This year it's likely you've seen a new bike brand atop the podium at many classic American races. That is due in part to the success of Radka Vodickova, who has ridden her Culprit to podium finishes and victories at iconic events like St. Anthony's, St. Croix 70.3 and Rev3 Knoxville.
The most repeated theme between our two test riders was this frame was very stiff which added confidence and comfort while down in the aerobars or in the drops. Our test rides were completed with the set up seen below with disc brakes, however riders have the option to convert to standard brakes, allowing for unlimited wheel set options. Culprit also offers an array of frame color options.
Colp encouraged us to put the bike through the paces and we did just that. We tested this 58cm Croz Blade frame for two months in road group rides, local crits, time-trial interval sessions, an indoor studio FTP test and a local non-draft sprint triathlon.
Croz Blade is spec'd with Culprit carbon handlebars, SRAM Rival components, Token C50 wheels, Prologo saddle and is compatible for both disc brakes and rim brake options. The GoPro Hero camera, Syntace XXS clip-ons and Cobb JOF saddle were added by the test rider.
By adding a set of Syntace XXS clip-on aerobars we were able to achieve a comfortable time-trial position. With the road handlebars we had lots of room to attach the GoPro camera with a K-Edge mount system.
The K-Edge mount is one of the finest around.
SRAM Rival components made for an affordable entry level offering from Culprit but upgraded builds are also available.
We chose the Cypress Triathlon, a local sprint triathlon produced by OnUrMark out of Houston, Texas as our race simulation testing grounds. The bike course was pancake flat with two separate out and back sections with a few fun sweeping turns. On those turns, we were happy to have the option to have hooks for control. While the flatlands of North Houston might not be the ideal location for an aero road set up, the set up certainly did not slow us down and convinced me this would be a great option for a rider who enjoys both road riding and competes in the occasional triathlon. For draft-legal triathlons, this frame is a great option.
The mammoth 11-34 toothed rear cassette was not needed for our test rides in the flatlands of North Houston, Texas but would come in handy in other parts of the country
Disc brakes allowed for incredible braking precision which was handy for cycling group rides but wasn't necessary for time-trialing. But you can also get this frame with integrated TRP rim brakes. (note the space at the backside of the fork)
Three seat post options were available to accommodate a variety of ride positions. We chose to use the most aggressive setting which allowed for an easy to achieve time-trial position.
The bike arrived packed with tremendous care, a detail that did not go unnoticed.
For 2015, Culprit's Croz Blade is being offered to accommodate five different bike set ups in one clean, aero package including: disc brake road bike, rim brake road bike, triathlon set up with rim brakes, triathlon set up with disc brakes (shown below) and a crit bike. One must be a handy mechanic to swap around brake sets but the frame set itself is quite versatile.
All images © Lars Finanger / slowtwitch.com
Lars Finanger is usually in charge of ads, but with Culprit not a likely advertiser any time soon, we felt ok to let him spend time with this bike
