Elilee Blize XXE 680g Disc Frame 330g Fork - Page 6 (2024)

IMHO, the platform on which a frameset is sold should not be the deciding factor if it is cheap or (too) expensive.

I get that for most, local support is vital and therefore dealing with a manufacturer in the far east is a no-go. For some, the appearance of a product on Aliexpress makes it questionable or at least less desirable. For me, the product itself comes first. Support/warranty comes very distant second. I removed the clearcoat/"paint" so I already know that there is no warranty.

The point in my previous question is not about the frame that is on sale on AliExpress.
Loving that platform.
I rode AliExpress frames since 2013 so for me it’s important to save money paying a frame 600 euro (the real cost) instead 4500 as a Specialized or other top brand frame costs (overpriced items).
Try to explain better my question:
why there are 1400 euro of difference between another AliExpress frame and the Elilee one?
Where are the differences?

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓ Broad Selection ✓ Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

The usual Aliexpress frames that are around 600 Euros can be hit or miss. Many times, they are fine and the price vs performance ratio is certainly attractive if you are on a strict budget. But there is a risk that you get a lemon: bearings don't fit, slipping seatposts, low stiffness, damage from transport, missing parts that make it impossible to complete the build etc.
IMHO the Elilee Blize plays in a different league. Frame quality is top notch, the XXE is even lighter than a SL7 S-Works and one of the lightest disc frames currently available. This can only be achieved with a clever carbon layup, expensive epoxy resin and high modulus carbon fiber that you won't find on any Aliexpress frame, no matter what the description says. And if the Aliexpress frame is very light, then I guess many of the individual carbon fiber pieces didn't make it into the mould but rather found themselves on the workshop floor

I'm sure prices of frames like the Elilee Blize will rise if the company manages to build and establish a brand outside of China. We see more and more high quality companies like EXS that don't simply copy things and make them cheap but design their own products. And you can be sure that at some point they want to expand to Europe, US etc. Right now, they are only focusing the Eastern market.

Since it popped up on my Insta-feed...

Any long term updates? More pics?

Still interested in this frameset+handlebars.

Honestly, I don't pay too much attention to reviews from other cyclists. When I see how hesitant some descend mountains and at the same time tell how confidence inspiring the bike is, then well... I believe that most of the charasteristics of a bike is determined by tires and tire pressure, handle bar width and wheels. Modern disc frames themselves play such a small role nowadays, they are all so good and also similar in terms of handling. If equipped with the same wheels, tires etc. At least that's what I think.

Objectively: The handling of the Blize is very sharp without a doubt, the turn-in is extremely precise.
Subjective: There is a little flex noticeable in the front end, but I can't tell if it's from the EXS Aerover (360mm) or the headtube area. But only in all-out sprints. I didn't notice any flex in the BB area at all. The Blize behaves sort of identically to my SL7, there is also some flex in the front of the SL7. On the other hand, my Venge is superstiff in the front.
Unfortunately lots of toe overlap since I ride a size S frame combined with my 178cm and 81cm inseam. But I have this on all my bikes, with the Blize just a bit more than with others.

I ride GP5000S TR in 28mm, 4.5 and 4.7 bar. 45mm/28mm Farsports wheels. Bike is a hair under 6.7kg. So far 6 crits and one road race, in total around 4'000km. I hardly ride my SL7 anymore, in rare cases the Venge since it has deeper wheels. And sometimes my Super6 from 2013 when I'm in the right mood for it. But the Blize has become my go-to bike for 90% of the stuff that I do. That should tell everything.

@Maddie - thanks for the proper review and details!

Just wanted to ask, any reason why you opted for the Blize Regular/Standard versus the XXE edition?

Im about to bite the bullet, but not sure if having just T800 carbon versus the T1100 + M40X/J hybrid would make any difference outside of the ~~100 gram weight savings.

Thanks for the reply Maddie! Makes sense.....100 grams for 700 USD is better than most western brands, but still not worth especially when the standard frame is already so light.

@RDY - I actually just ordered the Blize in White. Will post info once it arrives late July/early August. Do keep in mind, I typically ride 58CM sized frame so about L to XL depending on the brand. Will definitely weigh a bit more than the medium 780 gram reported.

delouie9154 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:34 am

Thanks for the reply Maddie! Makes sense.....100 grams for 700 USD is better than most western brands, but still not worth especially when the standard frame is already so light.

@RDY - I actually just ordered the Blize in White. Will post info once it arrives late July/early August. Do keep in mind, I typically ride 58CM sized frame so about L to XL depending on the brand. Will definitely weigh a bit more than the medium 780 gram reported.

Assume you ordered the 'XL' in this, since it roughly corresponds to 58s in Western brands with similar geometry? Were I to order one, I'd also go for this size.

RDY wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:27 pm

delouie9154 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 06, 2023 4:34 am

Thanks for the reply Maddie! Makes sense.....100 grams for 700 USD is better than most western brands, but still not worth especially when the standard frame is already so light.

@RDY - I actually just ordered the Blize in White. Will post info once it arrives late July/early August. Do keep in mind, I typically ride 58CM sized frame so about L to XL depending on the brand. Will definitely weigh a bit more than the medium 780 gram reported.

Assume you ordered the 'XL' in this, since it roughly corresponds to 58s in Western brands with similar geometry? Were I to order one, I'd also go for this size.

Proper XL = an 58CM. Yeah its semi similar to the BMC teammachine slr01 2018 I ride right now. Just a few MM difference here and there. Only larger difference in Geo is the stack...BMC 584 while the Blize 601. I dont foresee this being a huge issue.

Hi all,
yesterday I received my Elilee Blize frameset and Elilee E44 wheelset. The reason I bought this frameset specifically is because of this thread and all the praise.
Orderd via instagram, pretty easy. Ordering process took a bit of time. If I haven't asked for my status a couple of times I am not sure if I'd have received the frame by now. For now I think it's okay with ordering on instagram. But if more people get interested in the frameset and will eventually buy on insta, it could become cumbersome and slow.

Orderd non May 31, received yesterday. Lead time was supposed to be one month. So just on time. Shipping took 8 days.
Frameset came exceptionally well packaged, no damage there.

EDIT: Did have problems with first frame. Elilee sent me a new frameset which resolved the issue, quality is now superb. Very friendly customer support after initial problems.

JohnnyFarsight wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2023 10:44 pm

Hi all,
yesterday I received my Elilee Blize frameset and Elilee E44 wheelset. The reason I bought this frameset specifically is because of this thread and all the praise.
Orderd via instagram, pretty easy. Ordering process took a bit of time. If I haven't asked for my status a couple of times I am not sure if I'd have received the frame by now. For now I think it's okay with ordering on instagram. But if more people get interested in the frameset and will eventually buy on insta, it could become cumbersome and slow.

Orderd non May 31, received yesterday. Lead time was supposed to be one month. So just on time. Shipping took 8 days.
Frameset came exceptionally well packaged, no damage there.

Did not have the time to take all the measurements and check on frame quality in detail. Just a quick check. So far I have to say that after all the praise from Maddie and a couple others I am quite disappointed with the overall frame quality. Spotted a couple of minor flaws, and one or two more serious ones. Maybe a potential design flaw. I have to investigate further.
The headset where the bearing sits is very poorly machined, very rough. The bearing does not sit flush with frame. I have to say that for the money spent, my expectation was higher. More on line with a sub 1k € frameset. Spent well around 2k € for the frame.

Will keep you updated when further examination is done. I'll post some pictures later this week.

I was also interested in the Elilee Frameset but this sounds not really great.
Came it with the AERO handlebar from EXS or with the Elilee?

JohnnyFarsight wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2023 10:44 pm

Hi all,
yesterday I received my Elilee Blize frameset and Elilee E44 wheelset. The reason I bought this frameset specifically is because of this thread and all the praise.
Orderd via instagram, pretty easy. Ordering process took a bit of time. If I haven't asked for my status a couple of times I am not sure if I'd have received the frame by now. For now I think it's okay with ordering on instagram. But if more people get interested in the frameset and will eventually buy on insta, it could become cumbersome and slow.

Orderd non May 31, received yesterday. Lead time was supposed to be one month. So just on time. Shipping took 8 days.
Frameset came exceptionally well packaged, no damage there.

Did not have the time to take all the measurements and check on frame quality in detail. Just a quick check. So far I have to say that after all the praise from Maddie and a couple others I am quite disappointed with the overall frame quality. Spotted a couple of minor flaws, and one or two more serious ones. Maybe a potential design flaw. I have to investigate further.
The headset where the bearing sits is very poorly machined, very rough. The bearing does not sit flush with frame. I have to say that for the money spent, my expectation was higher. More on line with a sub 1k € frameset. Spent well around 2k € for the frame.

Will keep you updated when further examination is done. I'll post some pictures later this week.

It'd be helpful if you'd post photos.

Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓ Broad Selection ✓ Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com

JohnnyFarsight wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2023 10:44 pm

Did not have the time to take all the measurements and check on frame quality in detail. Just a quick check. So far I have to say that after all the praise from Maddie and a couple others I am quite disappointed with the overall frame quality. Spotted a couple of minor flaws, and one or two more serious ones. Maybe a potential design flaw. I have to investigate further.
The headset where the bearing sits is very poorly machined, very rough. The bearing does not sit flush with frame. I have to say that for the money spent, my expectation was higher. More on line with a sub 1k € frameset. Spent well around 2k € for the frame.

Will keep you updated when further examination is done. I'll post some pictures later this week.

Sorry to hear, this is a surprise to me. Please let us know about more details. And how Elilee handles this.