Yesterday, I got the news that I was selected for the 2025 Unbound Gravel 200. This will be my 5th trip to Emporia, KS, and hopefully, it will be my 3rd time finishing the premier 200-mile event. I have half a year to prepare, but first things first, I need a new gravel bike!
I want a bike that can survive (and thrive) in one of the most demanding gravel events in the world. For me, that means I need titanium, and I’m not alone in this thinking.
The growth of gravel riding has inspired millions of riders to venture onto rougher, unpaved roads and trails. As a result, rugged and high-performance titanium bikes have experienced a resurgence in popularity. It’s not just the old-school veterans who like titanium. Weekend warriors, backcountry adventurers, and hardcore racers are all starting to understand the benefits.
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that titanium is the ideal frame material for the specific demands of amateur gravel racing. I’ll explain why I think gravel is helping titanium make a comeback, why I’m choosing Ti for my personal gravel goals, and why you might want to consider a modern titanium gravel bike for yourself.
Titanium Gravel Bikes Provide Unmatched Durability
The horror conditions of Unbound 2023 changed what I value in a gravel bike. My carbon frame didn't survive... Photo: Life Time
Unbound Gravel is the ultimate test for any gravel bike. The terrain is notorious for causing punctures and other mechanicals with its combination of sharp flint gravel, loose and chunky rocks, and deep river crossings.
The 2023 edition of Unbound Gravel, however, added another challenge—mud. That year, overnight rains turned some of the minimum maintenance roads on course into heinous mud pits. This mud stuck to tires and clogged up bikes, making it nearly impossible to pedal for several miles. It caused so many mechanicals, that 23% of the 3,775 cyclists who started the race DNF’d. Unfortunately, I was one of them.
I want to ride in the worst conditions without fear.
20 miles into the race, the mud tore my rear derailleur off my bike, forcing me to drop out. The most heartbreaking thing wasn’t the DNF though. It was the catastrophic damage the mud did to my expensive carbon gravel bike. The paint on the down tube, seat tube, and chainstays was covered in dozens of chips and scratches. The mud had worn through several layers of carbon, leaving deep grooves into the chainstays. When my rear derailleur broke off, it smashed into the driveside seatstay and cracked it. Not only did my bike look terrible, but it was unsafe to continue riding.
This was the moment I decided my next gravel bike would be titanium. In cycling, titanium is the king of metals. Its corrosion resistance and strength-to-density ratio are better than any metallic element. It would take a lot more than a few miles of sticky mud to damage a titanium frame to the point where it’s unsafe to ride.
Don't be afraid of sending it (or crashing). It's Ti.
I’d like to quote cycling legend Bill “Bike Guy” Humphries here. Bill is a former pro racer and a former Litespeed sales rep. He told me a story about a tactic he used to sell titanium Litespeeds 20 years ago.
“Titanium is without a doubt the best material for a bike, especially a gravel bike,” He said. “The resilience you got—it's not going to break. I used to walk into bike shops and throw Litespeeds on the floor and jump on them! That was how I sold bikes.”
While a bit extreme—I wouldn’t try that with a modern, ultra-light titanium frame—Bill’s story is a great example of just how robust titanium frames are. Titanium can withstand impacts and abrasion much better than carbon. While they are not 100% immune to dents, dings, and scratches, those same hits are far less impactful and rarely result in any sort of show-stopping damage.
One of the best parts about titanium is that the finish can be restored at home with nothing more than a brown Scotch Brite pad, some Lemon Pledge, and a bit of elbow grease. This is huge for regular riders like me who don’t have the luxury of getting a fresh bike every season.
This 24-year-old Ti Litespeed Appalachian is still going strong. Our friend Bo raced SBT GRVL on it this year!
I can easily replace components like derailleurs and wheels. But I need my gravel frame to last through years of abuse without skipping a beat. There’s a reason titanium bikes are often referred to as “forever bikes.” Take a look at the Litespeed Owners Group on Facebook, and you’ll see many 20- to 30-year-old titanium Litespeeds still being ridden regularly. How many of you would feel safe on a carbon bike that old?
Modern Titanium Bikes Can Win Modern Gravel Races
Wertz wins big for Ti fans everywhere. Don't mind the branding, we're working on getting more Litespeed bikes on podiums too! Photo: USA Cycling
This year’s US Gravel National Championships were held in Gering, Nebraska and the men’s race was won by Brennan Wertz, who put in a searing attack in the final 2 km to beat top favorites like Keegan Swenson, John Borstelmann, and Russell Finsterwald.
This victory captured my attention because Wertz competes against the best gravel racers in the world aboard a titanium bike. As someone who is obsessed with performance, this is eye-opening. Obviously, it’s the rider, not the bike, but when pros are winning on carbon, it’s hard not to think that carbon is necessary to compete. Wertz’s 2024 national title might be the beginning of a paradigm shift —titanium can win!
For me, the shift might have started even sooner than Brennan Wertz’s National Championships win. After my DNF at Unbound Gravel in 2023, I hitched a ride back to Emporia to watch other riders finish. I stood in the rain watching battle-weary riders trudge down the finish drag with their mud-covered kits and bikes.
Kristen relied on Ti to win the muddiest Unbound XL ever. Photo: Life Time/Kris Hull
Then, in the distance, I spotted a racer in a green jersey powering toward the finish. It was Kristen Legan, on her way to winning the 350-mile women’s Unbound Gravel XL. Legan is a rider I have immense respect for, and watching her joy while getting sprayed with champagne at the finish is a big part of what inspired me to return to Unbound to try my luck again.
As with Brennan Wertz, the one thing I zeroed in on was the bike Legan was riding—it was titanium. Riders in the Unbound XL event encountered even more mud than those in the shorter 200-mile and 100-mile events. If you need a bike to survive (and win) something that grueling, a titanium bike certainly seems like the right choice.
Gravel Has Changed the Performance Equation
Robbie McEwen on his Litespeed Vortex. Photos: Graham Watson/Yuzuru SUNADA
25 years ago, riders were using titanium bikes built by Litespeed to win stages of the Tour de France and World Championships. At the time, Litespeed made more of the titanium bikes in the pro peloton than anyone else. Over time though, carbon fiber took over as the material of choice for riders and manufacturers pursuing performance.
Of the “metal-age” frame materials—steel, aluminum, and titanium—titanium comes the closest to matching carbon in terms of low weight and ride quality. Of course, it easily beats carbon in terms of overall durability. But in the performance-obsessed world of road racing, titanium loses out in terms of aerodynamic efficiency because carbon is easier to engineer into more exaggerated wind-cheating shapes.
These tires aren't aero...
In the world of gravel racing, however, the playing field is a bit more level. This is because gravel requires much wider tires—in the 40+ mm range—which affects aerodynamics.
Wide gravel tires disrupt airflow more than narrow tires, making it difficult to keep the air attached to the frame to reduce drag. Because of this, the frame plays a smaller role in overall aerodynamic efficiency on gravel than it does on the road. Also, average speeds are generally much slower on gravel so aero gains are less meaningful.
If you care about aerodynamics, your position and kit are where the major gains are.
Of course, plenty of manufacturers are working on optimizing gravel frames aerodynamically. (Even Litespeed is! The Toscano downtube is shaped to shroud the water bottles for a slight aerodynamic gain.) For now, though, the biggest aero gains on a gravel bike are achieved by optimizing your riding position and apparel.
In gravel, other factors such as frame weight, stiffness, comfort, and durability have become much more important. This is where titanium is able to close the gap. In terms of weight, titanium is closer to carbon than any other frame material. Litespeed’s latest Toscano FI titanium gravel frame, for example, weighs 1,285 grams. It’s the lightest gravel frame Litespeed has ever produced and it beats out many carbon rivals.
The most revered of Litespeed framesets, the Ghisallo, really shows how light titanium can go. A road bike designed for climbing specialists, the lightest versions of this model weighed around 850 grams, though they were tuned for specific rider sizes and styles. The bikes Litespeed made for climbing legend Marco Pantani, for example, were in the low 900-gram range.
In terms of stiffness, titanium has that covered too. Titanium’s low weight means larger tubes can be used to provide stiffness for acceleration and cornering without a major weight penalty. A modern titanium gravel bike like the Litespeed Toscano takes things a step further by using a unique sheet-formed 6AL/4V titanium top tube. A flat titanium sheet is handcrafted into a tube, delivering greater tensile strength and lateral stiffness than a standard drawn tube, while also reducing weight.
While you might think oversized tubes with high lateral stiffness would lead to a harsh ride off-road, titanium’s legendary flex characteristics ensure there’s still a high level of comfort in an otherwise aggressive and race-ready frame. Combine all of that with titanium’s unmatched durability, and you have a lethal combination for high-performance gravel applications.
Titanium Is More Aesthetically (and Auditorily) Pleasing
My co-worker Audrey's Ti Litespeed Toscano is anodized blue and then etched for a matte finish. I'm supremely jealous.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but plenty of riders agree that the classic lines and raw finish of a good titanium frame make titanium bikes timeless beauties.
I’ve always been vain though and tend to crave a bit more color. Over the past decade though, titanium finishing techniques have advanced, allowing riders to personalize their bikes with paint, anodization, and etching. With this, titanium gravel bikes have become the full package: durable, lightweight, stiff, and comfortable, with classic lines and eye-catching colors. Ever since anodization became an option, a titanium gravel bike with an ostentatious blue-to-purple fade has been at the top of my wish list.
Can you hear this image? It sounds like "ting, ting, ting, ting."
My aesthetic preferences go beyond visual beauty too. Bear with me, because this might be a bit weird, but titanium gravel bikes sound nicer too. One of the ever-present noises that gravel riders experience is the stochastic ping of stones bouncing off the bike’s downtube and chainstays. Maybe it’s just me, but the sound of stones smacking a carbon frame induces a bone-chilling cringe.
The sound of stones pinging off a titanium frame, however, is distinctly different. Like rain on a tin roof, it’s strangely comforting. The dulcet tone of titanium soothes rather than spike my anxiety. When I hear it, I never wonder if the frame is getting damaged.
I’ve paid more attention to this sound as more titanium gravel bikes have started showing up at local races and group rides. The literal sound of the gravel peloton is changing, and it’s music to my ears.
Titanium Holds Its Value Better
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’ve been in the cycling industry for over a decade, and in my previous role, I worked at one of the world’s largest online used bike retailers. One of the things I did there was track the depreciation and resale value of used bikes.
Like cars, bikes experience a steep depreciation curve the moment they’re “driven off the lot.” There were a few exceptions, but of all the frame materials available, titanium held its value better than any other. This is largely thanks to its high-end nature and reputation for durability. It’s a small detail, and an inconsequential one if you plan to use your gravel bike as a “forever bike,” but it does make the prospect of owning a titanium gravel bike feel pretty good.
Final Thoughts
I'm currently testing this Litespeed Toscano FI demo bike. It's convinced me that Ti is the way to go.
I’ve ridden and tested every type of gravel bike imaginable over the last decade. I’ve owned several titanium and carbon gravel bikes and had a lot of time to think about what I want and what works best. I’ve been testing out bikes before purchasing my next gravel bike. I’m planning to order myself the titanium Litespeed Toscano FI.
Yes, I’m posting about this on the Litespeed blog, so maybe I’m biased. But there is a bit of a chicken or egg situation here. Am I trying to convince you (and myself) that titanium is the best choice because I’m getting a titanium gravel bike? Or am I getting a titanium gravel bike because I’m already convinced it’s the best choice? I suppose both can be true.
This crew knows how to build a beautiful bike.
Regardless of what frame material you prefer, I think most cyclists can agree that titanium bikes are works of art. It’s amazing to watch bike builders use their decades of experience and skill to mill tubes and weld them together perfectly to create a frame that can easily compete against a carbon bike. It’s that level of craftsmanship, passion, and soul that keeps drawing me back to titanium. It’s what has attracted so many other riders to titanium as well.
Right now, the gravel seas are shifting and the titanium tide is rising. When I line up for Unbound Gravel, or any other big gravel event next year, I expect to see many titanium gravel riders who feel like I do—that they chose the best frame material for the job.