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Tour Down Under Tech News
New bikes of the ProTour
By Paul Verkuylen
For the past ten years, the Tour Down Under has been the first stop on the calendar for many teams. Which means that for the rest of us, it is also teh first chance that we get to see any new equipment that they might be riding. Cyclingnews took a walk through the teams area to see if we could find anything new for you. Many teams had their new machines ready to go, but others like Rabobank and CSC, althought the bikes were ready, opted to leave them behind in Europe while the riders used their 2007 bike for the last time. Below is a selection of the worlds biggest teams and what they are riding in Adelaide.
Rabobank
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The Rabobank squad was one of the few teams that was still using its bikes from last season for the time being, although the mechanics were nice enough to explain what we can expect for later. Colnago has once again offered each rider their choice of frames, as long as they choose either the Extreme Power or the Extreme-C - must be tough to be on one of the world's biggest teams.
The new bikes will be fully kitted out with Shimano Dura-Ace componentry and wheels, but Prologo will now step in to supply saddles, replacing long-time sponsor Selle San Marco. Interestingly, the mechanics also mentioned that we should expect a new Dura-Ace groupset sometime this year. When asked if it was the electronic group that a number of Rabobank riders have tested last year, the mechanic shook his head. He did say, however, that the new Dura-Ace levers will finally do away with the protruding shift housings which will finally be concealed under the handlebar tape. Stay tuned...
Team High road
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Giant not only faithfully stuck around after T-Mobile withdrew its support late last year but has continued to develop new models for the team. Giant has suggested for some time now that a replacement for its venerable TCR Advanced was imminent and team riders were finally spotted aboard prototypes at the Tour Down Under.
The new TCR Advanced SL Team is slated to be released next month and boasts new square-profiled tubing that reportedly delivers a much more comfortable ride. Other features include internal cable routing and an integrated bottom bracket similar to what Scott had done with certain versions of its Addict frame. We'll continue to dig into this one, but more information will be officially available prior to next month's Tour of California.
Much speculation had circulated last year regarding the team's wheel sponsorship and it looks like Zipp has apparently won out… sort of. The carbon fiber specialist is supplying the squad with rims but they will be built up using Shimano hubs. SRM cranks are once again standard fare across the board. Rounding out the build are PRO handlebars and stems and Selle Italia saddles.
Team CSC
Team CSC is wisely sticking with what it knows best for the most part. Cervélo will once again supply the team with framesets for the 2008 season although riders were still on last year's machines for this first major event of the year. Equipment carries over for the most part, although 3T has replaced FSA for handlebars, stems, and seatposts.
The team will ultimately be on its usual selection of Soloist, R3, and P3 carbon frames but the new paint scheme will prove yet again that white is the new black. The team are still aboard their 2007 rigs, but the new bikes are ready back in Denmark, expect to see them in California.
Silence-Lotto
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The Belgian squad of super sprinter Robbie McEwen and Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans will again be riding Ridley bikes and chose the lighter weight Helium model for the TDU. Carryover equipment sponsors include Campagnolo (groupset, complete with team-only shifters, and wheels), Selle San Marco (saddles), Cateye (electronics), and Tacx (bottles and cages. Oval Concepts moves in as a new supplier, though, who fits the team bikes with its handlebars and stems.
Ag2R-La Mondiale
Ag2R-La Mondiale is one of the few teams to have changed bike sponsor during the winter. Spanish manufacturer BH returns to the ProTour after a one-year hiatus to replace last year's b'Twin frames. The new bikes are adorned with Campagnolo components, Mavic wheels, and FSA bars, stems, and cranksets. Look out for a more detailed look at these bikes in the near future.
Milram
Milram is one of two ProTour squads riding Colnago this year along with Rabobank. As with the Dutch squad, Milram riders will have their choice of stiffer Extreme Power or lighter Extreme-C frames, both covered in a resplendent white finish. Shimano Dura-Ace is once again the gruppo of choice and Prologo once again supplies the saddles. Interestingly, Milram's bikes would be virtually identical to those of Rabobank would it not be for the colour and the choice of bar and stem: FSA.
Crédit Agricole
Crédit Agricole continues on with French made Look bikes with Shimano supplying the group and wheels. PRO provides the finishing kit on these tasty steeds accompanied by Selle Italia, Tacx, and Continental.
Bouygues Telecom
The French squad of Bouygues Telecom once again has the support of Time bikes, also made in France. The team was still riding the 2007 bike at the TDU and the training one at that. According to team officials, the additional saddle height adjustment offered by the training bikes' non-integrated seat posts is favored in the early season as riders have more flexibility to tweak their positions.
Saunier Duval-Scott
As the name suggests, the Spanish-registered team will compete aboard Scott bicycles once again this season. The company's ultralight Addict frames are fitted with SRAM's new Red group and Mavic wheels, although with SRAM's recent acquisition of Zipp we can only wonder what will happen next season. As we've seen on previous occasions, though, the bikes at the TDU were again running Shimano chains, which the team mechanic claimed to work better. Cyclingnews is currently testing a Scott Addict of our own with Sram's Red group so watch out for the verdict soon.
We also spoke to SRAM about the team using Shimano chains, they explained that the team was using the chains in order to test to see if their new cassette works well with the Shimano chains.
Liquigas
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Cannondale's full-carbon SuperSix is the frame of choice for the Italian Liquigas team - well, so far at least. Cannondale is notorious for releasing new models throughout the season and tapping into its sponsored teams for prototype feedback so we'll have to wait and see if 2008 brings us anything new. Fulcrum will once again supply wheels and Campagnolo the group set.
Lampre
Lampre's bikes look to be carbon copies of last year's machines which again comprise a wide range of Wilier models. Team bikes continue to be a near all-Italian affair with their Campagnolo groups and Fulcrum wheels.
Gerolsteiner
Gerolsteiner has already announced that it will not continue its sponsorship past 2008 so the team will finish out its last season in its current form on Specialized frames. The new S-Works Tarmac SL2 is the model of choice for the squad, which was initially developed in conjunction with Tom Boonen and the Quick.Step team. PRO supplies the finishing kit here, too, and Selle Italia the saddles.
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Long-time supporter Orbea outfits the Basque Euskaltel-Euskadi team for yet another year and the trademark orange paint job once again covers the full-carbon Orca frame. Unlike the apparent '09 prototypes we spotted at last year's TdF, though, the team's TDU bikes looked to be standard production models this time around.
Caisse d'Epargne
The red, white, and black livery of Caisse d'Epargne's all-new Pinarello Prince Carbon is arguably one of the most striking in the peloton this year. The entire team will be aboard the new model this year (last year only select riders used it) which has been updated with a more evolved shape, a more advanced carbon fiber blend, and a tapered and oversized 1 1/8"-to-1 1/4" carbon steerer tube.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mark Gunter/www.pbase.com/gunterphotograph
- Silence-Lotto appears at the TDU on Ridley’s lighter-weight Helium model.
- CSC is still using last year’s Cervélo R3 at TDU although new model await when the riders return to Europe.
- Team High Road have taken stock of new prototype Giants. Information was hard to come by, but that didn’t stop us from at least snapping a few images. Stay tuned for more information in the near future.
- The new machines use a square section on almost all the tube profiles.
- Also new is internal cable routing for a cleaner look.
- Rabobank also brought its old bikes to Australia , but the new ones are effectively the same.
- Bouygues Telecom opted for its training bikes , explaining that they offer more adjustment for the early season as riders are still tweaking their position.
- Saunier Duval-Scott was showing off the new bikes with SRAM’s new Red gruppo.
- Liquigas again finds itself on Cannondale’s SuperSix.
- New bike sponsor BH had the new bikes ready for Ag2r.
- The Lampre riders were using a variety of models , but from what we can gather (in limited Italian) these are the new models.
- Colnago has Milram kitted out with white machines for the 2008 season.
- Long time sponsor Look has again supplied the rigs for the Crédit Agricole squad, which Renshaw has put to good use so far.
- Gerolsteiner is riding the new Specialized Tarmac SL2 this season.
- Caisse d'Epargne’s new Pinarello Prince Carbon is arguably one of the nicest looking bikes in the peloton.
- Orbea has again supplied the bikes to Spanish outfit Euskaltel - Euskadi.
Images by John Pierce/PhotoSport International
- As far as we know, this is one of the first good look at Team High Road’s new Giant model, the TCR Advanced SL Team.
