Team Sky leader finalises position and bike spec at the Tour of the Alps
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Chris Froome's Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light for 2018(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Froome is using the Tour of the Alps as preparation for his Giro d'Italia title challenge(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Fizik supply Team Sky with their full range of saddles, depending on rider preference(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Stickers on the hubs of Froome's wheels denote his first choice race wheels(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
The F10 X-Light has limited decals and paint to further reduce weight(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
The Most integrated cockpit is paired with Most handlebar tape and proprietary bar ends(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Chris Froome's bikes feature a rhino on the head tube cluster to promote a wildlife charity(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Unlike the regular Dogma F10s, the F10 X-Light only features Team Sky's data driven pattern at the front end of the bike and no white paint on the inside of the main frame triangle(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
The carbon protection plate is made specifically for a 560mm frame(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Froome varies rim depth of the Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 wheels depending on race scenarios but will nearly alwats race with 25mm Continental Competition ALX tyres(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Chris Froome runs 175mm Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 cranks(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Stages provide Chris Froome's bike with a dual-sided power meter(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Froome runs a deconstructed Di2 climbing switch on the front of his handlebars for ease of shifting while climbing(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Froome has lowered his handlebars for the 2018 season(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Additional plates of carbon and a K-Edge chain catcher ensure the chain stays on Froome's Ossymetric chainrings(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Pinarello have produced a prototype direct-mount rear derailleur hanger for the Dogma F10(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
The F10 X-Light is a lighter version of the Pinarello Dogma F10 frameset(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
A Di2 junction port sits on the down tube of the frame(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Pinarello's sister brand Most provides Team Sky with their cockpit components for the 2018 season(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Shrink wrapped cables keep the front end of Chris Froome's bike tidy(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Froome has been running Ossymetric chainrings for several seasons(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
A Team Sky decal sits at the top of the seat stays(Image credit: Stephen Farrand / Immediate Media)
Froome is again riding a Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light frameset that was introduced in time for last year’s Tour de France. It is equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 series components, a Pinarello Most integrated cockpit, Ossymetric chainrings, Shimano wheels and a Fizik Antares saddle.
Team Sky head mechanic Gary Blem was with Froome at the Tour of the Alps, ready to make minor tweaks to Froome’s position between stages and to listen to feedback and suggestions. Froome is apparently lower on his handlebars this year but Blem is awaiting a final decision before cutting the extra few millimetres off his steering tube. In 2017 Froome's Dogma F10 ran 15mm of spacers below his stem.
Pinarello claims to have shaved 60g from the F10 frame by using a lighter carbon that has minimal resin and a new mould process. Pinarello say that an unpainted X-Light weighs 760g in a size 53cm. A minimal paint and decal finish compared to the regular F10, plus other weight weeny tricks keep the weight down but it is still not close to the UCI 6.8kg limit that other WorldTour teams flirt with.
Team Sky used Shimano Pro handlebar and stem components in 2017 but have switched to Pinarello’s Most brand this year. Froome’s Grand Tour bike has a Most Talon Aero 1K integrated set up with a deep, forward throwing curve.
Froome appears to have copied the likes of Adam Hansen and his use of narrow bars for better aerodynamics. For 2018 he is using relatively narrow 38cm bars that splay out a little wider on the drops.
The carbon fibre integrated bar has new cable routing, with a thicker central section and integrated bar ends to give smooth and tidy finish when wrapped in bar tape. Most also provide the smooth black bar tape on Froome’s bike while K-Edge provide an out-front computer mount.
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Froome has multiple shifting options via the Di2 levers, hood buttons and a carefully deconstructed Shimano Di2 climbing switch. The two-button device switch was glued onto the rear of the tops of his bars in 2017 and activated by Froome’s right thumb. However, due to the different shape of the Most bars and after trying other positions, the changer is now on the front of the bars. It is not elegant but Froome clearly considers it a vital tool on climbs.
The Ossymetric chain rings make Froome’s bike easy to spot when lined up with those of his teammates. The extra chain slap produced by the movement of the oval chainrings has obliged the mechanics to do add two carbon fibre plates to the frame. One sits inside the chainrings above the bottom bracket, with another protecting the chain stay where the chainrings pass close to the frame. The two plates are not pretty to look at but combined with a K-Edge chain catcher means there is virtually no room for the chain to slap or jump from the chainrings.
Interestingly, Froome's bike is also equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace 9070 Di2 front derailleur as opposed to the current Dura-Ace R9100 series component. Shimano say the component's cage better handles Froome's choice of Ossymetric chainrings.
At the rear end of the bike, the Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 rear derailleur is used in conjunction with a prototype direct-mount derailleur hanger produced by Pinarello and first seen on Geraint Thomas' Paris-Roubaix machine.
The Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 175mm cranks are fitted with a Stages dual-sided power meter, with Froome using 52/38 chainrings and an 11-30 cassette for the mountains of the Tour of the Alps.
The Shimano wheels are fitted with the tried and trusted Continental Competition ALX 25mm tubulars. Froome’s wheel hubs have his name and a Union Jack flag on them to denote his personal race wheels.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for a closer look at Froome's bike.
Frame: Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Brake/shifter levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Satellite shifter: deconstructed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 climber switch Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 with prototype hanger from Pinarello Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, 11-30t Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 with 52/38t Ossymetric rings, 175mm cranks Power meter: Stages Dura-Ace R9100 dual-sided Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Tubulars: Continental Competition ALX, 25mm Integrated bar/stem: Pinarello Most Talon Aero 1K Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 Saddle: Fizik Antares R1 Seatpost: Pinarello Dogma F10 Bottle cages: Elite Custom Race Plus Computer mount: K-Edge Other accessories: K-Edge chain catcher
Critical measurements
Rider height: 1.86m Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 790mm Seat tube (BB centre to seat tube top): 560mm Effective top tube length: 565mm Head tube length: 165mm Tip of saddle nose to bars: 580mm
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
