IN BRIEF
Litespeed is launching a range of titanium e-bikes: four models, two for the road (Harmonizer and Sustain) and two for gravel (Distortion and Overdrive). Litespeed has chosen the MAHLE X20 system, which it quotes at under 3.2 kg, with a battery housed in the down tube. Converted into euros by its online shop, which is priced in dollars, prices range from around €9,100 to around €11,460. The brand states that the bikes are built to order in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
| Harmonizer (road) | around €9,100 · Pure eLW 3AL/2.5V tubing · tyres up to 700 x 35 mm |
| Sustain (road) | around €11,460 · Superform eSL6/4 tubing, 6AL/4V top tube · tyres up to 700 x 35 mm |
| Distortion (gravel bike) | around €9,100 · Pure eLW 3AL/2.5V tubing · tyres up to 700 x 54 mm |
| Overdrive (gravel bike) | around €11,460 · Superform eSL6/4 tubing · tyres up to 700 x 50 mm |
| Motor | MAHLE X20, system under 3.2 kg |
| Battery | integrated into the down tube |
| Charging | around 3.5 h for a full charge, 75 to 80% in 2 h |
| Manufacturing | built to order in Chattanooga (Tennessee) |
Litespeed’s slogan sums up the approach: “Same Soul, New Sound”. On its home page, the brand adds: “We’re not reinventing the classics. We’re boosting them”.
Litespeed’s electric road bikes build on the Arenberg and the Spezia
On the road, the Harmonizer is derived from the Arenberg, the brand’s endurance bike. It uses Pure eLW tubing in 3AL/2.5V titanium, which Litespeed describes as more affordable, and the product page presents it as the most comfortable of its electric road bikes. The Sustain, for its part, is based on the Spezia, the road racing frame: Litespeed makes it the top of the family, with Superform eSL6/4 tubing and a 6AL/4V titanium top tube. Both take 700 x 35 mm tyres.
Two gravel bikes, with tyres up to 54 mm
The Distortion, in Pure eLW 3AL/2.5V tubing, targets rough terrain and takes tyres up to 700 x 54 mm. The Overdrive moves to Superform eSL6/4 tubing and claims 50 mm of tyre clearance.
A MAHLE X20 motor hidden in the titanium
Litespeed states that all four bikes are designed around the MAHLE X20. Litespeed specifies that the system weighs under 3.2 kg and presents it as the lightest and most discreet on the market. The battery is housed in the down tube; the bike has to be dismantled to remove it. A full charge takes around 3.5 hours, and 75 to 80% of the battery recharges in two hours.
These are pedal-assist bikes, with no throttle, which the brand classes as “Class 1”, a category under US law, the product page states: assistance cuts out at 20 mph, or around 32 km/h. In Europe, an e-bike’s assistance must cut out at 25 km/h; as of 31 October, Litespeed’s product page does not say whether a European version exists. Beyond that speed, Litespeed specifies that the X20 offers no resistance, making it possible to pedal faster without the motor.
Built to order in Tennessee
Litespeed states that its e-bikes are built to order in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The brand announces that most bikes ship within two to four weeks. On Litespeed’s website, the Harmonizer and the Distortion are listed at around €9,100, the Sustain and the Overdrive at around €11,460 as of 31 October: the shop is priced in dollars and these converted amounts move with the exchange rate.
