---- ===== Lighthouse Cycles Overview ===== Tim Neenan built mostly road frames and bikes from his shop in Santa Cruz. After designing a number of road frames for Specialized, he designed Specialized's first mountain bike, the [[https://mbaction.com/the-history-of-the-stumpjumper/|Stumpjumper]]. It is likely he made very few mountain bikes over his entire career. He certainly deserves his spot in the [[https://mmbhof.org/tim_neenan/|Mountain Bike Hall of Fame]]:

"without [Neenan] guiding this first effort the entire launch of mountain bikes might have taken a very different track."[[https://mmbhof.org/tim_neenan/| mmbhof]]

{{neenan.jpg?400|Time Neenan}} \\ Time Neenan [[https://www.jseephoto.com/Assignments/Lighthouse-Cycles/|jseephoto.com]]

---- ===== 1979 Chaparral ===== Supposedly the similarity to a Ritchey Everest is coincidental. Only small quantities produced over a few years.

I built the first Chaparral when I was living in Santa Barbara before moving up to San Jose to take a full-time design and sales position as the first Specialized employee. This was around 1979. The Chaparral was the prototype for what became the Stumpjumper. Tim Neenan, in [[https://mbaction.com/the-history-of-the-stumpjumper/|mbaction]]

{{lighthouse.png?300|1979 Chaparral}} \\ 1979 Chaparral [[https://mbaction.com/the-history-of-the-stumpjumper/|mbaction]]

---- ===== 1981 Chaparral ===== If this is all original, except perhaps for the tires, then the date for this is 1980-81. The shifters and handlebars are 1980+. Some of the parts are much older and wouldn't make much sense to use in a world with SunTour MounTech (1982+) or Shimano XT (1982+). The DuoPar was, according to [[https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/site/suntour_derailleurs_-_frank_berto_and_the_curse_of_duopar.html|Disraeli Gears]], "a fragile design", "disastrous", "distressing" and "incomprehensible." Tim Neenan would never spec this on a MTB if better components were available. \\ Fillet brazed by Tim Neenan. SunTour Mighty Shifter II (1980-86), MAFAC brakes w/Matthauser finned brake shoes (1975-82), Huret Duopar rear derailleur (1975-80), Avocet touring cranks (??), Phil Wood hubs, Ritchey? fillet brazed bullmoose bars (1980-87).

{{1981.jpg?300|1981 Chaparral }} \\ 1981 Chaparral [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150905105352/http://velocult.com/bikes/lighthouse-mountain-bike-green/|archive of Velocult]]

---- ===== Designed by Tim Neenen ===== It is unknown how many mountain bikes Neenan ever put a torch to. But his name is stickered across more mountain bikes than any other: the Specialized Stumpjumper, Stumper Sport and the Sequoia. Plus his signature is on the Specialized Allez road bike and his own Lighthouse Cycles.

{{designed.jpg?300|designed}} \\ de-signed [[http://www.chiefcyclery.com/content/2016/8/9/beautifulbicycletimneenandesignedspecializedsequoia|chiefcyclery]]

---- ===== 2013 Lighthouse mountain bike ===== A 2013 Lighthouse custom mountain frame. They exist.

{{max.jpg?300|max}} \\ 2013 Lighthouse [[http://columbusmaxbikes.blogspot.com/search/label/Lighthouse|columbusmaxbikes]]