Home Cyclingnews TV   News  Tech   Features   Road   MTB   BMX   Cyclo-cross   Track    Photos    Fitness    Letters   Search   Forum  
Team Tech
2004 Teams Database
Road Season Preview 2004

Recently on Cyclingnews.com


Bayern Rundfahrt
Photo ©: Schaaf


Pro Team Tech 2004

Reviewed May 9, 2004

Cesar Grajales' Jittery Joes Pro Cycling Team Klein Q-Pro XX

Photo ©: Rob Karman/Cyclingnews.com

The Lance-dropper

Jittery Joes' Cesar Grajales shot to fame at this year's Tour of Georgia after winning the race's queen stage to Brasstown Bald, a climb US Postal DS Johan Bruyneel compared to the infamous Angliru. Anthony Tan takes a look at his Lance-dropping machine.

(Almost) defies gravity
Photo ©: Rob Karman
Maxxis Columbiere tyres
Photo ©: Rob Karman
Crank Brothers Eggbeaters
Photo ©: Rob Karman
Cateye's Cordless 7 cyclocomputer
Photo ©: Rob Karman

"I was training for this day three months ago," said home-town hero Cesar Grajales after his win atop Georgia's highest point of Brasstown Bald Mountain. At 5' 11" and 145 pounds, the chocolate-skinned Colombian's stick-like frame is made for hills like Brasstown Bald. So is his bike.

Founded in 1973 by Gary Klein - then an engineering student at MIT - under the auspices "Independent Activities Project", Klein was one of the pioneers of creating frames using oversized aluminium tubes, his creations altering much of the conventional wisdom surrounding the use of aluminium at the time. 30 years on and thousands of frames later, Klein is now owned by US bicycle giant Trek (since 1995), but Gary Klein is still CEO, where he continues to design bikes and test prototypes from his home in Chehalis, Washington (its manufacturing division having moved to Waterloo, Wisconsin, at the end of 2001).

The Klein Q-Pro XX frames used by Grajales and the rest of "The Bean Team" employ much of the technology Gary Klein has long been renowned for, but with some modern-day tweaks. These include use of a proprietary ZR9000 aluminium alloy, carbon wishbone seat stays designed to dampen road shock, internal cable routing for clean lines, and integrated fork and steerer, adding to that pervasive minimalist look. While the weight is unknown, Klein do say that the combination of their Aeros carbon fork and ZR9000/composite frameset "delivers the potential for complete bike weights as low as international racing law allows", which is currently a meagre 6.7 kilograms.

Taking a squiz at the rest of the gear on Grajales' "Lance-dropper", the potential for a sub-seven kilo race bike is certainly there. Cane Creek's Aros Team Ti hoops (that use Reynolds clincher rims instead of stock Zipp-made rims according to Jittery Joe's mechanic Brian Molloy) have a claimed weight only 1436 grams per pair, while Crank Brothers Ti Eggbeaters (again, these are custom made, featuring shortened titanium spindles) are just 115 g's apiece, and are an interesting but not surprising choice, given the Colombian's pedigree as a previous national mountain bike champion. And as the name implies, Zero Gravity's brakes are almost that, (barely) tipping the scales at 194 grams a pair.

Now you may be asking with all this lightweight schwag, why the %^$# is Grajales still on nine speed? The answer: SRAM, a sponsor of cassettes and chains to Jittery Joes, are yet to make a ten-speed cassette, so until that happens, expect to see Shimano's Dura-Ace nine-speed livery adorning Cesar's flaming-hot machine.

Photography

Images by Rob Karman/Cyclingnews.com/www.roadbikephotos.com

Full specification

Editor's note: all weights shown are manufacturers' claims

Frame: Klein Q-Pro XX
Fork: Klein Aeros carbon
Colour: Jittery Joes Pro Cycling Team

Cranks: Truvativ Rouleur, 599g
Bottom bracket: Truvativ ISIS SL splined, 236g
Chain: SRAM PC-89R Hollow Pin, 271g
Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace 7700 9 speed
Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace 7700 9 speed
Brakes: Zero Gravity; 98g (F), 96g (R)
Levers: Shimano Dura-Ace 7701 9 speed
Rear sprockets: SRAM R9 Road

Rim: Cane Creek Aros Team Ti (with Reynolds clincher rims instead of stock Zipp-made rims); 598g (F), 838g (R)
Hubs: Cane Creek 6061-T6 aluminum
Spokes: Cane Creek Ti; 18 (F), 28 (R)
Tyres: Maxxis Columbiere clincher, 225g

Stem: Truvativ Rouleur, 135g
Bars: Truvativ Rouleur Roadbar, 275g
Headset: Cane Creek Solos integrated, 72g

Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeaters with custom (shortened) Titanium spindles, 230g/pair
Seat post: Truvativ
Saddle: Serfas Aria, 199g
Cycle computer: Cateye Cordless 7, custom colour with Jittery Joes logo