IMO, one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated tri/tt frames on the market. Aesthetically, that aerobar set-up is horrible…hopefully, Hed will send her the new Black Dog or Vantage 8.
Yeah, because handlebar aesthetics is what really matters when it comes to getting in the best possible position on the bike. If thats what she is comfortable riding (cause obviously c-dale wouldn’t force her ride that setup) then it should be an inspiration to us all.
The real question is why she’s riding the HMOD-1 instead of the HMOD Ultimate, which comes equipped with USE Tula Aerobars.
Maybe Chrissie’s on an “it’s about the engine” crusade and refuses to ride anything but a company’s second best.
What’s wrong with a Slice? Nothing other than possessing a name more often than not associated with pizza, which may not really be a bad thing.
Good on Chrissie for getting some bucks over a multiyear deal. Athletes like her bust their butt for years and for not nearly as much money as you might think.
Cannondale is interested in getting more into the tri bike area and it is a very good move on their part as they will likely have a Kona winner and that will help them sell bikes. Cervelo’s been there and done that and probably offered much lower dollars as they have no problem selling P2C’s.
Here’s another question. Would you rather be Ironman’s official bike (like Cannondale previously was) or the bike of choice for considerably the most popular triathlete out there (e.g. Chrissie Wellington)?
not sure if she is going to use the cannondale SRM but it doesn’t look like its an option on the ultimate, so that could be the reasoning behind choosing the HMOD-1.
Besides she is sponsered by HED so she doesn’t need/want the ZIPPS.
Would you rather be Ironman’s official bike (like Cannondale previously was) or the bike of choice for considerably the most popular triathlete out there (e.g. Chrissie Wellington)? \
Well, we pretty much know the first one did’nt work out so well, so we will now see if they can capitalize on the 2nd one… On another note, other than Timex, has any Ironman brand done well?? I mean, it appears that they only hang around for a certain number of years, either go belly up or get sold, or start over with a new name…Not signs of a healthy relationship if you ask me…
I think the winning athlete is a good bet for a bike company, only if they have the fastest bike split, and bigger if they hold the course record and go on to win the race overall. But they still have to promote that fact, and build a bike that people want to go with all that… There have only been a few that fit that bill in the past, and had a sucessful relationship between the two. Chrissy could fit the bill, it is a good gamble in my opinion, but we will just have to wait and see. I think it would have been an easier sell with one of the other companies that are more well established tri bike makers, but I guess they were just outbid…
What I meant was that Scott could have thrown her a wad of cash and even Trek or Kuota, but maybe, just maybe she took time to find a bike and sponsorship that fit her from a physical perspective, not just financial. Of course Cannondale being part of Pacific bike probably has some good cash too…
not sure if she is going to use the cannondale SRM but it doesn’t look like its an option on the ultimate, so that could be the reasoning behind choosing the HMOD-1.
Besides she is sponsered by HED so she doesn’t need/want the ZIPPS.
The frames are all the same, so they could easily put an SRM on the bike she’s riding. I’m sure the particular “model” she is riding has to do with what Cannondale wants to pitch. Since the base frame is the same in every case, it’s really just them sticking whatever components she wants on there. Don’t get hung up on what Cannondale sells as a model vs. what she’s riding. I.e., she’s not gonna ride USE bars just because they are stock on one package vs. another. She’ll ride whatever bars she’s sponsored to ride or wants to ride. Unlike Cervelo, Cannondale has a single frame they spec differently to create different models, so she actually is on their #1 frame.
Over on WW they say the Hi Mod Slice is about the lightest (production?) TT bike out right now. Its very light (like sub 1100g for frame and bits in a 56cm). Also two Cat.2 locals switched to the Slice (non Hi mod, but I think same shape) and both went quicker than before on them. Sure, maybe a bit of diff fitness levels, but they definitely went faster.
They both upgraded from older Cannondale TT bikes I think.
Cannondale’s “problem” is also their advantage. They are like Scott - they make narrow & tall bikes. These bikes are the perfect match (retail wise) to Cervelo, Felt, etc. They fit all the bikes that those brands do not. It’s actually quite marked the difference, since this came up elsewhere. Cannondale’s 60 (the largest size they make) has less reach than a 56 p3c (by 8mm). So if you need a bike that is longer than that, you are out of luck on a Cannondale. Fortunately, they can take quite long stems as they have a ton of trail and FC, but still, it’s pretty much diametrically opposed in the larger sizes. You can get around this in some people cases (like people who run high stack aerobars on a p3C with a -6 stem could go to a -17 with low stack aerobars), but for folks that run the P3 low, there just isn’t a good option for those same folks on a Cannondale.
The reason this is a problem is that more people (in my experience) tend to fit on the Cervelo. But there are also probably more bikes designed for those folks.
Cannondale & Scott are the ones that really cater to the minority with a very nice bike (other companies “tall” bikes tend to be lower tier, like Kuota’s K-Factor). So they make a very desireable bike and are part of a smaller niche. But they also cater to a smaller niche.
Good for her. I think this is a good move for her since it should provide her with a good bike (I hope) and more importantly some good income to allow her to keep racing and winning. A three year contract that can work into a job after triathlon would be good as well.