Lance is using DA 10 speed, the other guys (shown here) are using 9spd, I wonder if this is because Lance uses a 53T big ring on his TT bike while his teammates use larger gearing - and maybe DA 10 speed does not have rings larger than 53T right now - meaning the TT/Tri rings have not been released to the teams, or maybe the TT/Tri rings of the past are no longer being made because of the new 10sp ring design:
9 Speed on the other postal bikes:
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Isn’t that the aero fork that was deemed unacceptable by the UCI?
I would be really surprised if Lance was running a 53 on his TT bike. No, make that astonished. In the past he has run 55 or 56 T, depending on the course.
Are the other postal guys running 9 spd or just old style cranks? I think it’s a jump to assume they don’t have 10 spd clusters just because of the cranks. You may well be right, but not enough info to judge IMHOP.
MH
are those clinchers?
I zoomed in on the chainring and counted the teeth myself. It’s 53 alright. Can 53 be that bad with a 11t top gear? At 120 rpm, he could be doing nearly 74kph.
Hincape’s TT bike looks similiar to the one Peter Reid rode a few years ago. It was an AL frame if I remember correctly. I’d still like a 5 minute shopping spree in their TT equipment shed.
GH’s bike is aluminum. He doesn’t fit the carbon TT bike. He seems to make it go well all the same, though ;>
the isolated picture of the crank is actually on one of the road bikes, not the time trial bike. That crank does have a 53 on it. I thought I heard during the broadcast that Lance was riding a 55. I wouldn’t bet the house on it, I have been known to imagine things, but I thought I heard that.
Also, the disk wheel is actually a Zipp, rebadged as a Bontranger. The tires are supposed to be Hutchinson’s, whether or not they really are, I have no idea.
yes, that pic is not off of a TT bike. I remember reading that LA uses a 53t on his TT bike. I got this off of his web site:
What’s Lance Riding?
For day to day riding, a 58 cm (measured center to top, while center to center it’s a 56 - normally bikes are measured c to c) Trek 5500 and when the profile turns up, a Trek 5900. Full Dura Ace components - gears, brakes, and cranks. His usual rear gearing is 11-21 but sometimes he’ll go 11-23 depending upon the difficulty - in training it’s 12-25 and it’s always a 53/39 up front. As for pedals, he and the team are now riding a prototype 2003 Dura Ace pedal, no more old school look compatible Shimanos. On race day, he tracks his progress with a Vetta wireless HRM/Speedometer; while training, he uses a SRM (a high tech computer for watts, heart rate, etc.). Up front LA uses a a Deda Newton stem and handlebars. Lance rides Hutchinson tires, using clinchers in training, and sew-ups for the races. The wheels of choice are either Bontrager Race X-Lites or Race X-Lite Carbon, depending on the terrain/conditions.
Lance was definately using a 55 last year - counted the teeth.
It seems the team is using a wide mix of aero stuff - Ekimov appears to be using the Deda prototype bars that Lance rode last tour, and most of the other guys are using the Deda base/clip-on setup. Tires seem to vary quite a bit (A lot of the top guys ride Dugast on their TT bikes regardless of sponsor obligations.)
MH
crashing sucks (Lotz - today)
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OUCH!!!
Been there, done that…
MH
Clearly there’s confusion about the 2004 DA gear, even among the “informed”. Check out the pictures here:
http://www.velonews.com/tour2003/gallery/articles/4379.0.html
There’s a picture showing one of the Postal TT bikes, captioned “2004 Dura-Ace”, which is, in fact, the old DA 9 speed. Then, the picture next to it is a cassette from one of the Postal bikes, and it’s captioned “There are 10”. I only count 9 gears, though. LOL.
The 5500 and 5900 are both road bikes, Gary. Lance uses the appropriate chainring for the terrain on his TT bike. A quick stab at the math based on a 116 avg cadence and 31+ avg speed for the Prologue means he had something other than 53 on the front, probably a 55. But thats a quick stab, so don’t count it as gospel.