The Tour de France is the main showcase, not only for the riders, but for everything that revolves around cycling. Embargoed bikes (not yet official), new helmets, bodysuits without front zippers, and much more. Like every year, it returns therefore the in-depth analysis related to curiosities seen during the first week of the Grand Boucle.
A new Merida in the group
A mix between slim, streamlined shapes with bold lines which naturally (as current development dictates) is intertwine with aerodynamicsWe don't have precise and detailed information on this matter, but the one used by the riders of Team Baharain-Victorious is certainly a brand new bike.
It looks like the perfect blend between the current Scultura (the lightweight one) and the Reacto (the aero one). Is Merida also moving towards a single platform?
Different crankset for Buitrago
It's a crankset with SRM power meter and signed Elilee, mounted on Buitrago's new Merida. What is it? One of the lightest cranksets on the market, it has carbon cranks and the configuration used by Buitrago (without Shimano chainrings). stops the scale needle around 500 grams (declared): a little more, a little less.
Not your usual Shimano wheels
Those glimpses during the first fractions they are not the “traditional” Dura Ace. They have a different hub and a spoke pattern that differs (quite a bit) from the Shimano wheels seen until recently. Slimmer and drier hub, radial spoke pattern on the side opposite the disc and we could swear by the carbon spokes. It's the appetizer for a future new Dura Ace group?
New Abus time trial
Indeed we have it previewed at the Women's cycling's Giro and immediately won thanks to the primacy of Marlen Reusser, and was then used in the time trial stage at the Tour (Wednesday 9 July). Elongated tail with a cap in the lower section, wide and rounded visor, wide shape that tends to cover the athlete's shoulders significantly.
A new Giro for Visma-Lease a Bike?
We could say that, Campenaerts aside, all the athletes of the Dutch battleship they wear a completely new helmet. It reminds us of the Giro Eclipse Spherical and nobody forbids us to think that it is exactly an update of the most used helmet until before the Tour de France.
The bodysuit with the zipper at the back
It's one of the pluses that Hushovd (General Manager of Team Uno-X Mobility) had given us a spoiler during the days of Flanders, in view of the Tour de France and that he had asked us to keep it hidden. The Norwegian team is actually the first team to use officially a bodysuit without a front zipper (it's ¾ length and it's on the back) during road races.
The supplier of technical garments is Fusion, a Danish brand with little presence in the Latin part of Europe, a company that has significant know-how in triathlon.
A Factor “aircraft”: is it the new One?
Obviously it does not go unnoticed, especially for its futuristic shapes and also for the fact that it shows nothing in terms of names, acronyms and references. Airfoils everywhere, with a mammoth, super-sharp fork.
It certainly reminds me of a track bike. Hanzo. It could be the new OneFactor's historic model? Will it, as we see it today, comply with "future UCI rules," assuming they are actually applied?
The new Selle Italia SLR
We saw the renewed SLR, the first time, at the Giro d'Italia and we were not able to photograph it. After its official debut at the beginning of July, here it is the new generation of an iconic saddle. Always short (Boost), spoiler-covered in the rear section and with a nose and central section with a sort of anatomical shape. In favor of a deep pedal stroke and which allows you to use both the front part and to easily move towards the back.
New helmet for Pogacar and his teammates
The front part is fully reminiscent of the existing model of the Trenta 3K Carbon, with small differences in the perimeter area. Completely change the section above the ears, more hooded and streamlined, has certainly been the subject of a aerodynamic reinterpretation to increase its efficiency.
