A mega headtube goes beyond the team's standard bike
Dare Velocity Ace Prototype(Image credit: Will Jones)
Often at big races the really interesting stories come out of smaller teams. At the Uno-X Mobility men's team bus today in Paris-Roubaix we spotted Alexander Kristoff's bike sporting a prototype UCI sticker, indicating it's a new, unreleased model.
To be honest, even without the prototype label it's clearly a new machine, with one of the most chunky head tubes we've seen in the pro peloton, taking advantage of the new rules.
Details are thin on the ground, and the team mechanics were tight-lipped, but we can glean some information for the pictures. Clearly this is a bike with only aero in mind, leaving the team to use the already aero-looking Dare VSRu for all-rounder duties and hillier stages.
Kristoff was using a 56t chainring, setup 1X, very much in keeping with the trend in the men's peloton of using larger chainrings on flatter stages for both aero and drivetrain efficiency reasons.
While the name of the model is unconfirmed, the downtube suggests it will be the 'Velocity Ace'.
The bars however are non-standard. A new cockpit is also coming with this bike, with a massively deep top section, but supplies in Kristoff's chosen 38cm width are limited, so he is using the bar from the VSRu for now.
The head tube is incredibly deep, presumably right at the limit of UCI legality. (Image credit: Will Jones)
A prototype sticker reveals this is definitely a new machine. (Image credit: Will Jones)
The rear wheel sits in the usually scalloped seat post. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Subtle logos on the deeper fork legs. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Kristoff rode a 56t chainring, setup 1x. (Image credit: Will Jones)
It's small, but we think this is the name of the new model. (Image credit: Will Jones)
The clearance to the down tube is still pretty reasonable. (Image credit: Will Jones)
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
