Turboem1

Hey guys I am wondering if anyone knows if or where you can find information on the bikes the pro's in the Tour ride.

I am most interested in the frames they use. It seems like people always say that "race" bikes are not good for long distances. They are to stiff in whatever direction and uncomfortable for long distances. The thing is in the tour they ride like 80 miles a day. Is this because the pro's just deal with any pain because they are in it for the win? They do ride for like 3 weeks straight so is it wrong to assume they need to be comfortable?

Also I am interested if you can find out what saddles they (or a majority) of them use. Same reason. There saddles are all the lightest weight minimalist ones out there yet they ride so much.

I am just a little confused with the comfort vs. performance thing when these guys ride way more then anyone on these forums. They should be the ones needing all the comfort they can get yet they seem to have all the most uncomfortable products out there.

Thanks

iluvfreebeer

They're usually riding a lot more than 80 miles a day and they get paid to win, not be comfortable.
Suffering is a BIG part of racing.

KingFoo

Boonen's Tarmac:



There's lotsa good info in the "Tech" section of cyclingnews.

jamesjems

They're not necessarily comfortable, they're built for efficiency. And their bodies are tuned, as best as they can be, for riding 130-160+ miles per day for days on end. Their frames are stiff, especially in the bottom bracket area, but, as a nice accident of technology, the carbon fiber material they use, by and large, is a pretty comfortable material.

Still, there's only so much comfort to be found on the Tour. Notice the drop-out rate of the world's best riders. While it's impossible for us, it's nearly so for them too.

You can get those same frames, by the way. Depending on the manufacturer, and the year, you can purchase the same exact bike, set up pretty close as the pro bikes. You've got to do a bit of reasearch, though.

bbattle

The Orbea Orca of Euskaltel Euskadie

bbattle

Leipheimer's Madone

bbattle

David Millar's TT bike

Jinker

Maybe it's the seatmast effect, but it looks like there's a lot less seatpost showing on this bike than I'm used to seeing on pro's bikes recently. I'm guessing he's REAAAALLY stretched out with less drop than many?

ed073

short rider = less post showing


BTW, what's the "seatmast effect"? I've been folliowing pro cycling for 20 years but that's a new one.

shapelike

See how the bike *almost* has an integrated seatpost, but it's got a stubby post sticking up from the collar? The integrated bit is the seatmast.

CL39

How much of a trouble is it for a rider from one team, using one brand of bikes for the entire team, and then switching to another team that uses a different bike? Is it a big deal, is there a noticable change in their ride efficiency?

ed073

Meh....Colnago was making those for Urs Freuler and Edwig Van Hooydonck in the '80s.

biffstephens

Not all of the team is using the Orca.....I am not sure why either...last year they rode the Opal...this year I have seen a new Orca though...still not sure why all the different models...

Rotten Bastard

I think Specialized built a custom frame for Tom Boonen for the Tour. Also, the riders are usually riding in a tight pack with all the drafting/aero benefits that entails (not that it makes the rides easy or anything).

donrhummy

https://www.cyclingnews.com/ always has articles on the bikes of the tour.

SpecializedOkie

How about this....

AG2R Prevoyance- b'Twin Racing (FC700 Pro)
Agritubel- MBK (RD1200)
Astana- BMC (pro machine)
Barloworld- Cannondale (System Six)
Bouygues Telecom- Time (VXR Proteam)
Caisse D' Epargne- Pinarello (dogma)
Cofidis- Time (VXR Proteam)
Credit Agricole- Look (535)
CSC- Cervelo (Soloist)
Discovery Channel- Trek (Madone)
Euskatel/Euskadi- Orbea (Opal)
Francaise Des Jeux- Lapierre (X-Lite 500)
Gerolsteiner- Specialized (Tarmac)
Lampre/Fondital- Wilier (Cento)
Liquigas- Cannondale (system six)
Milram- Colnago (Extreme Power)
Predictor/Lotto- Ridley (Noah)
Quickstep/Innergetic- Specialized (Tarmac)
Rabobank- Colnago (Extreme Power)
Saunier Duval/Prodir- Scott (Addict)
T-Mobile- Giant (TCR advanced team)

Vinokurtov

Saddles are mostly Flite's or something close, a lot of Arione's, with a smattering of SLR's in there.

As road frames go, some are pretty nice rides, the Look, Time, and Trek products being comfortable for long distances, as was the older Orca, and the Lapierre. The new Scott Addict also tested very plush bike for long rides, the old Scott CR-1 was pretty harsh, the BMC is noted as being a hard riding bike also.

Tarmac, Giant, and Soloist are in the middle.

^^^The Pin's are a combo platter of Dogma's and Paris depending on the rider.

I've ridden a fair amount on a number of the frames above and have friends who are owners of several more. I'm currently on a Time and it's an easy bike to get on for 4-6 hours.

daredevil

Um, a bit off topic, but what's supporting the bike in that photo?

How'd they do that?

justinb

They just roll it out there, then snap a quick photo before the bike falls down...

... actually, there's a well-placed stick on the non-driveside pedal

ed073

team sponsorship restricts saddle choice for most of the bunch

classic1

timhines

When you look at team bikes just remember, most guys will adjust their own seat when they go pick up their bike. A handful of pictures on cyclingnews this year of people doing it (I know I saw one of levi doing it).

Read the article about boonens bike on cycling news. I'm too lazy to link it, but it's on the top left of the page.

merlinextraligh

Velonews' TDF Guide has a team by team guide with the bikes they ride.

This is the frame T Mobile rides, although the color scheme is reversed.

erader

the boss of the bosberg !

ed rader

Rotten Bastard

I've read that some riders use their preferred brand of bikes, then have them re-badged with decals from their own team's sponsor's logos.

Also, to answer the OP's question about the tiny saddles, the riders use those because there's less surface area for their legs to rub against and chafe. The reason for using hard saddles sounds counter-intuitive, too, but with a squishy saddle, your rump will sink into it and experience more overall pressure. The harder saddle keeps the pressure limited to your sit bones.