Hi all, I need a new bike and was looking at the Blade. Litspeed touts this ride as a great time trial bike but as you all know after a time trial, road racers dont have to run. Is this bike good for triathlon? Is it $6000 good? What is the run like after the ride? Thanks for your help.
I ride a Saber and though it’s not the same as a Blade, I imagine you’d be alright heading into the run. It’s probably a little stiffer than my ride so in an IM you might be slightly more fatigued, but possibly faster as well.
Judging from the many triathletes who ride and win with a Blade I don’t think you can go wrong. As for $6,000? That sounds high to me but I haven’t shopped in a while. I think Nytro is having a sale on some now tho.
haven’t ridden one but was trying to get one a few months ago, ended up with a P3sl (not that that’s a downgrade or anything). I have a couple of friends who have Blades and love them and they are mid 40s or so I’m guessing it’s fairly compliant. It’s us young guys who ride stiff as hell bikes and pretend we can handle it. Empfield has gone on record numerous times this year raving about riding the Blade. Did you check out litespeed.com I thought they were running some type of $1000 off special on the Blade right now. Should work through a shop as well.
Thanks for the help. What do you think of the Kaliber from Kuota?
For six grand you could probably get a full custom Elite and some nice race wheels and probably have enough left over for a race entry or two.
alot of people have read Tom Demerley’s bike reviews at bikesportmichigan.com
He’s pretty thorough when he reviews bikes. Also, if he thinks a bike stinks, he’s not afraid to say it. He stresses making sure that you are fitted and sized properly, but anyone who has lurked on this forum very long knows that by now. The bike selector on this website also has good information.
I love my Litespeed.
There is this guy named Herbert on the forum who thinks that they are OK
Seriously, it is a very nice rig, I think Tom D has a review on it at bikesportmichigan.com
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Thanks again everyone. What about Ti -vs- Carbon?
Well, check my review here:
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/blade05.shtml
In general, if the longish top tube fits your body dimensions it is an excellent bike for what it is: A big, ballsey, heavy, Russian tank of a bike that is awesomely stiff and will take a hit from an ICBM. The ride quality of the newer versions is greatly improved (along with everything else) from the older versions.
I might suggest that if you are going to be on a lot of hills, look at the Saber, which is a real delight.
There is carbon and ‘carbon for carbons sake’. I am not sure which is which. My opinion is that most TT bikes are ‘cfcs’. Kestral makes good carbon TT bikes, but theu out of fashion and I have heard bad things about the Airfoil. For road bikes I say there are a lot of good carbon ones out there.
As for Ti I think it has been proven as a great bike material and ABG is the best with it. Also the frame will outlast you. I just traded in my P3 for a Blade and couldn’t be happier.
Another thing to consider is if you plan to fly w/ your bike. I’d hate the thought of putting a carbon rig in a bike box.