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 Giro finale Photo ©: Bettini |
Pro bikes, May 18, 2009
Pro bike: Lance Armstrong's Astana Trek Equinox TTX SSL Giro d'Italia
Soaring through the expanses of space and timeBy James Huang
Lance Armstrong (Astana) is racing not one, but two custom-finished Trek bicycles in his first appearance at the Giro d'Italia – and that's not counting spare bikes, either. Armstrong's Trek Equinox TTX SSL was custom painted by artist Kenny Scharf with a space-age theme to go along with his usual 'Livestrong' and '1274' logos. Set on a black background are various stars and other celestial features along with a red figure streaking through the cosmos – perhaps a hopeful portent to the Texan's typically blistering performances against the clock assuming he can find his form in time. Lying beneath the paint, however, is a standard medium-sized Trek Equinox TTX SSL frame with its deep-section down tube, seat tube and seat stays. The fork blades are naturally aero as well but also set widely apart to allow air to pass through more easily – a feature Trek claims shaves 0.1lb of drag by itself. Extensions behind the fork crown also help smooth airflow on to the down tube, which is also slightly dropped to transition more cleanly with the front wheel. The horizontal top tube presents minimal frontal area to the wind but its unusually wide hourglass profile also adds stiffness to the front triangle. According to Trek, all too often aero bikes put too little emphasis on frame rigidity, leaving a whippy feel and vague handling – neither of which is good at time trial speeds. Scharf also painted a rear Bontrager disc and deep-section Bontrager Aeolus 9.0 front tubular though Armstrong is famously careful in his wheel selection so it's anyone's guess at this point what he'll actually use. Historically, Armstrong has relied on the expertise of renowned wheel and aerodynamics guru Steve Hed based on the wind conditions of the particular day and the course details. As pictured here, Armstrong's bike is equipped with a HED H3 three-spoke front – a long-standing design that is said to still be brutally fast depending on the conditions – and a newly developed H3D rear with a deeper 90mm profile that the company claims to be nearly as fast as a disc but with a lighter weight and better ride. However, Armstrong will have an army of hoops at his disposal. Aside from the ones already mentioned, he may also choose from Bontrager's 65mm-deep Aeolus 6.5 or new 90mm-deep Aeolus 9.0. Team sponsor SRAM is on hand in the form of a mostly-complete Red group, with notable exceptions being a hybrid Force/Red front derailleur and a Shimano chain. The Red crankset is also fitted with a more aerodynamic – and presumably stiffer – time trial chainring and Armstrong's 1090-R2C bar-end shifters also have a special bulbous shape that only he is using in this year's Giro. Thanks to their unique self-centering ratchet internals, the levers always return to their most slippery position – straight into the wind. As always, Armstrong is also using Shimano SPD-SL pedals and his aero Bontrager Race XXX Lite TTX seatpost is topped with a Selle San Marco Concor Lite saddle – complete with a slightly trimmed nose to satisfy UCI guidelines for setback. Total weight? A competitive 8.40kg (18.52lb). Total cost? Priceless. PhotographyFor a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
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Full specificationFrame: Trek Equinox TTX SSL, size M Critical measurements Front brake: SRAM Red w/ Bontrager carbon pads |
Front Wheel: HED H3 tubular Bars: Bontrager prototype, 42cm (c-c) Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL PD-7810 Total bike weight: 8.40kg (18.52lb) | ||||||||||||
