- Many bike brands offer a specifically aerodynamic frame
and a specifically lightweight frame,
for climbing, one assumes.
For example, Trek's Madone versus Trek's Emonda.
But the question of which bike is quicker on which course
is a bit more complex than simply mountains versus flat.
In fact, it takes quite a lot of complex analysis.
So we thought, who better to ask
about which bike to use on what kind of course
than those really at the cutting edge of performance?
So in the Giro d'Italia, we asked
some world tour team mechanics
which bike their riders use depending on the course.
(steady drum set rhythm)
(cheering)
Here we are talking to a mechanic from Trek-Segafredo.
He's gonna describe to us why riders choose certain bikes
for certain stages and different bikes for other stages.
I can see you've got different bikes here.
You've got the Emonda for some riders
and the aero bike for others.
Do they get to choose on a daily basis?
- They have three bikes here in the Giro,
so if they prefer an Emonda they have two Emondas
and one Madone, and then they can choose
each stage what they want.
Like today, we have four Emondas, four Madones.
It's all the way up and down.
And then they can choose also the height of the wheels.
The biggest difference is the Emonda is climbing bike,
so the weight is a little bit lower than the Madone,
and it's built to be in the mountains,
so they can choose what they want, yeah.
- But do your Emondas have weights in
to make them 6.8 kilos?
- With the disc brake bikes, I think
only the really low sizes we need to put some weight in.
Depends on which wheels they ride.
And of course we have also the Velon device in the Giro,
what is included in the 6.8.
- And the Madone, how much does it come in at,
wit the deep section wheels, how much of a weight penalty
do they pay for using the aero bike?
- If they ride six centimeter high wheels,
the bike is around 7.3, 7.4.
If you compare them with a 6.8 bike,
in the mountains, can make a small difference,
yes, for sure.
- How late can the rider tell you,
if they decide five minutes before the start
to change bike, you're a bit (bleep), I think.
- They can do that, but we prefer not,
and also, they have only one power meter, so the crank, yes.
And then they ride through stage without power meter.
But of course they are the king, so we do what they want.
But we prefer the day before.
- Yeah, better to know the day before.
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I was going to ask you whether your riders, in general,
prefer the S5 or the R5, or whether they get to choose
by each race through the season.
- Yeah, it's a big mix. A few guys
really like the S5, others do the R5.
Sometimes they mix, some guys
stay the whole year on one bike.
It's just what they-- they can choose.
- So any rider who you think changes bikes,
the most often they look at the stage and they,
oh today, I'm going to be in the wind, I want the aero bike,
or today, mountains, the climbing bike?
- Yeah, or bad roads, or whatever, yeah.
- Which bike do they choose for bad roads?
- Actually, the S5, 'cause they think the R5
is a bit stiffer and harder than the S.
- So which bike have they chosen today for today's stage?
- A mix again.
We've got three or four Rs and we've got
the rest is all S5s.
So it's a mix of things.
We've got two guys, they do it all R5 the whole Giro.
- And what's the weight penalty for the S5,
how much more does it weigh than the R5?
- It's not much different, actually.
If we got really into the margins,
then we've got another set of wheels, an even lower set.
Then they can choose for even lighter weight wheels,
and then sometimes we can get in trouble with it.
But that's for the S5 and the R5.
- So it's more about the ride feel than the weight?
So, it's more that they feel more comfortable, maybe.
- We've got bikes that are actually a bit heavier
in the mounts, but they feel better on it.
So that's what it is.
It's all about the feeling,
not about the weight, in the end.
- Yeah, at the end of the day,
you've got to feel good to ride well.
- Yeah, absolutely.
(upbeat music)
- I wanted to ask you, why are all your riders
on the Giant TCR, and not the Propel?
- Here, we have the team is basically big-form climb,
so guys we're going to help on the climbs are before that.
Nobody here is a real sprinter, so that's the main reason.
We have a few guys who couldn't sprint,
or maybe have the second, third bike a Propel,
but not here.
- So they get to choose which bike to bring to the Giro,
and they chose to bring the TCR.
- Yeah, and basically we have a little bit
in based on what the riders here,
mains climber or supporter for that.
So with the lighter bike, it's comfortable.
So yeah, that's the main reason.
- And how much more heavy is the Propel than the TCR?
- It's not really much more heavy. A little bit.
But it's more aerodynamic,
and, let's say, for climbs they prefer the TCR.
- And it feels different?
You think it's the ride feel as much as the weight,
that they choose the TCR?
- No, it's not just about the weight,
but a little bit about the stiffness, and other points.
All the riders here, they just have,
if I'm not wrong, all just DCX.
(bass heavy music)
(cheering)
- So, in summary, there was actually
more variation than I thought.
Most teams allow their riders
to choose the bike depending on the stage.
And a surprising amount of that choice
appears to be based on ride feel.
Which kind of surprised me.
You'd think that riders would care more about
how fast they go than about how the ride feels.
But there you go.
The other conclusion I draw from this,
is that maybe pro teams aren't actually
the best people to ask about this question,
because of the UCI's minimum weight rule.
So a lot of really lightweight bikes
would have weights in the down tube
just to make sure that it reaches the minimum 6.8 kilos.
And the technology these days,
most aero bikes aren't that much heavier.
So actually the advantages of a lightweight bike,
in terms of weight saving are minimized in pro tour teams.
Well, I hope you found this interesting.
If you want to hear a little bit more about aerodynamics,
why not check out Cy and I making a video
in the wind tunnel in Milan?