Kahuna Road Blade™ Replacement

Customer Reviews

Great Review by Dub-Ya

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This product is great. As others have stated, they do seem to wear out relatively quickly, but it isn't bad. Don't use the stick has a brake and it will last a lot longer. You could probably wear off about a 1/4 of the tread rubber by just dragging the stick as a brake down a few hills. I have no idea what type of rubber is used, but maybe the type of rubber that is used in automobile tires might last longer. Just a thought. In my paddling, I have developed a rotation in my stroke so that both sides of the rubber wear at the same rate. This is key. I give this product a solid A. (Posted on 8/3/12)

Overall kinda nice Review by J boy

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Quality

I think the same as Elton a obove in agreeing that they should take out the holes or only leave a few smaller ones near the hard plastic base that it is attached to. Overall I give it an A- because it's a great product and has great grip as is intended but it wears to fast and I too bomb hills a lot so replacing them has become a hassle but definitely better than the first road grips. (Posted on 10/9/11)

Kahuna Blade full review Review by Elton

Quality
Price
Value

Pros:
-Awesome design and shape: More/longer contact with the road from larger diameter & wider shape. Thinner overall design lessens the likelyhood of catching a wheel.
-Top notch materials and construction integrity: The old road grip cylinder only had an epoxy attach (which caused my base to eventually 'click'), whereas the Blade has two big nuts/bolts, and the connection is SOLID.
-Easy on/off: Replacing one of these sure beats the grunt and guesswork involved in shoehorning or boiling the old grips back on.

Cons:
-More Expensive: I suspect that these Blades will cost me more $$ down the line. At least with the old grips, I could rotate to fresh rubber 3 times before getting on the thinner side of things. I think I'll be replacing the Blades every 3-6 months vs 6-9 months for the originals.
-Stiffer feel: Not by much, but the new Blades feel like they use a stiffer rubber compound. Not a big deal at all if you've got a Bamboo stick, but it makes for quite a stiff ride with the Adjustable. (Note: I still think the Adjustable ROCKS, and Blades are the only option on those)
-Needs to be beefier: Could use more rubber in the 45 degree areas of the Blade. I do the occasional hill-bombing on some of my rides, and gotta say after 3 months I'm getting pretty thin in the grinding areas (down to the dampening holes).

Overall: A-
I think these are a great follow-on to the original Road grips. They're a bit pricey, but worth it. The only suggestion I would make is to make the grinding/bombing sections (at the 45 degree angle points) beefier with more rubber and no dampening holes. I understand that weight is a concern, so maybe just keep the dampening holes in the center and tip areas. Otherwise, great invention and GREAT RIDE!! (Posted on 8/19/11)