Taylor Phinney's Trek-Livestrong Trek Madone

	Photo ©: James Huang

The bike of America's next cycling superstar

By James Huang

The 'E2' head tube starts out with a conventional 1 1/8" diameter

The extended seat tube 'stub' is topped

A white Bontrager Race XXX Lite carbon road stem

Phinney's bike is equipped with a SRAM S900 crankset

Phinney's bike was built up with a pair of aero Bontrager Aeolus wheels

Taylor Phinney (Trek-Livestrong) has already proven himself to be a major force on the track but with his recent victory in the U23 version of Paris-Roubaix - at just 18 years of age - signs are pointing increasingly stronger to him becoming the next great all-American cycling superstar.

All the ingredients certainly look to be in place: his parents are former US racing icons Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter-Phinney; his Trek-Livestrong development team is essentially partially backed by none other than Lance Armstrong; and his Trek Madone OCLV Red Series road machine is built in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

About the only things missing from the formula are some apple pie, a faint 'Star-Spangled Banner' playing in the background and some fireworks over the Potomac.

Phinney's 1.93m (6' 4")-tall build and 818mm saddle height fit on a standard 62cm Madone 6.9 frame easily enough but his "super long" femurs required Trek senior R&D engineer Mark Andrews to craft a custom seatmast cap with 35mm of offset. Even so, Phinney's saddle is slammed all the way back on the rails for a position diehard traditionalists could only dream of handling.

Aside from that, Phinney's Madone was pretty straightforward when we caught up with it back in early April at the USA Cycling development facility in Izegem, Belgium. SRAM provides a complete Red group - with the lone exception of an S900 crank for its 177.5mm-long arms - and much of the rest was emblazoned with the Bontrager logo, including the Aeolus 5.0 carbon clincher wheels, Race Lite VR aluminum handlebar, and Race XXX Lite carbon stem. Stem length is a rather normal 120mm and Phinney apparently has rather narrow shoulders given the 42cm (c-c) bar width.

Rounding things out are Speedplay Zero Titanium pedals, a fi'zi:k Arione saddle, Vittoria Open Corsa EVO-CX clinchers, a mismatched pair of cages from Bontrager and Specialized, and a Specialized Turbo Comp computer.

Racing on Belgian cobbles places unique demands on equipment, though, and not surprisingly the bike underwent a minor makeover prior to Paris-Roubaix similar to what was done to Astana team rigs in April. Replacing the standard Bontrager Race XXX Lite E2 fork was one borrowed from Trek's Pilot range with more clearance around the crown and Astana loaned Phinney a pair of team-only 'Bontrager Classics' aluminum tubular wheels with fat 25mm rubber - all subtle modifications for sure but ones that have proven to be undeniably effective.

So let's see here: three UCI world championships, four US national titles, one Paris-Roubaix - and a lifetime to go. Things are looking good indeed.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com

• Taylor Phinney Trek-Livestrong) has already proven himself a force on the track but now demonstrates his prowess on the road with a fantastic win in the U23 version of Paris-Roubaix.
• The 'E2' head tube starts out with a conventional 1 1/8" diameter up top then flares to a beefy 1 1/2" at the fork crown.
• The down tube flares out nearly to the bottom bracket shell's full 90mm width.
• The asymmetrical chain stays (wider on the non-driveside, taller on the driveside) are pushed out to the edges of the 90mm-wide bottom bracket shell.
• The extended seat tube 'stub' is topped with an extra-tall seatmast cap.
• The wishbone-style seat stays bow gracefully into the top tube.
• Phinney's long legs demand a lot of setback.
• Trek continue to use aluminum dropouts citing their better long-term durability.
• Trek moved the rear brake cable exit point from the side to the top of the top tube for reduced interference with riders' legs.
• Naturally, Phinney's Livestrong team is sponsored by Lance Armstrong's bike shop in Austin, Texas.
• Phinney's SRAM Red DoubleTap levers are positioned high on his Bontrager VR-bend handlebar - just like another famous American cyclist.
• The SRAM Red PowerDome cassette starts out life as a solid hunk of chromoly steel before being milled down and capped with an aluminum backing plate.
• Phinney's bike is equipped with a SRAM S900 crankset as it comes in a 177.5mm length to accommodate his rangy frame.
• Phinney's outer chainring is more conservatively machined than usual for additional rigidity.
• Phinney's Madone is basically a full SRAM-equipped machine including this Red rear derailleur.
• A SRAM Red brake caliper is fitted with carbon-specific pads.
• Phinney's bike was built up with a pair of aero Bontrager Aeolus wheels when we caught up with him in April but he donned more conventional box-section tubulars for Paris-Roubaix.
• Even the rims get the yellow-and-black treatment.
• Both front and rear wheels rotate about hubs built by DT Swiss.
• Vittoria open tubulars are pictured here but Phinney used proper tubulars and box-section rims for his victorious ride in Paris-Roubaix Espoirs.
• A white Bontrager Race XXX Lite carbon road stem clamps on to an aluminum Bontrager handlebar.
• Speedplay Zero Titanium pedals are dressed in - what else - yellow bodies.
• Phinney's fi'zi:k Arione saddle sports a grippy stripe down its center.
• A Specialized Turbo Comp computer keeps track of speed and distance.

Full specification

Frame: Trek Madone OCLV Red Series, 62cm
Fork: Bontrager Race XXX Lite

Critical measurements
Rider's height: 1.93m (6' 4") ; Weight: 81.6kg (180lb)
Seat tube length, c-c: 540mm
Saddle setback:
Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 818mm
Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 643mm
Handlebar drop: 87mm
Head tube length: 200mm
Top tube length: 597mm

Front brake: SRAM Red
Rear brake: SRAM Red
Brake levers: SRAM Red DoubleTap
Front derailleur: SRAM Red
Rear derailleur: SRAM Red
Shift levers: SRAM Red DoubleTap
Cassette: SRAM OG-1090, 11-23T
Chain: SRAM PC-1090R
Crankset: SRAM S900, 177.5mm, 53/39T
Bottom bracket: integrated

Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 clincher
Front tyre: Vittoria Open Corsa EVO-CX, 700x23c
Rear tyre: Vittoria Open Corsa EVO-CX, 700x23c

Bars: Bontrager Race Lite VR, 42cm (c-c)
Stem: Bontrager Race XXX Lite, 120mm x -7º
Headset: Cane Creek integrated
Tape/grip: Bontrager Cork Tape

Pedals: Speedplay Zero Titanium
Seat post: integrated
Saddle: fi'zi:k Arione
Bottle cages: Bontrager Race XXX Lite, Specialized Rib Cage Pro
Computer: Specialized Turbo Comp