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'Blade review (after a year)

3K views 29 replies 18 participants last post by  rprice 
#1 ·
Well i've now owned my switchblade for about a year now. So here is my indepth report on what i think of the bike. The honeymoon is finally over, and the real deal has set in.

What i think of it.

It is a decent bike for trail riding, but there are some huge flaws that see. First off, the chainline on the bike is horrible. In order to get around the rear triange the bottom bracket needs to be pretty wide. This throws the chainline into a dizzy. I have the narrowest bottom bracket i can have on there with still being able to use my third chainring and it is still too wide. This causes lots of broken chains and chainsuck if i don't keep that in the front of my mind while riding.
Other things about the bike. the talas shock is awesome, being able to choose from different travel levels is really nice, especially since you can do it on the fly. The only problem is that the shock i have on in the front i need to stop to adjust. Ergo to keep geometry in check, i need to stop anyway to adjust travel. No biggie, i stop to catch my breath all the time anyway.

Comfort, it is a very comfortable bike, but that makes me lazy. I take horrible lines when i ride this bike. Now on the hardtail i need to use finesse and be alert, this thing.... My riding partner put it best. "you're a goddamn panzer tank on that bike" Bad thing? not really.

Lastly what i think of the bike overall. It is a good bike, i'm moderately happy when i'm not picking my chain out of the frame. Could it be better? YES. I really didn't expect this froma boutique bike, i expected to get perfection for how much a paid. And this bike just isn't perfect. It really doesn't match my riding style too much, (straight XC). And the pedalling efficiency isn't so great. I bob a lot on this bike, just as much as on some other lower end bikes i've ridden. I kind of wish that there was a trade in policy with titus because i'd rather something different. I'm not saying titus is a bad company, its just that the bike isn't what i thought it would be.
Looking back, i would have been much better off with a racerX. Would i but this bike now knowing what i do? I don't think so. Would i buy another titus? yes most definitely. The crasftmanship on the frame is superb, its just the design that leaves a little bitter taste in my mouth. I do have to say that my hardtail is getting a ton of miles on it because i'd just rather ride it, or the titus is always waiting on a new chain.

But what can you do? eat, breath, ride some more i guess.
 
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#27 ·
I have never broken a chain in the 4 years I have had my SB.

As for the suspension, I noticed a huge difference going from the non platform TALAS shock to a PUSH propedal float. Night and day, felt like a new bike. If you plan on keeping and riding a SB, I think a PUSHed shock is one of the best upgrades you can do. Then get a gravity dropper...
 
#28 ·
What struck me the most is the fact that you are a "straight XC" rider on a Switchblade. I don't think that is the right bike for you but the chainsuck problem can be solved. Not surprised to hear that the SB is ok but you aren't content. I felt the same way with my old Enduro Expert. It was plush, sure-footed, and I learned how to take drops, jump and ride more tech stuff on it. At the end of the day though I went back to what I enjoy most which is riding fast with my buds through our local singletrack (we all enjoy racing too). I still ride more challenging trails (Pisgah) on the weekends and the 4" of travel on my bike is plenty. A Motolite would be perfect on only the toughest trails but the RX is better suited for the trails I ride 90% of the time. I did the PUSH upgrade on my Enduro (I had a Talas too - great fork). Don't waste your money. It is a great upgrade but money that is wasted when you are wearing hiking boots to run a marathon :D Ok - the SB probably isn't that heavy but anyway, that is my two cents.
 
#29 ·
I have a blade and I agree the chain line is not that great. Sometimes when in the middle ring up front and the lowest rear gear the chain will hop off the middle ring and fall down to the granny. The crankset really needs to be a few more mm closer to the frame. I've done everything to get it closer and I now have it so it works good. I've got the crankset so far inside that when in the granny the front dérailleur rests against the tube that it's bolted on to.

The problems with chain line are exacerbated by the very short chain stays. If i don't keep the drive train super clean I get bad chain suck. Good news is that since the cranks are slammed up against the frame theres no room for the chain to get sucked in and jam. So a quick backpedal usually clears things out. I'm gonna replace the big ring with a bash guard and shorten the chain to put more tension on the dérailleur. Hopefully the added tension and shorter chain will ease the chain suck situation. Next move after that is to go to thiner steel chain rings that will wear longer and not grab the chain as easily. I've never broken a chain on my blade.

Overall I love the blade. I have the talus rear shock and I run it at full travel all the time. I have a minute 1 front fork with spv platform. I don't notice any big pedal bob action unless I get up and over the front end then the fork starts to bob. I love climbing with the blade. The rear stays active and swallows rocks and roots as I motor up rough sections. I love the design and the chainline problems are something I can deal with.
 
#30 ·
Good Points.

Warp said:
The Blade felt a nice pedaller and plush at the same time with a 5th Air (strictly minimum IFP pressure, deep sag at around 30%). The front fork was a Magura Phaon set at around 25% sag. It felt energetic and plush. Much better than the Warp it replaced.

As it's natural, the 5th Air blew and I had to put in a Fox Float R... while I swapped the fork for a Zoke AM1. Set at around 30% sag on both ends and the AM at 135mm travel (I thought I had 125, but I measured wrong), the Blade felt exactly as you describe... with a massive weight transfer when pedalling and a lot of wallow on both ends. So much, the ETA was not quite working, because this movement caused to extend the fork.

BTW... as for pedaling, the 5th feels better on the Blade while not giving up lots of plushness... certainly a 5th feels harsh compared to a Float (and they blow up rather easily, unfortunately), but the Fox can't rival the pedaling and big hit feel of the 5th.

BTW... Call me crazy, but with less sag, the Fox felt better on big hits. Somehow plusher and controlled.
As you indicated the Fox Float is plush and the sag setting makes a big difference.

I have played with the setup over the years and have the SB setup on the plush side with a coil front fork. I orginally built the SB with a zoke Xfly which doesn't compare to todays air forks. I also started with a lighter XC build and gradually beefed it up to take advantage of the plush suspension. Started with a #27ish build and now around #30.

As other posters indicate ths SB is a great trail bike but those looking for a XC ride probably would be happier with a RX.

As for the chainline issue, my problems haven't kept me from enjoying the SB. I've seen much worse chainline problems with other bike like the Epic...
 
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