Direct Energie joins Lampre-Merida and Roompot with hydraulic discs
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How new are disc brakes to the pro peloton? So new that mechnics haven't yet pulled off the safety stickers(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Roompot has seen more action than any other pro team with hydraulic brakes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Look's aero bars require an ovalized Garmin mount(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Teams get creative with Di2 junction box placement(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
A typical Scheldeprijs set-up for a team leader: mid-depth front and ultra-deep rear(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Venge has its own integrated Garmin mount that neatly integrates Di2(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Etixxx busted out a few Venge ViAS aero bikes for the panacke-flat race(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Bennett came to battle for the win(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sam Bennett went big for Scheldeprijs on wheels and gearing(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
AG2R has been using SRAM eTap for some time(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Francaise des Jeux looked to be getting ready for Roubaix with four riders using Shimano's climbing switch. Perhaps the name should be 'switched' to cobble changer?(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Fizik's new Aliante color scheme looks just fine for a French champion(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The speed of wheels changes is but one of several questions surrounding disc use in the pro peloton(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Direct Energie rode discs for the first time at Scheldeprijs, with all but one rider on Shimano hydraulics(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Vittoria supported six teams with tires at Scheldeprijs. This Pavé, once a very common sight, is being replaced by most teams(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Thomas Boudat was the lone rider on rim brakes for Direct Energie(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Di2 shifting isn't a new sight in the pro peloton — but Shimano hydraulic braking certainly is(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Continental remains as popular as ever the pro peloton, with six teams aboard the German brand's product at Scheldeprijs(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The new graphite-based Corsa tire was being used by many teams in a 25mm width. The 28mm version will come out for Paris-Roubaix(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Roompot Oranje Peloton had the whole team on discs for Scheldeprijs(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The ViAS front brake is effectively a substantial fairing(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Bora Argon 18 was one of many teams on Vittoria's new Corsa tubulars(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Not all pros have fancy name stickers. This is Nick Dougall's bike(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Tyler Farrar's preferred monster stem and mount(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Team Katusha is racing SRAM eTap groups, but with blacked-out Rotor rings. For Scheldeprijs, Alexander Kristoff used a 54/46 ring combination(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Everything about Andre Greipel and his gear is big, including the 35mm Deda bars(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
AG2R's Gediminas Bagdonas raced with the big Garmin Edge 1000 — with a leash, just in case(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Unlike Di2 buttons, which can be nudged from the side, Blip satellites require a direct press, like an elevator button, because the trigger sits within a cylinder(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Katusha has a few different configurations for SRAM's Blip satellite eTap shifters(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
AG2R's Jesse Sergent keeps it relatively simple for data on his Edge 520(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Dougall doesn't have a fancy — or any — top cap for his desired position, either(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
ENVE has a tidy integrated Garmin mount on Cav's bike(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Yes, but you don't have two back-up bodies on the team car…(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
You have your own top cap too, right?(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
More triathlon-inspired anatomic saddles are finding favor in the road peloton these days(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Giant-Alpecin's Nikias Arndt went for Giant's Propel, while other teammates opted for the TCR Advanced SL(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
While most teams raced 25mm tubulars, a few 28mm back-ups were found on team cars(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Team Sky rode a mix of Dogmas and K8s(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Lots of sensors and magnets going on here, between the Pioneer power meter and the Giant cadence/speed sensor (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Mark Cavendish tucks his Di2 junction box well off the stem(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Dimension Data had a fun mix of stem set-ups(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Bagdonas also used Blip shifters, wrapped in electrical tape(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Sandwiched between the cobbled classics of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the pancake-flat Scheldeprijs often plays host to a strange mix of road bike gear as some riders go for the win and others use the event to test equipment for the upcoming cobbles. This year that schism was exemplified by the presence of hydraulic disc brakes mixed in with 80mm aero wheels.
Pro Continental team Direct Energie rolled up to the start line in Antwerp, Belgium with all but one of their riders on 160mm Shimano hydraulic discs. Days before, Lampre-Merida became the first WorldTour squad to run all discs in a major road event. Pro Continental is the division below the top-tier WorldTour. Pro Continental team Roompot-Oranje Peloton has been using SRAM hydraulic brakes off and on this year as well, starting with 160mm rotors and shifting to 140mm recently.
FDJ seemed to be getting the cockpits Roubaix-ready, with four riders using the big Shimano Di2 climbing switch that mounts on the handlebar next to the stem. Some riders favor this satellite shifter for the cobbles as it allows you to shift with your hands on the top. It can be configured to shift the front or the rear, but most opt to use it for the rear derailleur.
In terms of tubulars, nearly all riders raced 25mm models. With the stones of Paris-Roubaix looming just days ahead, a few 28mm tires could be found on spare bikes atop team cars. Vittoria is clearly making a big push with its new Corsa tires with graphite, with six teams using those tires, the same number of teams as using the popular Continental.
For wheels, most riders used either 40, 50 or 60mm aero wheels, with some like Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18) opting for ultra-tall 81mm hoops. The sprinter Bennett was clearly focused on the win on the race at hand, not Paris-Roubaix, with a massive 55t solid Vision chainring on his Argon 18.
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