Lynskey, the US-based bike manufacturer that’s helped bring the benefits of titanium to cyclists around the world, has filed for bankruptcy. The voluntary petition was filed in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on 30 April 2026.

According to the filings, the company has liabilities between $1 million and $10 million, but just $59,000 cash in hand. The company is seeking relief from “substantial payroll, rising costs, declining profits/margins, and egregious Shopify chargebacks.” 

The company’s biggest outstanding creditor is drivetrain component specialist Full Speed Ahead, to whom Lynskey owes approximately $161,594.

Based in Tennessee, the company was started in 2006 by Litespeed founder Dave Lynskey as a direct-to-consumer brand – in fact, upon hearing of Lynskey’s plight, we received an email from Litespeed ensuring us that it’s business as usual over there: “While we lament the issues happening with one of our local Chattanooga, Tenn. neighbors within the bike industry, we wanted to be sure there’s clarity that Litespeed bicycles is very much full steam ahead”, it said.  

Lynskey offered much-loved and well-reviewed titanium frames and bikes at a low cost, with frames often on offer for just $700.

This low-cost model may have contributed to the company’s downfall, though. “[Lynskey] kind of programmed people to wait for the clearance sales, so the price gap has been widening,” said thegrumpyorc on a Reddit post. “There were cases where a handmade US frame with etched graphics was going for the same as an unbranded aliexpress ti frame with no warranty. That’s just not sustainable.”

Online feedback for Lynskey varies, with Trustpilot customers citing frustration at unfulfilled bike orders, while others say their frames have been delivered. It seems that the titanium titan is still shipping frames, but complete bikes are proving harder to build.

Lynskey is just one of many bike companies to fall afoul of a turbulent post-pandemic market. Rad Power Bikes, a similar US-based e-bike manufacturer, also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year. On this side of the pond, children’s bicycle company Frog Bikes also entered administration.

However, Chapter 11 bankruptcy doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the journey for Lynskey, and it’s notable that both Rad Power Bikes and Frog Bikes have been rescued, by Life EV and Frasers Group, respectively.

We’ve contacted Lynskey for feedback.