To the uninitiated, this bike looks just like any other road bike. You may have a similar-looking one tucked away in your garage. You might see look-alikes at yard sales. But this bike holds a historic value that is not easily understood by a glance at its frame. It requires a closer look, a deeper dive.
The name Lighthouse Cycles, for most, will not hold any sort of significance. But the name behind the brand might: Tim Neenan. Specialized fanatics will likely recognize the name. He’s the designer behind some of the first (and most popular) Specialized bikes like the Sequoia, Expedition, Allez and perhaps most notably, the famed Stumpjumper — the first commercial mountain bike ever produced. Neenan built the first Stumpjumper prototype and was the one to convince Mike Sinyard, Specialized’s founder, to put the bike into production.
Though Neenan’s Lighthouse frames never garnered the attention of builders like Rock Lobster and Independent Fabrication, they are of the highest quality and were (and are) well known on the central coast of California. You can find little pockets on deep cycling forums gushing about Lighthouse Cycles, but you won’t find any mentions on major publications or popular alt cycling sites like The Radavist. What’s more, Neenan recently retired from frame building, which means his frames will likely go up in value. Currently, one of his custom builds is available on eBay for an absolute steal. It’s built with Shimano Ultegra Di2. The wheels are built around White Industries hubs. The stem and bars are FSA K-force carbon fiber. For the price, the bike is well-kitted. Factor in that it’s a piece of cycling history, and you can’t go wrong at double this price. And, as they say, better you than me.
From the Seller: This is one of Tim Neenan’s last bikes before he retired. Tim has a long and rich history with custom bicycles and this bike is an excellent example of his work. It is fillet brazed with a mix of Columbus Zona and Life tubing. Top and down tube are oversized with a wall thickness of 7-4-7. The bike is equipped with Shimano Ultegra 6770 10 speed Di2. The wheelset features custom-assembled White Industries hubs laced with DT Aerolights onto Velocity A23 rims. Tires, Continental GP 4000. Handlebars, FSA KForce carbon. Brakes, Tektro R559 long reach.
This bike is in outstanding condition. It has never been crashed or abused. It has never seen a drop of water (at least that falls from the sky).