It’s been seven years since Trek brought a new time trial bike into the world, but today the Wisconsin-based bike brand unceremoniously brought a new design forward.
The Trek-Segafredo squad racing at the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné were aboard what looked to be a production-ready bike. This is in contrast to the bikes used on the final stage of the Giro d’Italia just several days ago, which were the previous generation that Trek launched in the summer of 2014.
The new bike has new shapes and disc brakes, but takes many cues from the designs of the previous generation.
Trek declined to comment about the new aerodynamic bike when contacted by VeloNews.
Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images
The new Trek Speed Cncpt looks to be an evolution of the bike that the brand launched way back in 2014.
Photo: ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images
Kenny Elissonde aboard the new Speed Cncpt. While the front wheel certainly looks to be a Bontrager, Trek’s house brand, the rear wheel is a Zipp Super 9. Zipp is a sibling brand to SRAM, the team’s component partner.
Also of note is the size of the beefy and aero-looking bottom bracket junction. Not only does this provide a strong platform on which riders can pedal, it also shapes the wind coming off the front wheel, onto the frame, and then onto the rear wheel.
Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images
The seatstays have been dropped and meet at a point lower on the seat tube compared with the previous generation of the bike. The seat tube and top tube junction looks to be a bit thick and rounded. It retains a triangular shape reminiscent of the earlier edition of the Speed Cncpt.
Upon closer scrutiny, nearly all the tubes on this bike appear to be thicker and more rounded than the previous Speed Cncpt.
Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images
The head tube on the new Speed Cncpt looks to be shorter, and the frame behind it looks to be elongated — but within the UCI permissible limits — to allow for smoothing airflow behind it.
The top tube has also gained some girth from the previous iteration, and while the top of it is flat, the underside meets behind the head tube with a smoother, dropped profile.
Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images
Of note on this updated Trek Speed Cncpt is the cutout from the underside of the down tube.
This is an improvement from the previous version of the bike, which does not have the cutout in the down tube.
This allows the front wheel to be tucked in closer to the frame, to smooth airflow as it detaches from the back end of the front wheel, and flows onto the frame.
Photo: ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images
The cockpit on the new Speed Cncpt also looks completely redesigned. The base bar has a clamp on the underside to provide a firm anchor for the risers.
With the current trend of tall risers, this appears to be as much for structural support, as for aerodynamics.
Note the differences in the cockpits in the photos here. Since many riders opt for custom cockpits to fit their specific morphology, it remains to be seen if Trek will include this kind of riser kit to consumers, or if this will remain only available to Trek-Segafredo riders.
Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images
The previous generation of Speed Cncpt had a stem that anchored a separate base bar. This one looks to be as modular as it is slippery.
Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images
Trek also looks to have improved the shape of the junction of the chainstays and seatstays. There is a noticeable cutout in the seat tube to allow the rear wheel — clearly marked as Zipp — to tuck nicely behind.