The Liteville 301 CL MK1 – Liteville’s first full carbon

The Liteville 301 CL MK1 is Liteville’s first mountain bike without a motor made of carbon. Does this mean the Bavarians are finally turning their back on aluminium? All the info on the new Liteville 301 can be found here.

For more than two decades, the entire industry has been committed to carbon as the go-to frame material in the high-end sector. And the small Bavarian company Liteville simply didn’t play along to this. While the biggest manufacturers in the world tried to break weight records with frames made of the “miracle material” carbon, the brand name Liteville became synonymous with the highest quality bikes made of aluminium. The Liteville 301, Liteville’s top bike since then, combined the attributes of durability, lightweight construction and downhill fun like no other bike made of aluminium. And it always stood up to the biggest of the big companies in terms of technical development. Jo Klieber, the forefather of Liteville, never categorically rejected carbon fibre. With his Syntace handlebars, he even had a decisive influence on carbon development. With his first e-bike, the Liteville 301 CE, he even relied on a carbon frame from the outset. New production facilities in Europe have now led to the fact, that arguably the greatest inventor in the MTB industry also manufactures his latest mountain bike from carbon. So we will not only introduce you to the Liteville 301 CL MK1 Carbon, but also take you into the mind of a genius.

The Liteville 301 CL MK1 Carbon is a product of new requirements

. Taiwan has always been the cradle of the bicycle industry. But the conditions have changed. The Corona crisis has revealed how fragile supply chains between two continents can ultimately be. In the case of Liteville, this small high-end bike company, a breakdown in the supply chain during the Corona crisis even had serious economic consequences. The previously independent company was bought by the Pierer Mobility Group. At the Cycling World Europe 2023, Liteville appeared for the first time under the umbrella of the new group. And in addition, completely new opportunities for mountain bike manufacturing from carbon arose in Europe.

Portugal instead of Taiwan – Liteville produces the 301 CL in Europe

Liteville has absolutely pushed the envelope with its aluminium frames. While most manufacturers on the market buttress their tubes three times as standard, Liteville varies the wall thickness of an aluminium tube sometimes even five times. Instead of working with one standard alloy, some Liteville aluminium frames consist of three different alloys. All this effort is made in Bavaria to get no less than the maximum out of aluminium. And of course, the same dedication is expected when it comes to developing Liteville’s first carbon MTB. A standard layup for the new Liteville 301 CL – simply unthinkable. In the end it was the expertise of carbon expert Christian Gemperlein that convinced Jo Klieber to build his new 301 CL out of carbon and not aluminium. With Bike Ahead Composites, Gemperlein not only builds the finest carbon add-on parts. He also equips the fastest pros like our blogger from the Speed Company Racing Team or the girls from the Ghost Factory Racing Team with them. And “Mr. Carbon” has also set up a series production for carbon frames in Portugal. He advises and develops the layups, as well as taking over the production. Gemperlein’s incredible know-how and the possibility of manufacturing in Europe were decisive for Liteville’s first carbon mountain bike.

What makes the 301 CL Carbon special

. The look is unmistakable. The new Liteville 301 CL MK1 comes across as super clean and is reminiscent of the bikes from Stoll and Last, which are also manufactured by Gemperlein. Flawless surfaces without any sanding. The 301 also remains true to its aluminium ancestors in terms of general frame design. Shock suspension, long compression struts and a massive head tube. The frame weight of 1.9 kilos without shock should be particularly pleasing. With 150 millimetres of suspension travel, that is indeed outstanding. A race bike weighs more with a significantly more propulsive orientation. In addition, the Liteville 301 CL MK1 comes standard with Klieber’s new K.I.S. System. The steering stabiliser is hidden in the top tube and its strength can be adjusted through a slider. The KIS system stabilises the steering by means of sophisticated spring technology and thus helps keeping the line, especially in technical terrain. The storage compartment in the down tube is now almost a standard feature in the industry.

All standards on the Liteville 301 CL Mk1

• Frame weight: 1.9 kg (excl. shocks)
• Bottom bracket: BSA (screwed)
• Wheel size: 29 inch
• Rear wheel installation dimension: 12×148
• Seatpost: Eight Pins (integrated / 34.9 mm)
• Cable routing:through the down tube
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• Bottle cage: space for one bottle
• Special feature: HIS system (steering stabiliser); storage compartment in down tube
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• Shift hanger: UDH (SRAM Eagle Transmisson compatible)

How much does the Liteville 301 Carbon weigh?

At the bottom line, facts matter. We put the first show bike of the 301 CL series onto the scales. The Liteville 301 CL Mk1 Limited certainly costs over €10,000. With the finest components, it weighs 12.37 kg in frame size L without pedals . A sensational weight. We already noticed when reporting on Cube’s new Stereo One series and also on the new Canyon Neurons that the peak of weight development has been reached. Perhaps Liteville is now even initiating the slide in weights. The manufacturer’s stated frame weight of 1.9 kilos without shock is quite plausible.

End of an evolution – is it the end after the 301 MK 15.3?

What happens to the 301 in aluminium? What will happen to Liteville bikes made of aluminium in general? The Bavarians are not completely turning their back on metal with the new 301 CL. Bikes like the Hardtail H4 or the recently introduced 303 will continue to be trend of aluminium. The Liteville 301 CL seems to be a big project in the Liteville universe. But the seemingly endless MK stages of the aluminium 301 come to an end with the 301 CL. It’s like closing a thick book in the history of mountain bike development. Here we have the predecessors for you:

Other high-end bikes made of aluminium

Those who are looking for a high-end bike made of aluminium still have the opportunity to satisfy this need on the market. Brands like Propain, Commencal or Orange still have sexy bikes made of aluminium. Check out the comparison here to get an idea.

How does the new Liteville 301 CL Mk1 perform in the test?

We are working hard to get our hands on a test bike and more data on the new Liteville 301 CL, to be able to present the bike to you in more detail. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to ride our photo bike. Just sign up for the newsletter below and we’ll let you know when it’s ready. Apart from that, you can also find lots of high-end bikes in our magazine.