Hi Dave
I was a little surprised to see both Cozza and Peterson on (what looked like) Z bikes. Since it appeared their breakaway was planned, why not use the AR team bike…especially with the head wind. Was it the two climbs thrown in there that was deciding factor? BTW, had nice chat with Jim at Santa Rosa on the AR…that is one sweet looking machine.
Hi Dave
I was a little surprised to see both Cozza and Peterson on (what looked like) Z bikes. Since it appeared their breakaway was planned, why not use the AR team bike…especially with the head wind. Was it the two climbs thrown in there that was deciding factor? BTW, had nice chat with Jim at Santa Rosa on the AR…that is one sweet looking machine.
There are only 8 AR Team Issue bikes in the world (actually I think they are down to <7). At this time I think they are all in Girona, Spain. The team will use a very special version of the AR in upcoming races as the advantage has been proven both in the tunnel and on the road. Those first few prototypes delivered for the Tour de France were an early version. There have been some revisions to the frames as we continued to develop the aero advantage the bike delivers. I think Cozza used a 58cm F1 SL and Tom stuck with the Z1 he’s used the past few seasons. All of the team’s road bikes can be set up to hit the 6.8kg weight limit, so this doesn’t restrict the frame’s choice of rolling, flat or steep terrain. Each geometry is different and suits a rider’s fit preferences a little bit different. The F1 SL frameset is about 1200 grams, Z1 is 1265g, AR1 is ~1500g, and F1 Sprint is 1600g. The F1 SL with 202s and new DA 7900 is under 6.3kg, so even the F1 Sprint can dip below 6.8kg if decked out in the lightest component and wheel choices.
With the different geometry, I think some of the riders would prefer more time on the AR frame instead of just jumping from the F1 they’ve used the past couple seasons to a new frame geometry right before a huge race like the TofCA.
Hope you continue to follow the tour, I’ll be joining the team later this week.
Regards,
-SD
Are the AR’s going to be available as frames only next year?
Are the AR’s going to be available as frames only next year?
In the next year we’ll offer more frameset options, yes.
-SD