanium frames?
LS: No. This tubeset was developed specifically for the Cohutta 29er.
The competition uses the same tube spec, whether building for 26-inch or 29-inch.
wheels. Once upon a time, we did, as well. Litespeed’s design and fabrication of this
29er specific tubeset marks a new era in titanium 29er performance.
Q: Where did the geometry and sizing of the Cohutta originate?
LS: First and foremost, we approached the Cohutta with fresh ideas on how to optimize
handling. We felt we could enhance performance over other 29ers in the marketplace
with a neutral, well-balanced geometry. The shorter chain stays and precise wheelbase
Humor aside, Bryce has some
apprehension about the race. “The
Divide is the one that is a little bit out
of my comfort zone, because I am
not as experienced of a mountain
biker. Riding on trails at night when I
am tired… I wonder how the off-road
aspect will translate. I don’t know if
I can do it,” he says. “That’s what’s
exciting about it.” The Tour Divide
record is 17 days, 23 hours, 45 minutes,
set by Matthew Lee.
produce a quick, easy-to-maneuver bike.
© 2013 American Bicycle Group | All Rights Reserved