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Pro bikes, February 14, 2006
Daniel Becke's Team Milram Colnago Cristallo
Through the Cristallo ballBy Anthony Tan
Geert Rombauts began as a pro team mechanic 15 years ago, and virtually everything on this bicycle before him, Daniel Becke's Team Milram Colnago Cristallo, is the product of dramatic technological improvement since then. "I started when shifters were on the downtube, then Campagnolo and Shimano came out with [integrated] brake levers - that's probably the biggest [innovation]. They're also been a lot of development in wheels and Shimano's new [two-piece crankarm and] bottom bracket is good," Rombauts says. I then ask him if innovations like Shimano's STI brake/gear levers and integrated bottom bracket and crankarm, adopted from the XTR mountain bike group, have made his job easier. The friendly Belgian puts his finger on his chin, pausing for a brief moment before replying: "Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. Before, when shifters were on the downtube, it worked all the time; now, if the gears are not perfectly [aligned], it's a problem." Something this man doesn't have any problems with, however, is his job, particularly as part of this new super-team that spearheaded by Erik Zabel and Alessandro Petacchi. 2006 will mark Rombauts's sixth year with Gianluigi Stanga, a highly-experienced team manager who last year managed the Domina Vacanze ProTour team. "It gives me more motivation; everywhere you go, you know you can take the victory or win a stage. Maybe the only place [we lack] is in the mountains, but we have some young riders this year that could grow up and do some things in the mountains. But it's exciting: you go to the race and it gives you a lot of morale." Like Team Milram, Domina Vacanze riders also rode Colnago bicycles equipped with Shimano groups in 2005, so for the mechanics at least, there is a degree of familiarity with their equipment. The major difference lies in the team's frame of choice: new for 2006, the Colnago Cristallo is an all-carbon monocoque that is ostensibly a redesign of last year's E-1 frameset but lighter, breaking the 1,100 gram weight barrier and putting it on equal terms with Colnago's flagship C-50. When weighed, however, Becke's bike isn't gob-smackingly light at 8.1 kilograms, although the German's height - 185 cm tall or six foot two inches - might have something to do with it. Rombauts points out that while most of the team will be riding aboard this frame, there are a few riders whose measurements don't quite fit the Cristallo: Petacchi, Zabel, Simone Cadamuro, Elio Rigotto and Fabio Sacchi require custom-made C-50s, and not surprisingly, messrs Petacchi and Zabel receive a little bit of special attention with airbrushed Jet and bald eagle motifs around the headtube. Named after the Mt. Cristallo region located in the mountainous area of Veneto, Italy, the Colnago Cristallo features a monocoque carbon fiber front triangle that shares many similarities with the E-1. The biggest changes, however, are in the rear triangle: a fin-like seat tube profile is said to provide the frame with added flex-resistance; the popular B-Stay seatstays are now a 'bowed' monostay, its curvature claimed to increase braking power; and fattened chainstays, notably at the junction of the bottom bracket shell, has been designed to maximise drivetrain rigidity. According to Rombauts, he says it's a case of so far, so good for riders like 27 year-old Becke, who turned pro in 2001 for Team Coast. "They were surprised how stiff they were," he says. When my eyes divert to the hoops, he mentions that Team Milram will use only Shimano wheels this year, and for most of the time, the riders will use the aluminium version of the Dura-Ace wheel. "In Europe, though, we will have around 20 pairs of carbon wheels for the big races, like the Tour and Giro. "Our tyre sponsor, Panracer, doesn't sell a lot of tubulars because there's not a lot of interest in the shops, so for riders like Zabel and Petacchi, they will make a special edition tyre for them," adds Rombauts when I mention Erik's penchant for glue-ons. "We haven't received them yet, but they'll probably be a similar material to the clinchers; they are a very good tyre, and all the riders who use clinchers are happy with it. But it's hard to change [the habits] of a rider like Zabel," he admits. With the C-50's unconventional B-stays axed on the Cristallo and Zabel's insistence on old-school tyres, I'm interested to find out Rombauts's thoughts on whether he believes the road racing bicycle has reached its limit in terms of innovation. "I would say they [the bike manufacturers] are not at their limit. A lot of groups can be better and lighter, and tyres can still be made to go faster with less resistance. I know SRAM is bringing out a new groupset that is lighter and works very easily, and it is not a complicated system. There are still a lot of companies working on getting things lighter and stronger, and I think they can keep going [this way] for a few more years. "Also, it's important not to forget about shoes or shirts [jerseys], which can also help [performance] a lot," he says. "With bikes, we've gone from steel to aluminium to carbon... what's going to be next? I've already seen some companies working with magnesium, which is stiffer and lighter again." PhotosFor a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by Mark Gunter/www.pbase.com/gunterphotograph
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Full specificationFrame: 2006 Team Milram Colnago Cristallo Critical measurements Cranks: Shimano Dura-Ace, 175mm, 53/39 |
Rim: Shimano Dura-Ace aluminium Bar: Cinelli Neo 31.8mm, 44cm (O-O) Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace Total bike weight: 8.1 kg/ 17.82 lbs | ||||||||||||||||||||
