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The basic attributes of titanium that make it so appealing as a frame material have remained all-but-constant since it was first introduced on a wide scale 15 years ago. High-quality titanium is largely impervious to corrosion. Combine this with the fact that it's so difficult to weld that only the most skilled welders out there are working with it, you can feel assured that a titanium frame is destined to never break or suffer from structural wear and tear. The tubing itself is light by any standard, and the brushed finish you most often see it in has an elegance that no painted frame can match. And no other material has the capacity to make rough roads feel smooth - the shock-damping quality of Ti is perhaps its most legendary trait, but it's possible for an experienced frame designer to provide this silky ride without having the frame ride like a soggy noodle when you climb or accelerate. In fact, a Ti frame built from the right alloy in the right tubing shapes can provide stiffness beyond the wildest dreams of a fat-tubed aluminium frame, but it'll do so without any of harshness many associate with aluminium.

Of the small group of accomplished Ti-focused companies, none has more experience in producing frames than Litespeed. Experience, of course, is an asset in itself. Titanium is incredibly difficult to machine, shape and weld, and no company has had more opportunity to master the nuances of the material. Litespeed's success as a company has had the added benefit of allowing them to build the most sophisticated Ti manufacturing facility in the world. Not only is every Litespeed Ti frame handbuilt in their Tennessee factory, but that's also where they CNC machine the discrete parts required to make a frame - the dropouts, the bottom bracket shells, the cable guides, etc. Litespeed forms, shapes, and bends every tube in-house. They design and manufacture all of their tooling, dies, and fixtures. They even design and build almost all of the equipment necessary to make the tubesets themselves. Litespeed keeps outsourcing at an absolute minimum in order to ensure a peerless level of quality control.

Nothing in cycling is as brutal to your equipment as mountain biking. The central reason why you still see 5, 10, and 12-year old Litespeeds still out on the trail is the soundness of the tubing designs, the incredible skill of their welders, and the advantages of cold-worked titanium. No matter how lightweight the Litespeed is that you choose, you can rest assured that you’re buying yourself a workhorse. Litespeed puts their money where their mouth is: They’re so confident in the integrity of their craftsmanship that they provide you with a lifetime warranty from defect on all of their titanium frames. When you purchase a Litespeed, you’re getting peace of mind free of charge.