They’re running de-badged Zipps:
They used to either run Pro or Shimano wheels, I think… like this:
Correct used to ride Shimano (and Pro for TT’s, Pro is a Shimano owned brand), but it seems T-Mobile has no wheel sponsor anymore and can use whatever they please. Leading up to the Tour the team has been testing all kind of aero and/or lightweight wheels like LEW, Lightweight, HED3, Zipp and Xentis.
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/....php?p=304537#304537
i asked michael rogers today about the lews, he said the team were testing a variety of wheels to see what performs best. He also said that they will be using some pretty cool stuff in the future and next year, but didnt say what! the little teaser!
Linus Gerdemann on Lighweight front wheel
More Lightweights etc.
De-baged Zipp 606 wheelsets
The de-baged Zipp 606 wheelsets from another angle
Michael Rogers on LEW PRO VT-1 rear wheel
T-Mobile testing different wheels before the Tour
There used to be a picture where this bunch of riders held up a LEW wheel in front of them to study it, but I can’t find that picture now. I also saw a picture of one of them riding with HED3 wheels but can’t find that now either.
Other teams TdF riders on non team sponsored wheels (all three Lighweight in this case):
Valverde training on Lightweights and a stealth Pinarello Prince Carbon prototype
Erik Zabel is personally sponsored by Lightweight this season
Filippo Pozzato’s new Cannondale SuperSix with Lighweights. The white logos were blacked out and Pozatto had silver logos painted instead. You can still see the blacked out logos in this picture.
according to cyclingnews they are still sponsored by Shimano/Pro. If they weren’t they might not be on Shimano/Pro unless they bought them or Shimano gave them to them.
All HED wheels (H3c deep, H3c, stinger 60s and 90s) were purchased by T-mobile from HED, and a good amount of them too.
You would think with the largest budget in the tour, they would have it nailed down or for the money they are spending, have their own wheels.
I want those wheels and the a4 wagon…very good taste.
is that rolf aldag in the first post?
They are going to be on HED wheels soon
.
They are going to be on HED wheels soon
Like exclusively? That would be awesome!
Interesting to read that the T-Mobile mechanics siliconed the tire-to-wheel gap…
HED3 front and PRO rear at the prologue. The stickers on the HED3 says: “T-Mobile Team” from what I can tell.
There was also T-Mobile riders on the new deeper Xentis Mark 1 TT.
Yeah, we spotted a lot of Xentis wheels at the team bus and on the car mounted bikes, but have to admit that I wasn’t looking at the wheels when they were racing.
according to cyclingnews they are still sponsored by Shimano/Pro. If they weren’t they might not be on Shimano/Pro unless they bought them or Shimano gave them to them.
Well it looks like Cyclingnews are wrong on this one. T-Mobile rider Adam Hansen wrote at the Weight Weenie forum that Shimano does not sponsor T-Mobile’s wheels. Adam’s WW forum name is Zakeen: http://weightweenies.starbike.com/....php?p=304623#304623
Kuiper wrote:
Maybe Linus Gerdemann or another T-Mobile guy bought from teammate: Adam Hansen’s, the Obermayer pair? he had a pair recently for sale if I am right.
Hmm… I see also Ventoux, anyway Lightweights are perfect if it’s comes to climbing.
Duffer wrote:
Sure , Shimano likes to see them being used… 
NOTTTTTTTTT. ****
Zakeen (Adam Hansen) wrote:
****Shimano does not sponsor T-Mobile’s wheels. We can use any wheels we wish. We only use them at the time because they are given to us. Bob wants the tour team to ride the best wheels. May the best wheels win.
Want to win some team gear? Go to: adamhansen.com
New site!!!
Please dont ask for contacts or autograph’s of riders in my team as this is something Im not allowed to give out, sorry.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/...r_prologue_bikes2_07
T-Mobile was spotted running a new HED three-spoke wheel with a substantially deeper, and non-structural, section than the original version. Hidden beneath the fairing is likely a shallower section rim that is bound to offer a more compliant ride.
Photo ©: James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
Not all of the T-Mobile riders were using the new wheel, however; many were utilizing the four-spoke PRO front wheel as supplied by team sponsor Shimano.
Photo ©: James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
T-Mobile mechanics hand-applied a line of silicone adhesive to fill the wind-churning trough in between the tire and rim.
Photo ©: James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
The HED3 in the above pic has no deeper section aero faring mounted yet, so maybe the glue is not to fill in the gap between the tire and rim, but to glue on the fairing, like shown below.
Fairings are not UCI legal unless they are part of the structural design. T-Mobile probably claims these fairings offers somthing structural to the wheel, to bend the UCI rules.
There is a good article over at Velonews.com Tour Tech Cover http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/tech/articles/12680.0.html It looks like T-Mobile might be “auditioning” wheel manufacturers especially if they purchased the HED wheels as Jason mentioned earlier. Just supposition on my part but I would guess it is not uncommon.