Sweet!

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Kestrel Syndicate
Macca Fan Club

OK, I think that looks really hot. (And I'm not a typical Trek fan) 76 degree seat tube with a reversable seatpost that will get you to 78.5. I wonder how the rest of the geometry shakes out. I've always liked their cable routing on these high end bikes and the color and graphics look pretty damn good IMO.

Trek unveils Equinox TTX tri bike Wednesday in Kona
DeBoom, Smyers, Widoff and Lieto on hand in debut of Trek’s new tri-specific carbon bike
By Jay Prasuhn

October 13, 2005 -- The invite left lots in the air: there would be a media unveiling Wednesday, Trek’s key elite athletes would be present and it was something not to be missed. It could have been a new Bontrager wheelset or aerobar.

Or it could be a bike.

For two-time Hawaii champ Tim DeBoom, typically an underground guy leery of public appearances in the week leading up to Saturday’s big dance, to be present, it had to be big.



Trek delivered, in a big way. The company assembled the triathlon media today to unveil to the world the Equinox TTX triathlon bike. And by all accounts, Trek has stepped up its game in recognizing the triathlon market, creating a bike that is sound in both geometry and material. And it will certainly start some waves. As the four elites: DeBoom, 1995 Hawaii Ironman champ Karen Smyers, 2005 Ironman Canada winner Chris Lieto and perennial Hawaii top-10 finisher Cam Widoff -- sat at a table at the Hawaiian Pedals BikeWorks bike shop press conference, each flanked by their own race bikes, a prototype of the OCLV carbon fiber Equinox TTX sat center stage in the foreground.

The original TTX was a short-turnaround creation for Lance Armstrong at this year’s Tour de France, designed partly via computer-aerodynamics testing and partly during real wind-tunnel testing at Allied Aerospace wind tunnel in San Diego, Calif.

For the last few years, Trek fans racing triathlon had to take a UCI-legal, slack-angled time- trial-specific bike: the TTT. Option B was to ride one of Trek’s round-tubed OCLV road bikes. Sure, there was the Equinox aluminum bike line, but as is most with the bike world today, the catchword is “carbon fiber.”

The Equinox TTX changes all that.

“We were taking what we learned with the TTX and putting that into added aerodynamics and positioning for triathlon with the Equinox TTX,” said Trek triathlon product manager John Riley. “This isn’t us trying to just re-do the TTX and market it to triathletes. This is a half-million-dollar investment catering just to triathletes.”

That’s not just lip service. Instead of a single mold as the TTT and the standard TTX currently exist, the Equinox TTX will consist of four molds of four different sizes to address, to fit athletes as small as Smyers and large as Widoff.

So how does the Equinox TTX differ from the bike Lance ripped to a time-trial win in France this year?

First is the frame’s geometry: the frame’s seat angle sits at 76 degrees. Of equal importance from a fit perspective is the use of a reversible aero seatpost, held in place by a down-facing bolt-driven wedge. The aero post is used in lieu of a high mast and round post design existing on the TTX.

With the post being reversible, the saddle’s bolt position ranges from 74.5 to 78.5 degrees.

Like the geometry change, other frame changes are designed around day-long aerodynamics. Trek rotated the down tube closer to the front wheel for aero advantage. Additionally, the Equinox TTX goes to a 1 1/8-inch headset for better aftermarket fork options. (It’s something we felt wasn’t entirely necessary given the look of the stock OCLV integrated aero fork, which lines up nicely with the downtube aerodynamically).

The chainstays go to a D-shaped configuration for added strength in the Equinox. The tunnel- proven leading-edge head tube and top tube remain the same from the existing TTX time trial bike.

As it stands on Saturday, it will be only DeBoom riding totally custom TTX bikes (that is, an original one-size “Lance” mold recommissioned to steeper angles to suit DeBoom). With the bike in its creative infancy still, Lieto is riding a stock TTX, Smyers an Equinox 7 WSD and Widoff a large Trek TTT bike Saturday.

DeBoom had been riding the aluminum Equinox 9 this year in order to dial his position, as the TTT and time trial-oriented TTX had a slacker seat angle. He moved his fit parameters seamlessly to the Equinox TTX and said the difference has been night and day.

“The biggest thing for me was always fit,” DeBoom said. “When I moved it all from the aluminum bike to the Equinox TTX, what I noticed most was an immediate drop in weight. And it’s just . . . faster. Way faster, and I’ve got PowerTap numbers to prove it. It’s exciting for me to be on a bike that is set up so right.”

Like all other Trek carbon-fiber bikes, the Equinox TTX will be made in Waterloo, Wisc., will carry a lifetime warranty and will be available in two models: in OCLV 120 and a higher- modulus and thus lighter OCLV 110 version. It’s slated to deliver in May and price at $2,900 for the OCLV 120 frameset and $5100 for the top-end OCLV 110 frameset. You can find more on the Equinox TTX at http://www.trekbikes.com.

Agreed - very very nice. One question though, does this statement make sense:

“The biggest thing for me was always fit,” DeBoom said. “When I moved it all from the aluminum bike to the Equinox TTX, what I noticed most was an immediate drop in weight. And it’s just . . . faster. Way faster, and I’ve got PowerTap numbers to prove it. It’s exciting for me to be on a bike that is set up so right.”

I mean the power tap numbers/speed correlation?

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"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek

The bike reminds me of one of those hypnosis gadgets you always saw on films like "Get Smart" Too many swirls!!! Let's get epileptic!

'Bout time Trek got with the flow on geometry.

Yeah, I saw that too. Being on a different bike doesn't make you stronger unless you change your position. It didn't make sense to me.

How about putting out the same power but going faster because it's lighter and more aero?

It could make sense if he's got enough rides (in controlled conditions) with data on both bikes. A faster bike should yield faster times at a given power output.

That's what I figut=red he meant I just wanted to check that my addiction to this site is not completely a waste

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"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek

It does look sweet, but are horizontal dropouts too much to ask?

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- Nick
Now that I know some of you guys look through the special needs bags for kicks, I'm gonna put some really weird stuff in mine. I can see it now. "What the heck was he going to do with a family pack of KFC chicken, a football helmet full of peanut butter, a 12 inch rubber dildo, and naked pictures of Bea Arthur?"

Not to jump on the Cervelo bandwagon here but I think I'd much rather pay $4399 for a P3C complete Dura-Ace bike than what Trek has stated below.

(It’s slated to deliver in May and price at $2,900 for the OCLV 120 frameset and $5100 for the top-end OCLV 110 frameset)

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Team Endurance Nation

I don't know but 2900$ and 5100$ dollars for a frameset *IS* to much to ask....for me anyway.

~Matt

Super hot but $5100 for the top-end frame set, OUCH! Thats $2100 over a P3C! For that price I might look at the new Look 496 TRI. I wonder how much for the bike in the photo, 9K? How much different is this bike from the new P2C, is it $2500 better?

Dave in VA

I love the look of it, but I also wonder why horizontal dropouts weren't included.

funny...I really like my P3--except for those damn horizontal dropouts!!
Being that I use it on the track, also, I'm really glad to have them. Still, I've often wondered why a triathlete (who may have to change a flat in a race!) would want those things.
I think the very marginal benefit of moving the wheel closer isn't worth the super-slow wheel change. Am I missing something??

True, but you kinda bank on not having a flat. Plus, I don't think the wheel change is that much slower bc of the dropouts.

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- Nick
Now that I know some of you guys look through the special needs bags for kicks, I'm gonna put some really weird stuff in mine. I can see it now. "What the heck was he going to do with a family pack of KFC chicken, a football helmet full of peanut butter, a 12 inch rubber dildo, and naked pictures of Bea Arthur?"

Does the head tube to down tube interface looks different on Tim's bike vs the red one? Pretty interesting looking bike and the amazing thing... a carbon fiber bike still made in America! That has to count for something.

"How much different is this bike from the new P2C, is it $2500 better? "

Better question how much better than a bottom line 1200$ tri bike? Is it 7800$ better?

I'm still waiting for bike companies to do a real world test comparison on speed, dropped shifts, climbing etc etc. I doubt it'll ever happen because it'd be hard to sell a 9K bike that is 30secs faster than 1500$ bike for your typical MOP'r in an IM.

~Matt

Unless the course is riding straight up Mt. Hali Akiia(sp) then being 1/2 pound lighter isn't going to make you incredibly faster. I can see being having a more aero frame making you marginally faster for the power output, but that was not stated. All that Deboom said that he has the power tap numbers to prove it. He did not specifically say whether he increased his wattage by changing frame (which to me does not make sense) or that the speed increased for the given power output (IMHO should not be that much, given Record10's human brick theory).

Those 2 bikes are a little different. Might just be the difference in the artist drawing and production, but look how close the front tire is to the down tube on the drawing. Much closer. And the fork is different. I am surprised they went to the 1 1/8th steer tube. It just cant be the same aero wise.

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Brian

The gray bike (Tim's) looks to me like Lance's TTX, it has the down tube further from the front wheel and the old mast with round seat post.

I think this looks nice. Personally, I like the vertical dropouts, I find horizontal dropouts to be a PITA. I'm sure there is a slight aero advantage, but if they make it barely clear a 23 c tire, the gap will not be that large with a 20. And nobody runs 25 c on a tri bike.

I'm a bit flabbergasted by the $2200 difference between the standard and the ultralight version. Not that the standard version is cheap, built up it should come in well over the P3C, so I doubt that Cervelo is panicking about this.

Yes, but like the original TTT frame the price will drop dramatically in a year or so AND it's made in the US and not some Taiwanese factory AND it will be relatively exclusive unlike the throngs of Cervelos in transitions now a days AND it's much better looking than the Cervelo AND it doesn't have those damn horizontal dropouts ;-)

I also prefer vertical dropouts (except on the track). I understand why Cervelo uses them and I think it's a great idea and it's good to see their attention to some of these details. However in practice I just like vertical ones better. I don't think horizontal droupouts should be viewed as a requirement of any bike with a cutout.