Certainly better known for their titanium frames, Litespeed is continuing to push forward with the carbon side of things as well. The introduction of a TT bike is a little odd given their sister brand Quintana Roo specializes in all things aero, but the Blade is not built for triathlons. Instead, it is a TT bike through and through. The Blade is new enough that it isn’t even in the Litespeed 2016 catalog, but it will be taking names out on the course next year…
Details are still pretty thin on the Blade, but it is meant to be a super light TT bike with a frameset weight under 1,300g. The limited edition offering will run $4,100 for the frameset which will include the extremely adjustable aero seatpost and carbon fork. All cable routing is internal with provisions for electronic drivetrains and the ability to run hydraulic brakes like the Magura RT8 TT. If you’re looking for a TT specific speed machine that is available to consumers, this could be it.
Since we saw the titanium bikes back in August, nothing has really changed but we still wanted to get the super light T1SL on the scale.
Thanks to numerous weight saving techniques including thinner tube walls, a 6/4 top tube made from a single sheet of Ti, a lighter BB shell, and even an engraved head tube badge, the frame (without hardware) came in at 990g on our scale. For a medium titanium frame, that is impressive. However, the price is impressive too, at $4,000 for the frame.
The T3 Disc runs flat mount brakes front and rear as most of Litespeed’s bikes do, with a 12×100 front and 135mm QR rear axle. The frame also includes a spacer so you can run 130mm spaced rear wheels as well. Available now, T3 Discs will sell for $2900 for the frame and fork, or $5750 complete as shown.
The Ku:Wa adventure bike also runs flat mount discs with the same axle spec as the T3 Disc. Tire clearance is massive meaning you should be able to at least fit 700x45c tires, but probably even bigger. Frame only prices start at $2,400.
