Pinarello has released details of a new time trial bike, the Sibilo, that will debut at the Tour de France under Alejandro Valverde of the Movistar squad.
The Sibilo is the second high-end TT bike from the Italian manufacturers in less than two months, following the Pinarello Bolide, which was developed with and used by Team Sky.
Early details suggest a close relationship with the Bolide, including airfoil tubes, track bike-style rear-dropouts and a so-called ‘concave back’ allowing the wheel to sit closer to the frame are common traits.
However, the Sibilo also carries some aerodynamic refinements over the Sky bike. The front brake has been further integrated into the fork, making for an even sleeker leading edge, and the seatstay cluster has been refined – the rear brake has been shifted to the chainstays, which removes the need for the fairing seen on the Bolide.
The bulky Campagnolo EPS battery seems to have caused a headache, however, and is mounted awkwardly at the bottom of the down tube.
Pinarello has not made any claims on aerodynamic or weight improvements of the Sibilo over the Bolide – or the bike they both supersede, the Graal.
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Elsewhere, the Sibilo apes properties of the Bolide. It uses the same Torayca 65HM1K carbon, has internally routed cables, a stiff BB86 bottom bracket and 1 1/8in headset bearings, and is also compatible with mechanical and electronic groupsets.
Two top-end time trial bikes is an unusual range configuration but stems from Pinarello sponsoring two WorldTour teams: the Bolide had significant input from Team Sky, while the Sibilo was developed internally by Pinarello.
Sam started as a trainee reporter on daily newspapers in the UK before moving to South Africa where he contributed to national cycling magazine Ride for three years. After moving back to the UK he joined Procycling as a staff writer in November 2010.
