Litespeed Blade track on ebay...
 

says it'll fit someone who rides a 49-53cm frame.

and i think it's built for a 650c front wheel. it's at $400 right now. now...it LOOKS like it's Ti, but it could also just be raw AL. thoughts? ME WANTEEE!!!!

just looked at the close-up and saw the "titanium" decal on the seat stay...

i'm drooling pretty hardcore right now....

Looking at stuff like this can't be entirely healthy. Didn't I get a lecture on avoiding this stuff in confirmation class?

I'm the current high bidder!!! Won't last long though, and I could barely afford it at this low price. Have you seen the seat stays?

Oh, that's indeed the real deal Blade...6AL-3V Ti. Makes me wish I was shorter!

Oh my god!
I knew I shouldn't look at it and I shouldn't have. I don't even know what I'd do with it besides just hang it on the wall and see how pretty it is. That bike doesn't deserve that though so I'm not going to bid... and it's just a hair too small.

it'd look so much better if it didn't have the goofy looking bladed head tube thing going on. rounded is just fine for me thanks...but yeah...i'm still in love.

It's fugly

yeah, god forbid anyone try to make a time trial frame aerodynamic....

does a bladed headtube really do all that much for aerodynamics? if it did, wouldn't other companies, such as look or cervelo do it as well? it's probably easier to do it in CF, which makes me wonder why look hasn't done it yet. with Ti or Al, it has to be welded, which would add more heat stress and more weight, for not too much advantage. it would make more sense to me to just have a plastic clip-on aero thingy that you could attach to any head tube...certainly be cheaper...though, just as silly.

As I recall (or at least seem to at the moment) from my model rocketry days as a geek kid, a eliptically rounded leading edge is usually considered to be the most aerodynamic. Putting a wedge on the front of the head tube might do a little, but I think it's more for looks than anything else. I mean, if you were marketing an absurdly priced frame under the model name of "Blade," you'd want it to look sharp, wouldn't you? Nobody is about to market a Ti frame under the name "Butter Knife" after all.

Looks good. Could I make hybrid out of it? Put derailleur on slide-on hangar? Drill bridge for brake? Paint with ugly rust-color paint, maybe?

I have 700 fork in closet. Maybe could make fit this frame, no?

onetinsloth: i reckon Look does something similar with their track frames, with a pointy leading edge on the head tube. i believe theirs even turns with the handlebars/wheel, thanks to that funky headset/fork design they've got going.

and i don't think one necessarily would have to weld extra metal to the head tube to shape it like that. i dont see why that couldn't be made in the same way the rest of the tubes are.

oh well. doesnt matter. my comment was more directed towards the "it's not lugged, skinny tubed steel, so it's ugly" type of vibe i was feeling. whether or not it really is more aerodynamic means **** all to me, really.

That is an old, old, old Blade and it really is custom because there are some very crude features on it. If you can look past that, it's probably a fine frame- well used obviously but probably still has plenty of life left.

The logos tell you how old it really is.

Here is a current Blade for comparison
http://litespeed.com/images/large_bikes/blade_lg.jpg

That headtube extension is just welded on, look closely at the second picture. Yuck. I actually prefer it to the newer one, the top and seat tubes are much nicer profiles, and the seat stays are just gorgeous. Not to say the new one isn't nice... Mmm, Ti :)

It must get lonely in the Gulag fo you.

There's gulags in New York?

yeah, i was thinking look probably did something like that...

if the frame is something like Al or Ti, the piece would either have to be welded, as it is in this case, or, the metal could be formed, but then there would have to be another round tube inserted and probably welded or bonded for the headset. the reason why look can get away with it is that the actual headtube of the frame (with the headset) is behind the aero section, so basically, the aero section is an extra hunk of carbon. a pretty nifty idea, but i'd be curious to know how that affects steering. and really, how effective is an aero head tube gonna be when the tires are already creating wind resistance?...mmm..."aero bladed" tires....

RacerX: i think i kind of like the older one better than the newer. i don't like the headtube or the seatstays on the newer one...and the older one uses a 650c front wheel for added cool factor. it also looks all shabby and tarnished (granted that would probably polish out), which i think gives it a great, sort of antiquey/war-torn look...and the new one isn't a track frame.

if i ever start my own company, and i design and produce an aero frame, i'm gonna call it the "Hot Knife Through Butter," or the H.K.T.B. for short. Or the "Big-Ass Chef's Knife Through a Cucumber."

man, that thing is perfect for me. too bad i have to pay rent this week...

[parting shot]Coming from the queen of fugliness.. that says about nil.[/parting shot]