THE INSPIRATION THAT BROUGH ELECTRIC TITANIUM BIKES TO LIFE
Every new chapter starts with someone willing to ask, "What if?" For Litespeed's new line of electric titanium bikes, that someone was Anne Hed.
As CEO and co-founder of HED, Anne has spent decades shaping cycling with aero carbon wheels built in the USA. HED wheels are a big part of why Litespeed's titanium E-road and gravel bikes exist at all. But Anne was also the original spark behind the idea, and she's the proud owner of the very first Litespeed E gravel bike ever built.
We sat down with Anne to hear how she helped the project come to life, and how it felt like to ride a high-performance titanium E-gravel bike for the first time.
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I'll Be Your First Customer
Anne's relationship with Litespeed goes back a long way. In the 1990s, she rode a Litespeed custom-built for her in Kona. "The brand has always been very special to my heart," she said.
That shared history, between Anne, HED, and the team in Chattanooga, is where this story really begins. A couple of years ago at UNBOUND Gravel, Anne walked into the Litespeed booth to talk with our lead engineer, Brad DeVaney. She knew she needed a new bike, and she knew exactly what kind.
"I said, 'There's this market you should tap into. I need a custom E-gravel bike,'" Anne recalls. "Not road. I want it to be a gravel bike." Brad just smiled. So Anne made him a promise: "If you make it, I will definitely be your first customer."
This past June, when Anne was back at UNBOUND, Brad took her to dinner, and she figured it would be a typical night out. Then she walked up to the table, and the team rolled out a surprise: the first-ever Litespeed E-gravel bike, built for her, with her name anodized on it.
"I thought something might be coming," she said. "But honestly, to see it in person... It just doesn't look like any bike at all. The design, and what you did to make it look as beautiful as it looks. I think I even shed a few tears." For Anne, it was a moment she'd been waiting for. "It was super special."
Falling Back in Love With Cycling
The next morning, Brad insisted they go ride. Anne admits she was timid at first, tooling around the expo area and trying to figure out how it all worked. But that didn't last.
"Within the first few miles, I kind of felt like a kid again," she said. "I hadn't felt that way in years." Then they hit a steep hill, and she zoomed right up. At the top, she turned around to find Brad huffing and puffing behind her. "I dropped Brad," she laughed. "That would have never happened."
For Anne, this new electric Litespeed is about more than speed or power. It's been about rediscovering her confidence.
"I think you just get stuck in a rut with your equipment sometimes," she said. "You don't think you can ride a certain distance because you're going to get tired or bonk. It really has made me fall back in love with cycling."
Part of the magic behind these new bikes is how understated they are. The hand-built titanium frames are designed around the Mahle X20 system, which is the lightest and most discreet system on the market. At UNBOUND, Anne pulled up next to another rider on a Litespeed, and told him he needed "one of these." Anne laughed, remembering his shock and confusion about where the battery was (it's neatly integrated into the titanium downtube).
These days, Anne sees the bike as a way to extend family time and fun time, and she's not shy about spreading the word. "I'll pull over with friends and say, 'Look, this is what you need,'" she said. "If I'm not an advocate, I don't know what I am."
Built With HED
Anne's role goes far beyond inspiration. Every electric Litespeed rolls on custom-laced HED x MAHLE wheelsets: HED rims built around the MAHLE X20 rear hub motor, the lightweight, drag-free system that powers the electric Litespeed whole line.
"We have been looking to get into this market," Anne said. "So to be at the infancy of this project with ABG, and to be on the product, is just pure joy to me." That joy stems from a long partnership between two legacy brands. "To be able to see the HED brand on this iconic new chapter, and to be involved with [Litespeed], I think we're starting something pretty exciting," she said. "Once it's out there and people really see the beauty of our handmade custom products, all made here in the US, it'll be amazing."
Same Soul. New Sound.
Anne asked for an electric titanium gravel bike, and she got one. Now every rider can.
The electric Litespeed lineup includes four new lightweight high-performance bikes across road and gravel: the Sustain and Harmonizer for the road, and the Overdrive and Distortion for gravel. Each one is hand-built to order in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and rolls on HED x MAHLE wheels. These aren't ordinary E-bikes. They're built to amplify the legendary ride quality of Litespeed titanium, with a extra little boost when you want it.
