Litespeed’s Ultimate G2: A Titanium Gravel Bike is Rad

July 13, 2026

When it comes to your N+1 or N+2 bike, the industry has a lot of options for us. And thanks to the old school riders and small custom shops that are still in business, titanium frames are still one of those. Jordan Rapp once said to me: titanium is just awesome, because you can basically throw that thing down a mountain and chances are, it will be fine. In the 25 years of doing this crazy endurance stuff, I have owned 3.5 titanium bikes. My first was a K2 that was a mix. It was titanium with carbon fiber seat stays and a carbon fiber fork. So I’m going to call that my .5. After that it was the full titanium Litespeed Blade TT, and then a Mosaic road frame. Now I am the proud owner of a Litespeed Ultimate G2 FI. So at this point I’m about 50 Carbon Fiber, 3 aluminum, 3.5 titanium and zero steel bike owner.

Understanding where I live and what I wanted this bike for, (no, I didn’t want to throw it down that a mountain) I went with a titanium frame. It was also a great chance to dive into a lot of other things as well, as this would become a bike that saw a lot of different parts and use cases. Most of what I ride around my house that is dirt is mostly single track trials that are loose gravel if not a little chunky at times. They are a mix of rollers with steep punchy sections of S curves the flow on the benches of the Wasatch mountain range. They are fun for a 60 minute lunch ride and can now be easily connected for a 2-4 hour ride. They offer a wide range of views and terrain to not only enjoy but to test out products.

These trails have seen me getting into bigger tires, at least 45c+, which has been something that I have been doing over the last year or so. And at times a dropper post was something I wanted. Over the winter I really started to eyeball a suspension front fork. So over the winter I started to build out this bike.

Based on the terrain around here and knowing I was going to have a front shock I went with the Shimano GRX Di2 1x. Having ridden my mountain bike on all these trails for the last two years I knew the range of the system (10-51T) and I needed to test out the new 165 cranks anyways. (Like the rest of the short crank 1x people, I have been forced to have a road crank with a Wolf Tooth chain ring for the last couple of years ) So when Shimano finally got 160 and 165 GRX cranks it gave me a chance to finally test the whole system.

Group Set

Component	Spec
Groupset	Shimano GRX Di2 1×12, fully wireless (RX827 series)
Shift/brake lever (L/R)	ST-RX825 Di2, hydraulic disc, wireless; ergonomics optimized for flared bars; 3rd customizable hood button;
Rear Derailleur	RD-RX827 Di2, 1x-only, long cage (SGS), Shadow ES; fully wireless w/ integrated battery; dual-spring cage, no traditional clutch; 51T max;
Crankset	1× 42T, 165mm
Cassette	10-51T 12-speed (Shimano XT CS-M8200, Micro Spline); 510% range
Chain	Shimano 12-speed (XT CN-M8100 / CN-M7100)
Calipers	BR-RX820, hydraulic, flat-mount
Rotors	RT-CL800 Center Lock, 160/140mm

Front End

For the front end it was time for me to test out the narrow bar trend so I went with the Canta Race from Profile Design in 36cm. There are lots of bars on the market right now and because this was so new to me I wasn’t willing to do a one piece just yet. So because this frame is basically the same size as another gravel bike I have it was super easy to just keep the same stem I had from that bike — the ENVE In-Route Aero Road.

*^{The Profile Design Canta Race Bar in 36cm}*

*^{While it’s almost impossible to mount anything to it I have really enjoyed this bar.}*

I honestly felt when I first sat on the bike on the trailer to lock in the hood placement before we did the final bar wrapping that I was really glad I didn’t do a one piece bar because I was convinced that I was going to hate how narrow the bars were. Now, after having ridden it…I think I hate wide bars.

Suspension Fork

This is the biggest change that I have ventured into with this build. It wasn’t until my buddy really talked me into trying it out that I even starting really thinking about it. But last fall we went on a ride together for a “mountain bike ride” and he showed up on a gravel bike with a new front suspension fork so here we are.

*^{_{Manual 9 clicks} _{setting rebound adjustment}}*

*^{Internal cable routing is one of the key features of the DT SWISS Front Fork}*

*^{The push control lock out comes in clutch}*

DT SWISS F 132 ONE

Spec	Detail
Model	DT Swiss F 132 ONE gravel suspension fork
Travel	40mm
Stanchions	32mm
Axle-to-crown	435mm
Offset (rake)	56mm (long — Fox/RockShox gravel forks run 45–51mm)
Steerer	Tapered 1⅛–1½″, 330mm
Wheel size	700c
Max tire clearance	700c × 50mm (riders have squeezed ~57mm)
Axle	12×100mm thru-axle
Brake	Flat mount, 160 or 180mm rotor
Air spring	LINEAIR SL cartridge, pos/neg chambers; shock-pump via Schrader under the right (drive-side) crown cap
Damping	PLAINGAIN hydraulic cartridge (left leg)
Rebound	Tool-less, 9 clicks, dial on lower leg
Lockout	PUSHCONTROL remote (L1 Drop Bar lever); worked from hoods or drops
Routing	Internal — remote cable fully internal, brake hose half-integrated (steerer→crown)
Weight	~1,340g bare (excl. remote, cable, axle, RWS lever)
Accessory mounts	Removable 3-pack cargo + fender mounts, 3kg/leg

Let’s just say that I now have two other suspension forks in the hopper for reviews now because while they do add some weight and math challenges, this was a game changer for me.

Wheels

So far I have had four sets of wheels and five different sets of tires on this bike. And I have some more coming. And it’s time to start letting all these wheel and tire reviews out into the wild. I have already used this bike to review the ENVE SES Gravel Wheels.

A Deep Dive on the ENVE G SES Wheel Line

And now I’m moving onto the HED Stillwater G50 and the Shimano GRX wheels. I’m also knee-deep in tires.

The Frame Itself

When it comes to geometry, the Ultimate G2 is meant to be an all purpose, all-around gravel bike. This is the “2.5” version of the bike. When it comes to features on a rating scale from 0-10, in my opinion it sits at about a 7-8 out of 10 on all the specialty marks. It’s not the lightest, it’s not the widest and believe it our not it doesn’t even have the most mounting points for accessories. And because of that it not only makes this bike a great choice to me and my use case but that is why it was built the way it was. It’s designed for the rider that wants to do a lot of things over the course of a lot time. It’s got history of things we know work and some future proofing in case someone wants to all of a sudden hop into a 100 mile gravel race or go hike a bike for 4 days or do some long ass bike camping trip.

Measurement	XS	S	M	M/L	L	XL
Stack	55.3	55.7	56	58.5	61.5	64
Reach	36.4	37.3	39	39.5	40.5	41.5
Standover Height	71.7	72.7	75.7	79	81.3	84.5
Top Tube Length	51.7	53.2	55.5	56.8	59	61
Seat Tube Angle	74.5°	74.0°	73.5°	73.5°	73.0°	73.0°
Seat Tube Length	43	44.5	47	49.5	52	55
Head Tube Angle	70.0°	71.0°	71.5°	71.5°	72.0°	72.0°
Head Tube Length	9.2	9.2	9.7	12.4	14.9	18.6
BB Drop	7.8	7.8	7.4	7.1	6.8	6.8
Front Center	59.6	59.6	61	62.3	63.6	65.7
Chainstay Length	42.5	42.5	42.5	42.5	42.5	42.5
Wheelbase	100.8	100.9	102.4	103.7	105.1	107.3
Fork Offset	5	5	5	5	5	5
Trail	7.8	7.1	6.8	6.8	6.4	6.4

All linear measurements in centimeters; angles in degrees. Top tube length is virtual/horizontal. Trail measured with a 45mm tire. Fork offset and trail reflect Litespeed’s stock 50mm-offset rigid carbon fork (420mm length).

As mentioned, this current Ultimate G2 is really the model version 2.5. The originally launched version 2 came with a slightly shorter chain stay and tire clearance ranged from 32mm to 45mm. The latest evolution brought it into the world of UHD, 50mm tire clearance, and a front fork suspension friendly geometry.

*^{Rear interlock welded dropped seat stays}*

Some things that have survived all versions and updates have been most of the front end geometry and the rear interlock dropped seat stays which provides a higher level of stiffness because of the enhanced welding points. The other thing that hasn’t changed is the way that the brand claims its unique combination and manipulation of titanium tubing they are using through that frame and top tube. If you read about the “Features on the bike” on Litespeed’s website, they talk about a “meticulously shaped 3AL/2.5V titanium frame.”

In normal person words., “3AL/2.5V” is the alloy recipe for the titanium the frame is made from. It means the metal is a titanium blended with roughly 3% aluminum and 2.5% vanadium by weight, with the remaining ~94.5% being titanium. The “Al” is the chemical symbol for aluminum and “V” is vanadium. This recipe is used by others but the unique claim from Litespeed is how they then shape the tubes. “We are just really good at it,” according to ABG Product Manager Brad DeVaney.

Which one could argue with. Then again, they were the ones who figured out how to shape the Blade in such a way that it got noticed by NASA back in the day.

When it comes to ride quality, I can’t really say anything but positives about the bike. Something I really have enjoyed so far is the confidence in having a stronger, more robust frame underneath me when testing out the wide variety of trails and products without a rear suspension. When you are testing things out you need to push them, and when it comes to pushing wheels and tires that can feel dicey at times. The Ultimate just gives me more confidence. Also cleaning the bike is super easy. I know it sounds silly but carbon bikes always seem to have different paint and finish coating on them. With this bike I’m not really worried about taking it a carwash and getting out the pressure washer.

So far my only negative is I would like just a little more tire clearance than a true 50mm width. Not because I really need that additional clearance but because it would allow me to push it just a little more when it comes to testing other products out. And buyer beware: due to the shorter chain stay a 50c really is the largest tire you can fit and depending on the inner rim width of your wheel choice 48s are even pushing the “Rub” on the rear of the seat tube.