Australian Adam Hansen is certainly the only pro who hand makes his own carbon shoes. There's nothing lighter(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Giant-Alpecin team were treated to ice vests prior to the race starts. Unfortunately for Koen de Kort (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The custom Nike cycling shoes of British rider Adam Blythe. Can't miss 'em(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Ryder Hesjedal moves from Shimano to Bontrager footwear for 2016. This upper looks like a 'RL', but knowing how much of a stickler for weight and bike setup Ryder is, we suspect there's more to this picture(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Scott's new 'Road RC' shoes as used by an FDJ rider(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Track pump? That's just too hard! This FDJ mechanic had this hand held electric air pump (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Trek-Segafredo arrived at Tour Down Under with a fleet of custom 'ProjectOne' bikes. Each rider received a bike in their respective national colours(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Most Specialized-sponsored riders were using the new S-Works 6 shoes(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Another Drapac rider - Graeme Brown representing the Aussies before the race. We recently took a detailed look at Brown's special SwiftCarbon bike, you'll find it in our 2016 Tour Down Under tag page(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
close look at Kask's upcoming sunglasses. As modelled by young Drapac spinter Brenton Jones (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
First race of the season and more than a few riders are still tweaking their positions and setups(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Not all pros use super skinny, ultra light saddles. Comfort is a priority(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Some of the Focus Izalco Max bikes of AG2R La Mondiale had the new Focus Concept CPX Plus comfort seatpost(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Trick brake cabling from Lotto-Soudal on this Ridley Helium SL. This sealed system is Jagwire's Elite Link(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Cervelo S5 of DimensionData rider Mark Renshaw had the South African charity - Qhubeka - ghosted into the top tube (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The custom painted Pinarello of Two-time British road national champion - Peter Kennaugh(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
CeramicSpeed's ultra-fast, and ultra-expensive pulley wheels as used by Nathan Haas of DimensionData. We did a full feature on the Australian's bike just a few days ago(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Rotor is busy testing a new dual-leg version of its new spindle-based power meter(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Many teams, including Sky, travel with cumbersome sizing and setup tools. Surprisngly, these are typically a compact version of the jigs used in European races(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Drapac on Speedplay's new Walkable Aero cleats(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Kask's new sunglasses clearly fit within the brand's Protone helmet(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Team BMC had this neat bottle back pack, we're not sure if it's actually made by Elite though(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The personal TeamMachine SLR01 of BMC owner Andy Rihs(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Tinkoff rider Michael Valgren was wearing the new Specialized Sub6 laced shoes(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Business as usual up front for Adam Hansen. His unusual setup has always been this aggressive (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
From the timetrial saddle before, to a regular Selle Italia Flight (slammed forward). Hansen admits it's still early days in finding the right replacement perch(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Adam Hansen and the Lotto-Soudal team moved from San Marco to Selle Italia saddles for 2016. We saw Hansen on a variety of saddles during the week of racing(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
And here's the new Scott Foil with its own Syncros stem setup(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Whereas race winners Orica-GreenEdge were on the older Scott Foil, IAM Cycling were riding the new. The new head tube design clearly doesn't allow for the use of ultra-steep negative stems(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Enve are now supplying cockpit components to DimensionData. Not so new, but the Enve SES Aero road handlebar is still worth a share(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The high heat of Adelaide in January means many riders wore ultra-thin summer kit. Wearing sunscreen beneath is a must (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
SRM-sponsored teams were seen with the still relatively new PC8 computer(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Some DimensionData riders, including Nathan Haas, had wheels with the American brand's new carbon hubs. No lies, we want these(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Even the bikes of pros show cosmetic damage. Here, this Team Sky Pinarello shows some scratching from grit/rocks caught in the tyre(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
This is the travel tool box of mechanic Rune Kristensen, he's head of the Tinkoff service course. Those orange-handled hex keys are from italian brand 'Beta', and yes, they're expensive(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Tour Down Under mechanics pits are unique in terms of public access and how close all the teams are next to each other(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The mechanic at Ettix-Quick Step had this clever approach to Shimano Di2 battery charging. It's a USB laptop/mobile charging battery with Di2 chargers zip tied in place(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Canadian tech company, 4iiii, are now in the WorldTour. Note the prototype driveside power meter. We covered this in detail last week (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Drapac Pro Cycling are sponsored by WD-40 Bike. Despite the overly hot and dusty conditions, it seems the long-lasting wet lube is a preferred choice(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
One handy trick from a Tinkoff mechanic. Use a dental pick and some quality super glue to fill in those tyre cuts (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Long travel distances and plenty of luggage means mechanics need to travel light wherever they can. Many mechanics bring minimal tool rolls and bags instead of the usual oversized cases (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Team Lampre-Merida had the new Merida Ssssss-Flex seatpost in use (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The 2016 Tour Down Under is done and dusted and the cogs of the WorldTour are now truly turning. In between specific feature stories and in-depth pro bikes, there were a few things that grabbed our attention while in Adelaide, Australia. From Kask's all-new sunglasses to Adam Hansen's saddle woes, read on.
Kask sunglasses
Italian cycling helmet specialists are soon to join the eyewear game. While not the first helmet brand to expand into eyewear, Kask’s new yet-to-be-named sunglasses do look interesting.
Seen on the faces of the Drapac Pro Cycling team, the new sunglasses offer a wide wrap-around shape that appears to offer great peripheral vision.
We were quickly shown the function of these glasses, where the arms actually pivot in a 180-degree circle to fold. With such a unique action, the arms also feature multiple height positions and the nose bridge is adjustable too.
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Many Kask helmet owners have previously complained of the retention system commonly fouling on the arms of longer eyewear. Not surprisingly, Kask’s new eyewear appears to have short arms, and should prove a welcome solution to a common problem.
With Team Sky also in Kask helmets, we suspect there may be a few more riders wearing the eyewear in the near future. For now, the eyewear is still in prototype phase, with exact details to be released in the coming months.
Saddle woes
Having now ridden a record-breaking 13 GrandTours in a row, Adam Hansen certainly knows a thing or two about time in the saddle. For 2016, Hansen’s Lotto-Soudal team swapped from San Marco to Selle Italia saddles and it seems the Australian is still searching for a suitable replacement of his chosen San Marco Concor.
Hansen notoriously has one of the most extreme setups in the WorldTour and is extremely hands-on with his equipment, as evident by the fact he makes his own 'Hanseeno' shoes.
During the week of racing at the Tour Down Under, we spotted at least three different Selle Italia saddles in use by Hansen. These included a standard Flite pushed extremely forward on its rails, to a snub-nose Kronos time trial saddle.
When asked about it, Hansen laughed and said he’s trying to find the right one, having only got on the new (to him) saddles a mere three weeks ago. We don’t doubt Hansen will continue to experiment with different Selle Italia saddles and positions in the build up to the next major races.
Power meters
A market that’s just not slowing down, power meters are now seen on the majority of pros bikes during races. At Tour Down Under, we spotted two all-new power meters.
The next was seen on the bikes of Ettix-Quick Step, with 4iiii making their WorldTour debut. With this, the new Precision Pro meter builds on the brand’s current left-only option with a new driveside meter. Read the details of this new prototype 4iiii power meter here.
