Litespeed is the number one name in titanium road bikes and we have been building high-performance titanium road bikes in Chattanooga, Tennessee since 1986. Our bikes have been ridden to multiple World Championship and Tour de France stage wins, and NASA even relied on our team to fabricate titanium components for the Mars Curiosity Rover!
We know titanium better than anyone and choose to build road bikes out of titanium because it has the perfect combination of low weight, amazing ride quality, unmatched durability, and timeless beauty. Our titanium road bikes are unlike any others because we have machinery and experience to create custom-formed titanium tubes that are shaped and tuned to provide the lowest weight and the best ride quality.
Litespeed currently offers 5 different titanium road models to suit different riders and riding styles. This guide will break down the key differences between our titanium road models so you can choose the best bike for your next ride.
Litespeed Coll dels Reis
- Prices Start At: $16,500 / $6,499 (frame)
- Frame Weight: 948-1,049 grams
- Geometry: Race
- Tire Clearance: 35mm
- BB: T47 or BSA
- Cables: Fully Integrated
Who It’s For: Lightweight climbers, KOM hunters, weight-weenies
The Coll dels Reis is the lightest disc-brake titanium road bike ever made and the crown jewel in the Litespeed line-up. With a combination of stunningly low weight and fine-tuned stiffness, it’s specifically made for climbers who want a bike that excels in hilly or mountainous terrain. If your dream ride involves spinning up the steepest grades and conquering big sustained climbs, few bikes can match the abilities of the Coll dels Reis.
This is the most complicated and time-intensive frame we build, requiring serious attention to detail and our most advanced manufacturing methods. The ultra-light titanium tubing is custom-formed and tuned with elite climbers in mind. The geometry is race-oriented, positioning riders perfectly to attack climbs and carve corners on high-speed descents. If you’re looking for the best climbing-focused titanium bike ever made, or you just want the lightest titanium bike possible, nothing else comes close to matching the Coll dels Reis.
Note: To ensure optimum performance, the suggested rider weight for the Coll dels Reis is 87kg/187lbs or less. If you’re heavier than the suggested weight or have a tighter budget, the Spezia still lives as the second-lightest titanium road frame in the world and it has no rider weight limit.
The story behind the name: In the cycling paradise of Mallorca, Spain, is a legendary climb called Coll dels Reis—the Pass of the Kings. Many WorldTour teams use the Coll dels Reis for training camps and it is one of the most coveted climbing KOMs in the world.
Litespeed Spezia
- Prices Start At: $7,999 / $4,395 (frame)
- Frame Weight: 1,090-1,120 grams
- Geometry: Race
- Tire Clearance: 35mm
- BB: PF30 or T47
- Cables: Fully Integrated or Non-Integrated
Who It’s For: Road racers, weight and performance-focused road riders
The Spezia is Litespeed’s flagship road race frame, replacing the T1SL frame with a fully redesigned and bespoke tubeset. The highlight of the Spezia is the custom-formed top tube that is meticulously crafted from a single sheet of lightweight 6AL/4V titanium. This unique top tube is combined with custom-formed tubing throughout the frame to shed a significant amount of weight, making the Spezia the world’s second lightest titanium bike.
Despite being so light, the Spezia maintains a high level of stiffness. It has a snappy and aggressive feel, responding immediately to rider inputs with efficient acceleration and agile handling. It will feel right at home in fast group rides, road races, and crits, and is second only to the Coll dels Reis on steep climbs. For competitive road riders who want a high-performance titanium bike, the Spezia is our ultimate road weapon.
The story behind the name: La Spezia is a port city in Liguria, Italy, located in the Cinque Terre region. This coastal area is super hilly and filled with beautiful roads that are regularly used for stages of the Giro d’Italia.
Litespeed Ultimate
- Prices Start At: $4,695 / $2,995 (frame)
- Frame Weight: 1,240-1,295 grams
- Geometry: Race
- Tire Clearance: 35mm
- BB: PF30 or T47i
- Cables: Fully Integrated or Non-Integrated
Who It’s For: Road riders looking for all-around performance and comfort
Litespeed introduced the Ultimate in 1987, and it has been the benchmark for titanium road bike performance for decades. The Ultimate represents everything that makes Litespeed so special. The 3AL/2.5V titanium tubing is custom-formed and cold-worked to create variable shapes and wall-thicknesses along the full length of the tube. This allows our engineers to fine-tune each tube to achieve specific weight and stiffness targets. As a result, the Ultimate epitomizes the qualities of titanium bikes.
It has race-oriented geometry like the Spezia, but with a shaped 3AL/2.5V top tube, it adds a bit of extra comfort (at the cost of a few grams). It’s the perfect middle ground between the superlight Spezia and the endurance-oriented Arenberg. The frame eliminates road buzz but maintains titanium’s characteristic springy quality, meaning the frame feels like it returns energy with every pedal stroke. It’s perfect for riders who want a high-performance bike perfect for fast group rides or road races that feels light, stiff, and efficient, but also accommodating for long stints in the saddle.
The story behind the name: When it was released, this was Litespeed “ultimate” road bike. It’s been refined and perfected over decades and remains the benchmark that all other titanium bikes are measured against.
Litespeed Arenberg
- Prices Start At: $3,595 / $2,195 (frame)
- Frame Weight: 1,430-1,490 grams
- Geometry: Endurance
- Tire Clearance: 35mm
- BB: PF30 or T47
- Cables: Fully Integrated or Non-integrated
Who It’s For: Road riders looking for increased comfort on long rides and rough roads
The Litespeed Arenberg is our premier endurance road bike designed to improve rider comfort. Improving rider comfort is the key to conquering any long-distance ride, especially if you’re regularly riding on rough or imperfect roads. Vibrations and harsh impacts increase rider fatigue. If your bike can help absorb those vibrations and impacts, then you will have more energy to dedicate to pedaling, which will allow you to ride farther, faster.
The Arenberg increases rider comfort with more frame compliance and relaxed endurance geometry. The handcrafted 3AL/2.5V titanium tubing is tuned for a supple and “springy” ride quality that naturally dampens vibration and dissipates energy from bumps. The Litespeed Arenberg has a more relaxed and upright riding position than the Ultimate or Spezia, which makes it easier for riders to tackle long and demanding rides. The geometry favors stability, which helps the bike stay planted on rough roads and makes it easier to control when you’re tired from a long day in the saddle.
The story behind the name: The Arenberg Forest is the toughest and most infamous cobbled sector of Paris-Roubaix. It’s incredibly challenging to ride, and it causes a lot of mechanicals and crashes. Conquering it requires a bike designed to endure on the roughest roads.
Litespeed Cherohala
- Prices Start At: $3,795 / $2,395 (frame)
- Frame Weight: 1,467 grams
- Geometry: Endurance
- Tire Clearance: 38mm
- BB: PF30 or T47
- Cables: Non-integrated
Who It’s For: Road riders exploring a mix of paved and unpaved roads
The Litespeed Cherohala is the sister bike to the Arenberg, which means it’s endurance focused with more comfort and a relaxed and upright riding position. However, it adds a bit more capability for unpaved dirt and gravel roads with increased tire clearance. It isn’t a gravel bike though. It sits in the space between endurance road and gravel bikes—often called “all-road.”
The Cherohala is designed for riders who frequently mix paved and unpaved roads, but aren’t necessarily purely focused on off-road performance. It’s the perfect compromise—enough tire clearance and stability to provide comfort and confidence on dirt and gravel roads, but low weight and enough stiffness to feel fast and efficient on pavement. It’s perfect for the rider that needs one bike that will be ready for anything.
The story behind the name: The Cherohala Skyway is a beautiful 43-mile National Scenic Byway that connects Tellico Plains, Tennessee, to Robbinsville, North Carolina. Its name is a portmanteau of Cherokee and Nantahala, the two national forests it passes through.