The elusive Litespeed TT bike
It was a long time ago when Litespeed last had a TT or triathlon bike in their model line, but it now appears that a limited edition Blade can be had. Last year Litespeed made some changes to the Quintana Roo PRsix and offered it to sponsored teams. The Astellas Professional Cycling team was one of those teams, and Litespeed who provided the road bikes also wanted to make sure that the athletes would have a TT bike for stage races and would not have to go elsewhere for a competitive option. We were able to snag the pictures of one of the early prototypes, but now a TT offering with the familiar and storied Blade name is in the 2016 line. Litespeed no longer sponsors Astellas, but you could by flying on that Blade in a TT or a triathlon near you.
We were told that while there are clearly many similarities to the QR PRsix and PRfive, there are also some distinct differences.
When we took the pictures of the Litespeed bike it still had the TT name on the top tube, but the frame featured on the Litespeed website actually says Blade.
Very simple and clean lines, just like on the QR PRfive and PRsix.
The bike we saw was equipped with Magura hydraulic brakes.
The rear Magura brake is hidden below the BB and behind the Campagnolo Chorus EPS cranks.
It is much easier to see when looking at the setup from the non-drive side.
The cockpit here is a 3T Brezza II Team with Campagnolo EPS shifters and Magura brake controls.
There are various cable option that can be run on this bike, the bolt however is a big secret. Well, it is only on this prototype and won't be on future models.
The rear triangle of the Litespeed TT bike, and yes, this bike is UCI legal.
The Reynolds disc wheel is tucked in reasonably tight.
Litespeed used a Fizik Tritone saddle on this bike and that color scheme worked very well with the bike.
There is a lot of adjustment possible in terms of saddle position.
All images © Herbert Krabel / slowtwitch.com
