BMC debuted its new Timemachine TT01 during the team time trial.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Specialized showed off a new TT3 aero helmet during the team time trial.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky arrived at the team time trial with these wild looking new bars on their Pinarello Graals.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Specialized's new TT3 aero helmet features a revised shape with pluggable front vents and an optional bolt-on visor.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lampre's Wilier TwinFoil bikes use dual mechanisms for securing the seatpost: a flush-fit internal wedge plus a supplemental clamp that merely rests atop the frame.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new Wilier TwinFoil uses truncated trailing edges - a trend we expect to see even more of in the years to come.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Wilier says the wide spacing on its TwinFoil seat stays helps air pass more cleanly around the spinning rear wheel.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
TRP developed its latest mini-V brakes specifically for applications like Lampre's new Wilier TwinFoil.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Wilier raises the top tube slightly on Lampre's new TwinFoil aero bike to help transition air coming off the back of the stem.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lampre used Wilier's new TwinFoil aero bike in the team time trial.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The very clever front derailleur tab on Lampre's new Wilier TwinFoil is adjustable for angle to better accommodate different chainring sizes and shapes - the fixing bolt is on the other side of the seat tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adjustable rear dropouts on Lampre's new Wilier TwinFoil are fixed with two bolts per side.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
David Zabriskie's (Garmin-Cervélo) Cervélo P4 is mostly white but with just enough stars and stripes to make it special.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Garmin-Cervélo has to use different seatposts in order to be UCI-compliant - note the shims.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
David Zabriskie's (Garmin-Cervélo) fi'zi:k Ares saddle is supplemented with a non-slip applique.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Team mechanics add a barrel adjuster on the rear brake line for easier tweaks.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Internal routing and clean lines on Sky's new Pinarello Graal integrated carbon aerobars present minimal profile to the wind.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The internally routed cables on Sky's new carbon fiber base bars exit on the underside.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Even the stationary trainers and team vehicles for Sky have been given the green makeover.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky's new Pinarello Graal integrated carbon fiber aerobars are adjustable in length.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 shift buttons are perfectly integrated into the base bars on Sky's Pinarello Graals. For the record, Shimano denies any involvement.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Prologo has provided Sky with matching green saddles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Osymetric chainrings are once again scattered about the peloton at this year's Tour de France but few - if any - are openly marked.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky has changed its team color from blue to green to help draw awareness to its rainforest rescue operation in Brazil.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky's Pinarello Graals may have special Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 shift buttons integrated into the outer base bar pods but the extensions are capped with stock shifter pods. Edvald Boasson Hagen prefers his shift buttons located up top instead of on the inner sides as is usually the case.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Pinarello contends that vertical surfaces cut through the air more efficiently than angled ones.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky's new time trial cockpits have knife-edged carbon fiber brake lever bases molded directly into the dedicated bar.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen gets this custom red, blue, and white Pinarello Graal to use after winning his national time trial championship.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A TRP scissor brake is mounted to the back of the fork crown on Edvald Boasson Hagen's (Sky) Pinarello Graal.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Edvald Boasson Hagen's (Sky) Pinarello Graal is nowhere near the UCI minimum weight limit but many riders prefer to use their power meters full-time anyway.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky is using ceramic bearings on its race bikes at this year's Tour de France.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky's new Pinarello aerobars feature multiple positions for mounting the extensions.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic's new CXR-01 add-on piece fills in the space between the tire and rim, leaving a nearly seamless transition.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Garmin-Cervélo provided time trial specialist David Zabriskie with this red, white, and blue Cervélo P4 to honor his current status as US national time trial champion.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC mechanics carefully inspected each tire before the team time trial, extracting any bits of glass or other material with a pick in order to prevent punctures down the road.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Flip-flop stem heads in different sizes and interchangeable shims and wedges provide the bar position adjustment on the BMC Timemachine TT01.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The modular stem on the redesigned BMC Timemachine TT01 allows for a wide range of bar positions with a single molded carbon fork structure. Aerodynamics look to be a bit compromised when the stem stub is flipped up though we expect any additional drag to be modest at best - if significant at all once a rider is on board.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new BMC Timemachine TT01 uses a telescoping seatpost.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The steering angle on BMC's new Timemachine TT01 is rather limited - though at racing speeds, there's so little movement involved that it's unlikely to ever be an issue. Stops are built into the sides of the top tube to protect the edges of the fork.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Moving the rear brake down below the chain stays allowed BMC to equip the new Timemachine TT01 with a much cleaner rear end.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear derailleur cable (or wire, in this case) is run through the entire length of the chain stay on BMC's revamped Timemachine TT01.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC tucks a set of mini-V brakes underneath the chain stays on its new Timemachine TT01.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The front brake is hidden inside the fork on the new BMC Timemachine TT01.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC team leader Cadel Evans has such an aggressive position on his time trial bike that BMC had to custom mold a fully one-piece carbon fiber fork/stem/aerobar just for him.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The top tube uses BMC's trademark T-shaped profile. The down tube is dropped close enough to the front wheel that a cutout is needed.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The BMC Timemachine TT01 includes a dedicated compartment in the back of the seat tube for a Shimano Di2 battery.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC's new Timemachine TT01 is designed to work with standard 31.8mm bars, not a proprietary setup.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC chief technical officer Rolf Singenberger claims the subtle step just behind the leading edge of the tubes creates just enough turbulent air to smooth airflow around the tube relative to a smooth surface. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lapierre has built a Shimano Di2 battery compartment into the down tube of its new Aerostream.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
David Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervélo) used Mavic's new CXR 80 front wheel on the way to victory in the team time trial.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new Mavic CXR 80 uses a carbon-bodied front hub with aluminum flanges and straight-pull bladed stainless steel spokes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
David Zabriskie's (Garmin-Cervélo) AceCo K-Edge chain catcher had its logos filed off by the mechanics.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
David Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervélo) went with a solid spider and outer chainring for Sunday's team time trial.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The front end of Garmin-Cervélo time trial specialist David Zabriskie's Cervélo P4 is fitted with 3T bars.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A number of riders in this Tour de France had to resort to adjustable stems to achieve their desired time trial positions.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Garmin-Cervélo and Liquigas-Cannondale team bikes were fitted with new 80mm-deep Mavic carbon tubular front wheels along with clever snap-on fairings that fill the gap in between the tire and rim.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Some Garmin-Cervélo time trial bikes were equipped with Enduro's ultra-durable XD-15 bottom brackets.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Campagnolo introduced its new 11speed-compatible bar-end shifters several months ago but many riders are still using the old setup.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The base of the Lapierre Aerostream integrated seatmast includes a little cutout.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lapierre uses an intriguing bolt-on, replaceable integrated seatmast on its new Aerostream model for team FDJ.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
FDJ's Lapierre Aerostream uses a conventional rear brake caliper but moves it to the top of the chain stays.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The FDJ team used Lapierre's new Aerostream during Stage 2.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adjustable fork tips on the new Lapierre Aerostream allow for customizable handling.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
FDJ mechanics used a fair bit of tape to clean up the wiring on the front of the team's new Lapierre Aerostream time trial bikes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC took to the start line of the team time trial aboard a brand new version of its Timemachine TM01 flagship aero bike. This revamped machine still wears a cutting-edge aesthetic but now with a far greater level of component integration, tweaked tube shapes, and easier fit adjustability than before.
As is the case with many of the latest dedicated time trial bikes, the TM01 is distinguished by its admirably clean appearance. Aside from a few bits of wiring harness and very short sections of brake housing, there are no visible control lines anywhere on the bike – everything is fed from the bars straight into the frame beneath a tidy cap behind the stem and the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 battery is tucked safely away in a dedicated pocket inside the seat tube.
As on the original TT01, BMC retains the use of an external steerer tube but now the fork crown also houses an integrated brake caliper. Out back, a special set of mini-V brakes are neatly blended into the chain stays and effectively 'hidden' from the wind by a slight down tube extension.
BMC tucks a set of mini V-brakes underneath the chainstays on their new Timemachine TT01
BMC also manages to carry over its trademark T-shaped top tube profile but aside from that, the rest of the frame is distinctly more angular with a far less organic form than before – particularly where the dropped seat stays join with the seat tube. Running along the sides of the fork blades, external fork steerer, seat tube, telescoping seatpost, and seat stays is a subtle rib just behind the leading edge.
According to BMC, this 'tripwire' feature creates just a hint of turbulent air that then helps smooth airflow over the rest of the tube. Trailing edges, on the other hand, are slightly truncated .
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
BMC is also emphasizing the new bike's easier adjustability. Aside from a pair of custom-molded fully one-piece front ends built only for the team, bar position can be adjusted via several bolt-on stem stubs, which can also be flipped over for additional positions or spaced out and angled via interchangeable shims and wedges.
To better accommodate the fit-divergent time trial and triathlon markets, the telescoping seatpost also offers four different offset positions.
Other features include a BB30-compatible bottom bracket shell, built-in rotational stops on the top tube to prevent fork damage in a crash, and adjustable-length rear-entry dropouts.
BMC chief technical officer Rolf Singenberger says consumer versions will be available beginning this September.
The modular stem on the redesigned BMC Timemachine TM01 allows for a wide range of bar positions with a single molded carbon fork structure
Mavic "CX01 Technology" minds the gap
Mavic-sponsored teams Garmin-Cervélo and Liquigas rocketed around Cholet with new 80mm-deep carbon tubular front wheels featuring a notably wide profile, carbon bodied hubs, bladed stainless steel spokes and – thank you! – externally accessible alloy nipples. Mavic was mum on the official name but taking a closer look at the blacked-out labels reveals that it will be called the CXR 80 at its expected debut later this year at Eurobike.
Almost more intriguing than the wheel itself, however, was the 'CX-01' snap-on fairing that fills in the gap between the tire and rim bed. Mavic hasn't offered up technical information on exactly how much of an aerodynamic advantage this may provide but we suspect it's rather modest. Regardless, it certainly can't hurt, it seems relatively easy to install and also looks to be compatible with other tire makes and models.
Garmin-Cervélo and Liquigas-Cannondale team bikes were fitted with new 80mm-deep Mavic carbon tubular front wheels along with clever snap-on fairings
Lampre puts new Wilier TwinFoil to the test at Le Tour
After a short stint on fairly generic aero bikes at last year's Tour de France – mechanics told us the old Cobb-designed frame ran into trouble with the UCI – Lampre gave its new UCI-approved Wilier TwinFoil aero machines a second major test at this year's Tour de France team time trial.
One of the major distinguishing features of the new bike is the TT-specific TRP integrated mini-V rear brake, which has been moved down below the chain stays behind the bottom bracket and whose shape blends in nicely with the rest of the frame for smoother airflow. Relocating the brake also allowed for more dramatic seat stay shaping and like other companies that have made similar moves, Wilier pushes those stays further apart to supposedly minimize air turbulence created by the rear wheel.
The clever front derailleur tab on Lampre's new Wilier TwinFoil is adjustable for angle to better accommodate different chainring sizes and shapes
Shaping up front is fairly conventional with deep fork blades and internally routed cables that enter on the sides of the aero-profile down tube. However, Wilier raises the top tube to better blend with the stem – a move Specialized made a while back on its old Transition.
Other features include a telescoping aero carbon post with both an external clamp and internal wedge to secure it in place, sliding rear dropouts to tighten up the gap between the tire and seat tube, and a clever rotatable front derailleur mount to better accommodate bigger or non-round chainrings.
Stunningly sleek front ends with integrated Di2 shift buttons for Sky's Pinarello Graal
Team Sky's Pinarello Graals arrived in Cholet with new carbon fiber and aluminum cockpit setups that took excellent advantage of the engineering flexibility afforded by Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 system.
The fresh one-piece base carbon fiber bar and stem featured not only knifelike brake levers molded directly into the outer pods but also prototype Di2 shifter pods blended seamlessly into the rest of the structure with small, uncharacteristically rounded buttons – standard Shimano shifter pods were fitted to the extension ends.
Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 shift buttons are perfectly integrated into the base bars on Sky's Pinarello Graals. For the record, Shimano deny any involvement
There's no word, however, on whether these particular bits will be made available to the public and Shimano representatives that happened to be on site denied any involvement on the project. Assuming that's truly the case, this may very well be a Sky team exclusive.
Additional features with the new Sky Graal front ends include sculpted, stackable aluminum spacers for extension and pad height, telescoping extension mounts with collet-type clamps, at least six extension width positions, internal cable routing, and adjustable stem length.
FDJ debuts fresh Lapierre aero machines
FDJ's new Lapierre Aerostorm bikes made their debut Tour de France appearance during the team time trial after first making the rounds at last year's trade show circuit.
Certainly elements bear a resemblance to other machines: the tightly tucked and kinked chain stays (Scott Plasma), the rear brake caliper placement atop the chain stays and behind the bottom bracket shell (original Felt DA), and the raised top tube that presumably helps smooth out airflow off the back of the stem (Specialized Transition).
The FDJ team used Lapierre's new Aerostream during Stage 2
Other design features are most definitely unique to Lapierre, however, including the peculiar laid-back seat tube with its replaceable, bolt-on – and bolt upright – integrated seatmast with a two-position head. In addition, the fork is built with front loading horizontal tips for user-tunable rake and handling and Shimano Di2 users will find a handy compartment in the down tube for the battery.
Specialized shows off new TT3 aero helmet
Specialized-sponsored riders raced around Cholet using the company's latest TT3 aero helmet. As compared to the current TT2, the new model features a more rounded profile with fewer kinks to disrupt airflow, less angular earflaps, smaller rear vents, a lower rear cover, a bolt-on visor, and pluggable front vents when reducing drag is of the utmost importance.
Specialized's new TT3 aero helmet features a revised shape with pluggable front vents and an optional bolt-on visor
