News
News
The biggest news for the new group is the shifters and new OCT hollow forged aluminum crank
The biggest news for the new group is the shifters and new OCT hollow forged aluminum crank
Ron Ritzler, SRAM road product manager presenting the new and improved Rival Group.
Ron Ritzler, SRAM road product manager presenting the new and improved Rival Group.
Cervelo has a new CEO
Cervélo SA is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Marx as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Company. A former World Team Pursuit champion, he shares with Cervélo an uncompromising pursuit of excellence.
CSC uses a number holder that mounts via the rear brake’s fixing bolt.
As with most of the European teams, CSC uses a number holder that mounts via the rear brake’s fixing bolt. The version CSC uses is aluminum.
Shär’s seatmast is also custom with extra overlap and a whopping 14cm setback
Shär’s seatmast is also custom with extra overlap and a whopping 14cm setback.
His stem is an incredible 16 centimeters long
His stem is an incredible 16 centimeters long; it’s a custom alloy version of Bontrager’s older Race X Lite model. He actually started the season with a 17cm, but halfway through the team’s training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico he decided it was too long. Trek had the 16cm stem to him in less than 20 hours.
He is one of the professionals using SRAM’s Rival alloy cranks for fit
He is one of the professionals using SRAM’s Rival alloy cranks for fit. As with his frame, he uses the largest the manufacturer makes — 180mm.
Swiss rider Michael Shär is one of the riders that carried over
Swiss rider Michael Shär is one of the riders that carried over from the previous Astana team. He’s 196cm tall and rides a 62cm Madone, the largest sized carbon bike the manufacturer offers.
Shär’s bike towers over the other team bikes.
Shär's bike towers over the other team bikes.
Wassmann estimated that the Red non-drive arm drops 30-grams
Wassmann estimated that the Red non-drive arm drops 30-grams from the stock configuration of the power meter.
notice it’s not the standard non-drive arm that accompanying SRAM’s power meter
If you look through the frame to the non-drive crank arm you’ll notice it’s not the standard non-drive arm that accompanying SRAM’s power meter, it’s actually a Red crankarm.
Leipheimer’s bike weighs just 7.1 kilos
Leipheimer’s bike weighs just 7.1 kilos, with a SRAM SRM Pro and Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 wheels. With his Race XXX Lite climbing wheels the bike is at the UCI weight limit.
Leipheimer’s Red rear derailleur was missing as well
Leipheimer’s Red rear derailleur was missing as well. If you look closely you’ll notice that the Force derailleur is fitted with Red’s ceramic pulleys. SRAM’s team liaison, Alex Wassmann said that a ‘compatibility issue’ has come to the company’s attention. SRAM product managers aren’t 100-percent sure what the problem stems from and instead of jeopardizing the athletes chances, they made the decision to switch everyone to Force. Team Type 1 and Bissell have also switched.
According to the mechanics a year is the ideal time for proper tire aging
According to the mechanics a year is the ideal time for proper tire aging, but the team is using an abbreviated period for the new Bonty tires at five to six months to more quickly comply with its sponsorship obligations.
Later in the year Astana will switch from Hutchinson to Bontrager tires
Later in the year Astana will switch from Hutchinson to Bontrager tires. The Bontrager tires are currently resting in storage as part of the team’s tire aging process. The mechanics believe that tires that are not properly aged are more susceptible to flats because the rubber is stickier and not fully cured after manufacture. The team is racing Tour of Georgia on Hutchinson tires, all of which have been aging since 2005.
Trek’s tapered down tube terminates at a proprietary 90mm wide bottom bracket shell
Trek’s tapered down tube terminates at a proprietary 90mm wide bottom bracket shell.
Astana uses a simple piece of twisted aluminum to hold the race number.
Astana uses a simple piece of twisted aluminum to hold the race number.
Trek’s new Madone has an integrated cap-style mast
Trek’s new Madone has an integrated cap-style mast that doesn’t require cutting for fit.
Astana has a custom anodized version of Cane Creek’s new 110 IS headset
Astana has a custom anodized version of Cane Creek’s new 110 IS headset. Trek’s fork utilizes a tapered steerer with a 1.125-inch top and 1.5 inch lower bearing. Leipheimer’s Race X Lite alloy stem measures 11cm.
Astana’s Levi Leipheimer is looking to continue his domination
Astana’s Levi Leipheimer is looking to continue his domination of the biggest American races and is the favorite in Georgia. He is riding the Madone 6.5, a step down from the top of the line. The frame is painted to commemorate his national championship title.
All of the team bikes were missing Red rear derailleurs
All of the team bikes were missing Red rear derailleurs. Instead the bikes were equipped with SRAM’s Force rear mechs. The Force derailleurs were, however, equipped with Red pulleys. The team mechanics would not say why the change was made before the race.
Astana’s bikes all lined up
Astana’s bikes were all lined up before Stage 2 at the 2008 Tour of Georgia start in Savannah. The team had some interesting equipment specs at this year’s race.