Puppy paws & turned-in levers are out, but ultra-narrow super-aero bars are in – and TRed’s TOOT Racing has a UCI-compliant Ashaa RR solution. A bar first developed on the track, the Ashaa RR is a customizable super-narrow, flared & ultra-aero road handlebar designed to get you in the most aerodynamic position, without sacrificing safety or control. To quickly get bars into racers’ hands, Toot 3D-print the handlebars to fit the rider from stainless steel for maximum strength or titanium for additional weight savings.

Or if you have a little patience, weight weenies will be able to get an even lighter carbon Ashaa RR aero handlebar option soon. And it’ll be a lot cheaper too!

TRed’s TOOT Ashaa RR 3D-printed aero road handlebars

Aero gains are everything these days. And refining your position on the bike has always been one of the simplest and most effective ways to save watts. As much as brands like to sweat over the incremental improvements of hidden nipples or tweaked rim profiles, the rider still accounts for most of the drag on a bike at speed.

First developed on the track, then refined on the road

TT & Triathlon racers have long accepted that refining their hand position has been the best way to go faster. But road riders have been stuck with conventional drop bars, as the UCI continues to ban any alternate hand positions.

The latest UCI rules eliminated the “puppy paws” or “invisible aerobars” position for real safety concerns as riders weren’t actually holding onto their bikes in the bunch. So riders opted for turned in levers to keep their hands “on the bars”. But again, lightweight carbon bars were not designed for metal clamps at the unusual inward angles, so that got banned too.

Side note: I’ve both broken a bar off under the clamp in a small crash racing. And removed a ‘factory set’ lever to find the carbon bar crushed under the imperfectly installed metal lever clamp. So, I get the concern.

But pro racers want to go fast. And amateur riders like to emulate their pro cycling heroes. So, there needs to be a solution.

Italian bikebuilder TRed’s component division TOOT has been working on alternate ergonomic and aero handlebars for some time. We last caught up with their Ashaa bar on the track a couple years ago – when the patented it. Updated more last summer. But now, with more UCI restrictions on road racing, the customizable aerodynamic nature of that original bar seems like it could pay off even more. Both for pro and amateur racers alike.

This version then was developed and tested on the road & track with Argentinian former pro cyclist Facundo Lezica working with TRed/Toot’s Romolo Stanco. Then, proven with current Madison World Champ Jan-Willem van Schip.

What’s unique about the TOOT ASHAA RR bar?

TRed calls the TOOT ASHAA RR, the “first handlebar to guarantee an extremely aerodynamic position without compromising control and safety.” That gets to addressing all of the UCI’s concerns, it seems.

It is built around a unique narrow geometry that puts your hands further forward, higher, and closer together, than even a narrow conventional 38-42cm bar (all dimension discussed are measured center-to-center) at the hoods.

Note: UCI regulation dictates allowable outside dimensions for racing eligibility, which is why Toot lists those.

Ultra-narrow and complexly curved

That means a long bar Reach of 118mm and deep Drop of 105mm. That’s designed to fit with your same stem – your arms reach more forward as hands come closer together.

Width is wildly narrow at around 24cm wide at the hoods, which are slightly raised above the stem. Then, they lean the bars themselves in around 5° towards a clamping area, further rotated in another 5-10° to safely interface with turned-in levers – resulting in the end of your hoods being 19-21cm wide.

Wow, right?

Super narrow.

But the Ashaa RR road racing bars also feature dramatic (for the road) ~20° flare for a stable sense of control. Officially it is not “flare” as Toot explains that it is a non-linear curve (a key part of their patent). There are very few real straight angles on the bar. But the result is that it puts the ends of the drops 33-35cm wide. And the roomy drops feature angles to offer a natural-feeling position and plenty of stability.

It’s certainly a dramatically different position – something in between regular drops and aero bars. Yet even though you are narrow and leaning forward, the rider can keep their hands firmly held in the familiar stable position of a dropbar for maximum control.

How Much Faster?

“Both with low and high grip the position is stable and comfortable with perfect handling. From the data collected with the Velocomp Aeropod V5 pitot system – which detects the CdA in real time – my overall aerodynamic efficiency improves by more than 4%. This means that if with a normal 40cm handlebar at 320W I am at 45km/h, with the position that this handlebar allows me to assume (both on the controls and on the handlebar) I ride at 47km/h keeping the levers perfectly aligned with the handle. And remember that the more the speed increases, the wider the gap between the two values is.”

– Facundo Lezica, professional track & road cyclist, and ASHAA RR 3D designer

3D-Printing Tech

Of course, 3D-printing allowed TRed / Toot to quickly turn an idea into reality. But it also means they can customize the actual shape to best fit riders individually – much like we see in custom aero bars. But it is a bit simpler here, Toot refines a proposed shape with a custom bar buyer, then mocks-up a plastic dummy for final testing before printing a metal bar.

Their standard 3D-printed Ashaa RR is made from 316L stainless steel, which allows Toot to tailor strength & stiffness to individual rider needs as well. They say that can vary total bar weight from 360-480g.

They print each steel or ti bar in two interlocking halves, welded together in the middle (see inside, between where the stem clamps), and then ground perfectly smooth for a 31.8mm clamping area.

How strong is that?

This is a 3D-printed Toot Asheeta steel track bar I saw after a massive crash into the barriers last summer at something like 50km/hr, so hard that if folded-in the downtube (but didn’t crack any tubes or welds). And the bar is just scratched. And the ride walked away, although bleeding and missing some skin.

All bars are also compatible with full internal cable routing. In fact, Toot can also make you a custom carbon, aluminum, or titanium stem in any desired length to work with the most common internal routing systems.

Fully customizable in 3D-printed steel

They 3D-print the Ashaa RR in stainless steel in Italy at the University of Pavia. And offer either in this stock geometry. Or you can get a fully customizable size and shape to make it fit perfectly in your own hands and against your own forearms. Importantly, all custom bars are also stress and fatigue test certified by a industry 3rd party.

Toot even says that it can “also be customized for gravel“. We’re quite curious what we’d change to ride off-road. But at this price, they’ll make it whatever shape you need.

Lighter weight in Yottalight 3D-printed titanium

The bar is also available in the standard dimensions as the Toot Ashaa RR Yottalight. 3D-printed in titanium in Germany by ApWorks (a division of the Airbus group) to save weight without sacrificing strength. Weight savings over the optimized steel version is said to be about 15%.

More affordable AND lighter in carbon

If you want to save weight AND some cash – contrary to everything else in the bike industry – you can even pick carbon, instead. But you will have to wait a little longer. Toot manufactures the carbon bar with more conventional molding techniques. Although for now in 3D-printed steel molds in Italy for the early production. So only the stock size and shape is available. The carbon bar is also 2cm wider with wider wings up top, offering a bit more universal appeal.

Toot Ashaa RR – Pricing, options & availability

Essentially 4 versions of the new Toot Ashaa RR aero road racing handlebar are available. Standard geometry in 3D-printed steel for 1390€. Standard geometry in 3D-printed titanium or custom geometry in 3D-printed steel for 1990€. Or ‘just’ 429€ for the carbon bar if you pre-order now.

The 3D-printed bars are all made-to-order with a max 21 working day lead-time for standard geometry. Toot offers the carbon Ashaa RR bars as a pre-order until mid-February, with the first deliveries slated to begin at the end of Mach 2024.

What’s next?

One piece 3D-printed steel or titanium handlebar+stem cockpit combos?

Yeah, Toot is already working on that too. This is a custom Ashaa RR 1-piece cockpit in 3D-printed titanium!

Performance.TootEngineering.com

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Over the weekend at CX Worlds in Tábor, we spotted a small CeramicSpeed crew meeting with several different teams to talk ceramic bearings and low-friction lubrication AND showing off a next-gen prototype OSPW system. Designed for both road & cyclocross, this new version of their Shimano oversized pulley wheel system upgrade gets solid pulleys and ADR tech inherited from MTB for smoother, longer running…

Prototype updated CeramicSpeed OSPW for Shimano Di2

We’re always psyched to find prototypes in the pro pits. Whether hidden in plain view like the new Campy power meter. Or slightly more incognito like this classic black tape covered derailleur cage. Here, fitted to a Cube Cross Race bike from Team Charles Liégeois, the cyclocross racing offshoot of Intermarché–Wanty. And CeramicSpeed was roaming the pits checking in with mechanics from several top riders. We later caught up with the CeramicSpeed crew. And they said they were checking-in with existing sponsored riders, meeting with potential new partners, and even quietly handing over some product to unsponsored teams who use CeramicSpeed gear without sharing that publicly.

So, what’s new in the OSPW department?

The CeramicSpeed prototype that we spotted is an updated version of their long-running Over-Sized Pulley Wheel (OSPW) upgrade for Shimano rear derailleurs. In fact looking back, it’s been almost a decade since we first spotting the CeramicSpeed OSPW solution for Shimano. And outside of a few changes in pulley teeth numbers, that core curvy carbon cage upgrade hasn’t changed much since.

Now, that appears set to change with a new angular design.

CeramicSpeed suggests that their next-gen OSPW gets more angular aesthetics. That better fits with the shaping of modern road bike groupsets. Even under a strip of black electrical tape, this prototype certainly looks like a better fit with the latest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur, compared to the existing curvy CeramicSpeed cage.

A closer look reveals that both upper and lower pulleys are solid on this prototype. Just like those Alpha pulleys of the recently introduced OSPW X for SRAM MTB Transmissions. We’re not sure. But it looks like the same composite teeth combined to a smooth alloy disc, like on the new MTB system.

This lower pulley is also marked ADR. It features that mountain bike cage’s same Active Debris Remover shaping at the central cover over the bearing. As it’s been described to us, this tangential groove shaping is a patent-pending design that pulls dust, dirt & grit away from the bearing cover as the pulley spins. A self-cleaning solution that promises even longer bearing life

Unlike the mountain bike’s X system with narrow wide teeth, this road OSPW prototype stick with a 19T lower pulley. And appears to keep 13T for the upper pulley.

How else does it differ from the current road OSPW?

Besides the more angular recent mountain bike OSPW cage with solid pulleys & ADR tech, CeramicSpeed’s latest OSPW innovation had been their fully-enclosed Aero cage. Interestingly, that one also broke cover on an Intermarché-Wanty pro’s Cube race bike.

The new road prototypes are also more angular and feature solid pulleys. We’d have to expect that the new design will be heavier – it surely has more material in the pulleys. But time will tell if that is balanced by decreased aero drag, reduced drivetrain friction, or longer bearing life.

We’ll have to wait and see what CeramicSpeed has to say once they make the new design official.

Were there actually CeramicSpeed OSPW-equipped bikes racing in the mud?

To be honest, not many.

No one actually raced this prototype here in the mud, as far as we saw. The team mounted this one to the bike of a rider who wasn’t even at Worlds, I believe. Perhaps as a backup if one of his teammates had any major bike problems.

It may have been just here to tease all the other pro riders about the new tech coming soon. But to be fair, it was so muddy out there, it’s possible that I simply missed it.

With very muddy conditions on the Tábor World Championship course, I can’t imagine there were too many friction-reducing gains to be had in a set of oversized pulleys. At least, those not offset by more real estate to collect mud on. But you know that incremental gains are always there, relative to the baseline standard. And theoretically ceramic bearings should operate more smoothly relatively – the worse conditions get and the more team mechanics clean the bikes with pressure washers.

Anyway, the U23 development team riders of Intermarché–Wanty’s CX team Charles Liégeois were sporting existing OSPW setups.

We also noticed one or two other riders on CeramicSpeed OSPW X. Like this nice SRAM AXS mullet setup. With an X01 MTB derailleur paired to an otherwise Force 1x for the easier gearing to tackle deep mud.

What else do they have up their CeramicSpeed sleeves?

Everywhere they went – ducking in and out of pro team buses – CeramicSpeed was also carrying a small black case full of pulley cages, ceramic bearings, and who knows what else.

Probably some of their UFO Drip wax lube that is quite prevalent in top-tier racing.

We only officially see CeramicSpeed logo stickers on a few pro road and a couple pro XC mountain bike teams. But, we’ve definitely seen OSPW cages on a number of other ‘non-sponsored’ bikes. And against the high cost and focus on aero gains of most pro bikes these days, it seems like a relatively small leap for more pro riders to see if CeramicSpeed can deliver on their promises of incremental gains. Rumor in the peloton – both on- and off-road – suggests that CeramicSpeed supplies a LOT of additional teams. And all the times we saw CeramicSpeed crew pop up all over the CX Worlds pits backs that up.

CeramicSpeed.com

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35 years ago, Chris Cocalis planted the seeds that would eventually give rise to Pivot Cycles. Only back then, it was with a fledgling bike company started by Alan Vaughn called Sun Eagle Bicycle Works. It was here that Cocalis would learn how to build frames with help from Vaughn, which yielded the Sun Eagle Talon.

At the time, the frame was (and still is) a wild design with elevated chainstays that essentially connected to the head tube, and a top tube that didn’t actually reach the head tube. The pink frame shown above is production frame #2 according to MOMBAT, and was built by Alan Vaughn and Chris Cocalis.

After taking in the neon pink tubes, you notice the whimsical mountain bikers painted all over the frame. As the story goes, Chris had the frame powder-coated pink and then handed it off to Dino at Zooloo Graphics (who also did some of the finish work for Fat Chance at the time). Chris didn’t have any idea what to expect, and Dino surprised him with the cyclist cartoon characters.

Built in 1989, this particular bike has been down the waterfall at South Mountain more than 100 times according to Chris, who rode it daily before school (the thought of riding this bike down the Waterfall is frankly terrifying). This same bike has also been hit by a Camaro, leading Chris to angrily shout, “Where’s my Oakleys!?,” before realizing that his ankle was severely broken. We’ve all been there, right?

Somehow, the bike is still in one piece though it was just a frame and fork until recently. After deciding to create a special edition Switchblade, Cocalis decided it was time to rebuild the frame into a complete bike. Fortunately, they found a brand new 1989 Fuji that had just been traded in at Absolute Bikes in Salida, CO. The Talon is still running the original Fat Chance fork, but most of the build kit was sourced from that Fuji.

35th Anniversary Talon (Switchblade)

But we can’t all have our own Sun Eagle Talon, so to pay homage to the original bike, Pivot is offering 300 limited-edition Switchblades.

Available in Team and Pro Builds in both SRAM or Shimano and all with carbon wheels, the Talon 35th Anniversary bikes carry a $200 premium over the standard build which works out to retail prices of $9,199 to $11,599.

If you miss out on one of those 300 bikes, or don’t want to spend the $10k, you can still get your Talon fix with a limited-edition hat and water bottle. If you want the matching hip pack and shades, you’ll have to get those straight from Wave or Pit Viper.

For more on the history of Pivot Cycles, this piece written by Richard Cunningham is a must-read.

pivotcycles.com

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The more time you spend with Pivot’s founder Chris Cocalis, the more you realize that ‘good’ will never be good enough. Nowhere is that on display better than the latest Pivot Switchblade. By most accounts, the previous version was more than just good enough. It was great. 

Yet in typical Pivot fashion, it could be better. It has to be better. That relentless pursuit of perfection is what makes a Pivot a Pivot, and it has yet again taken one of their already-impressive bikes and made it even better. 

At first glance, the new Switchblade doesn’t look all that new. In fact, during testing Pivot had painted the new bike the same colors as the current bike and they were able to test it right out in the open without anyone catching on. 

That isn’t to say that there’s not much to talk about though. Quite the contrary. To get a better understanding of the new bike, first, you have to take a look at the new Pivot headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. 

Pivot’s New Building

When we last saw the building at the launch of the previous Switchblade generation, it was a shell that Chris jokingly refers to as “four good walls.” It took 18 months to build out the 70k+ sq foot building and they moved in just in time for the height of the pandemic. 

The takeaway for me was just how well the finished building seemed to be laid out to improve every workflow from design and prototyping, to building the completed bikes and shipping them out the door. Like the bikes themselves, the new building was clearly obsessed over before Pivot made it into reality. 

Part of that building design is a larger space for their engineers and industrial designers. With that, Pivot is now able to do both prototyping and production modeling in parallel which helps speed up the process. Specifically, it allows for faster last-minute design changes (something that they tend to do often, it seems). 

And if the new Switchblade is what we can expect as a result, it seems that Pivot has truly set itself up for success. 

8 years of Switchblade

First launched in 2016, the Switchblade was what Pivot envisioned as a “big travel 29er.” The definition of a long-travel 29er has changed since then (see: Pivot Firebird), but the original Switchblade was an important bike in Pivot’s history. Not only was it one of the models that Cocalis says “really made a big leap in the size of the company,” but it also ushered in the era of Super Boost Plus. 

At the time, the idea of another new hub standard was borderline sacrilege as the industry had just transitioned to Boost 148 spacing. But Pivot had their reasons. Perennially at the forefront of technical innovations, Cocalis has been instrumental in several new standards over the years (even though he admits that he hates the word, ‘standard’). 

Super Boost Plus is still here

When it came to Boost spacing, both Cocalis, and Pivot’s Director of Engineering, Kevin Tisue have always felt like it was a half-step, stating “Boost got us somewhere, but didn’t get us where it needed to be.” If you ask them, the industry should have skipped right over Boost and gone straight to Super Boost Plus as it provides the needed space for tire, chainring, and suspension clearance along with creating a stronger rear wheel that matches the front. 

Now, eight years later, Super Boost Plus is still here and more brands are slowly super-sizing their Boost bikes especially as modern drivetrains push chainlines out to 55mm. 

That’s a long way of saying the new Switchblade is still built around a 157mm rear hub with a 56.5mm chainline – don’t expect that to change any time soon. In terms of what’s new, Cocalis says that it has “A lot of small changes that add up to big differences, without changing what the bike does really well.”

Suspension Improvements

Specifically, Pivot wanted to push the Switchblade farther into Firebird descending territory to make it easier to ride aggressively. Along those lines, the travel numbers haven’t changed with the bike still offering 142mm of dw-link suspension travel that is paired with a 160mm travel suspension fork. 

However, there have been advancements in the dw-link suspension design that have improved how it rides. While the Mach 4 SL, Shadow Cat, and Mach 429 all share the same eye-to-eye measurement on the lower link, the Switchblade now has a longer lower link that is closer to the Firebird. 

That change has resulted in a more rearward axle path to improve square edge impact performance and results in the rear wheel digging in harder while climbing. 

This is the second generation Switchblade with a vertical shock layout which gets everything low on the frame, allows for better standover, shorter eye-to-eye length with trunnion shocks, while still fitting full-size water bottles and room for the Pivot Tool Dock System, and allows for XS frames. 

In terms of weight, Pivot says that the new frame is essentially the same weight as the previous model. But considering every size is longer, the fact that it’s the same weight is worth noting.

Geometry

Speaking of frame sizes and geometry, there are a number of small tweaks to the geometry of the Switchblade that are noticeable on the trail. The bike now has a ~10mm longer reach, slacker HTA, steeper STA, size-specific chainstay lengths, longer insertion depths for longer travel dropper posts, and a 2mm lower BB height. The Switchblade is still offered in XS-XL sizes, and will fit riders from 4’11” to 6’5”. As usual for Pivot, those different sizes are built with custom-tuned carbon layups and thicknesses with scaled tubing size to offer consistent ride quality for all riders. 

Geometry Flip Chip

If you find the stock bottom bracket setting a little too low, you can swap the Pivot Flip Chip to the high setting. This also allows for you to run a mixed wheel setup or plus wheels, though both are not offered as stock options. Pivot will still offer a taller lower head tube cup if you want to run plus tires front and rear as well. Tire clearance is listed as 29 x 2.5” or 27.5” x 2.8”.

Builds, Pricing, Colors & Availability

The Switchblade is offered in three build levels, and two colors – Blue Neptune or Stealth Mojave. Note that all three build levels include the same level of carbon frame. When asked about it, Cocalis said, “we spend so much time on that carbon ride quality and performance, it’s not worth it to add 300g to the frame just to make a cheaper option.”

Ride builds will use Fox Performance suspension while the Pro and Team builds both get Fox Factory units. At the Team level, you’ll have a choice between SRAM’s new XX transmission with SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth Brakes, and carbon wheels, or a Team XTR build with Shimano XTR drivetrain, brakes, and carbon wheels.

Pricing starts at $6,399 for the Ride SLX/XT build, and tops out at $11,399 for the standard Team XX AXS Transmission build. There’s also a limited 35th Talon Anniversary Edition with a Neon pink paint job paying homage to the original Sun Eagle Talon that Cocalis designed and built, offered in Pro and Team builds from $9,199 to $11,599.

The new Switchblade is available at online retailers and your local dealer starting today.

pivotcycles.com

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We thought we might have seen it already four years ago, but for sure a Campagnolo Super Record power meter crankset is now really on the horizon. We’ve just spotted independent Dutch cyclocross racer Ryan Kamp’s shiny gold Colnago G3-X race bikes fitted with an alloy power meter spider on carbon crank arms, clearly branded with the winged hub logo of Campagnolo.

Take a closer look and speculate with us below!

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype

Today at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tábor, Czechia, we spotted Ryan Kamp’s lovely Colnago cyclocross bikes sporting some prototype power meter cranks from his Italian drivetrain sponsor.

While we spotted the bike through the trees this morning, we got some closer looks inside Kamp’s camp. And then out on the race course several times.

He’s the only rider we’ve noticed at CX Worlds riding Campagnolo. And the word in the pits is that he’s been working closely with Campy to refine their ultra-top-tier Super Record Wireless groupset to survive the rigors of cross racing.

Stay tuned, and we’ll have more on that story soon, too.

In the meantime, this is the Campagnolo Super Record power meter we’ve been waiting for since we saw Campy’s patents all the way back in 2019.

But – at least for now – power measurement is NOT integrated into a carbon spider. Instead, it uses an alloy power meter spider much like the SRM that Campy athletes have been racing for years.

Yet, it’s not quite the same as the SRM, and now clearly gets Campagnolo branding.

Customized for Cyclocross

Apparently, it features the same low-Q and standard road chainring spacing. But the pro CX mechanics have spaced the chainrings out about 3mm closer back to the centerline of the bike to better align the chainrings with the bigger/easier cogs of the cassette to deal with the slower speeds of cyclocross racing.

From the driveside, you can see one curious hollow opening of the crank arm just offset from the spindle (like the old SRM option).

But from the backside we also spotted another opening. It’s not entirely clear why either opening exists.

3 of the 4 Kamp’s bikes that we spotted in the open around the public team pits had power meters. And 2 of those 3 appeared to have a stick-on cover on the backside of the carbon driveside crankarm, at least to keep the CX mud out. In any case, it’s pretty surely a hollow carbon crankarm on this prototype power meter.

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype for your winter training bike

A bit of an angled look, shows the thickness of the alloy spider body on this prototype Campagnolo Super Record power meter.

This specific crank was fitted to Kamp’s training bike, and shows plenty more wear from heel rub. But interestingly, it seems Ryan Kamp has only been working with Colnago and Campagnolo since the start of January after his previous team sponsorship ended. So, this bike hasn’t seen too much long-term use & abuse, just yet.

The Shimano XTR pedals are always a nice reminder that Campy doesn’t make pedals. But those XTRs are so trusted and reliable, that we often also find them on the bikes of riders with SRAM groupsets, too.

That’s all we know officially for now. Campagnolo says no comment. But Kamp’s mechanic team seems to be pleased with a genuine back-and-forth R&D relationship, and hints that the overall Super Record Wireless groupset is constantly being refined to withstand the harshest conditions cyclocross can throw at it!

More on Ryan Kamp’s unique Colnago G3-X bike and Campy Super Record groupset for cross racing soon…

Campagnolo.com

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The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships have kicked off in Tábor, Czechia and we already have a World Champ Pro Bike Check with U19 European Champion Aubin Sparfel winning the sprint for Mixed Team Relay gold on his custom-painted Decathlon x Van Rysel RCX Pro cross bike. With a young mix of riders the French team edged out Great Britain to take the first World Championship race win as Junior racer Sparfel outsprinted Elite racer Cameron Mason on the fast paved finishing straight.

An exciting end to the first race for rainbow stripes of the weekend!

Van Rysel RCX Pro carbon cyclocross bike by Decathlon

Aubin Sparfel is racing on the second generation Van Rysel RCX Pro carbon cyclocross bike, launched by outdoor goods superstore Decathlon late last year. And you can buy it directly from your local big box retailer with affordable Apex AXS or Force AXS builds.

He took the European U19 (Junior) win back in November, so there was plenty of time to get him a custom EU Champ paint job before representing his nation at the World Championships. It’s a subtle update to the standard black team-edition bike, but really makes it stand out.

While we love to drool over premium superbikes at pro races, it’s refreshing to see something a bit more affordable on the top step of the podium. Complete builds of this bike are sold from just 2500€ complete with a wireless groupset. Wow!

Since the Mixed Team Relay is made up of a mix of men & women from multiple teams and multiple age categories, not all of the French racers were on the same bike as Sparfel. But a few of his fellow AG2R Decathlon teammates also race on the Van Rysel RCX Pro cross bike.

As if the white, and blue & stars don’t give it away, Sparfel’s RCX Pro gets his name on the top tube to keep it straight. We only spotted one with the EU Champ paint scheme, and this is bike #1.

Junior Pro bike build

His bike is built up with a well-worn Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, and XTR pedals.

Tires are the long-proven 33mm Dugast Rhino tubulars that you’ll see on many bikes for this slippery muddy course, glued up to some mid-depth aero Swiss Side carbon wheels. The cockpit comes straight from the road with a Deda Elementi Superzero RS carbon bar & stem.

A closer look at the headtube of the RCX Pro reveals a bit of sparkle in the custom EU champ paint. Not much sun is forecasted for the weekend of racing, so it’s not likely to shine much more than this.

Junior racers might not always get the newest kit, but Sparfel’s Di2 levers seem to work well, with some battle scars.

Clean, ready & waiting for one lap of the Mixed Team Relay on Friday afternoon.

Getting the Van Rysel RCX Pro muddy

In the relay format, Aubin Sparfel was the last of his national team to race. And he had just one lap to get his Van Rysel RCX Pro cyclocross bike muddy. But the bike has plenty of mud clearance – officially 10mm of clearance around a 33mm cross tire. Van Rysel calls it “Mud Proof Certified”.

The hi-mod carbon frame from Decathlon served Sparfel well for his one lap. And it delivered on its stiffness promise as the 17-year-old outsprinted the UK’s Elite Men’s racer down the long asphalt finishing straight on the Tábor track.

UCI CX Relay Rainbows for the French Federation

So that’s it. The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships is underway, and the French have claimed the first set of rainbow jerseys. We’ll be here all weekend, scoping out cool custom bikes, and maybe a few prototypes!

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The all-new 2024 Scott Ransom is now officially a gravity bike, thanks to an all-new ultra-plush & efficient 6-bar suspension design. As enduro riding blurs into bikepark freeride, Scott built a new, much more-capable Ransom. A bike for how mountain bikers actually ride enduro these days. A bike that truly goes uphill almost as well as it goes downhill. But still one that can just shred back-to-back shuttles or bikepark runs.

2024 Scott Ransom 170mm 6-bar enduro mountain bike

Pedal up like you are riding a trail bike, flip a switch and descend like you’re on a dedicated freeride rig!

Scott went back to the drawing board for their all-new 2024 Ransom to build a gravity bike that you could also pedal to the top of the mountain.

The previous generation of the Ransom was already a quite capable 170/170mm enduro bike with an adjustable geometry Horst-link 4-bar. But bikes and disciplines evolve. And by now, last year’s latest all-mountain Genius ST, Super Trail, is already just as capable a descender as that old Ransom was on steep technical trails. So for their dedicated enduro bike, there was room for improvement when it came to full-send descending.

With so many mountain bikers taking their enduro bikes up bikepark lifts and doing shuttle runs, it was clear that the new Ransom needed to be more of a gravity bike than ever. With the same amount of travel, this new one takes enduro to another level… with 6-bar suspension.

What’s new? What is a 6bar?

Now, as Scott’s design engineers put it, “people expect to do some crazy stuff with enduro bikes these days”. So, they built an all-new freeride-capable Ransom.

The heart of their new enduro bike is an al-new 6-bar suspension layout, which gave the design team more fine control over performance changes like shock rate, axle path, chain growth, and braking influence throughout the bike’s travel. In fact, it allows for almost completely different suspension performance at different stages of travel.

Now 6-bar suspension deigns are becoming more common in big travel bikes. But they are harder to visualize mentally. And harder for me to put into words. (Even more so, when Scott hides the shock inside, Bold-style.)

I like to start to visualize a 6-bar as if were a bit simpler to get a better idea of what’s really going on. It it weren’t for that (blue) dogbone, it would have five links (easier to imagine its unstable movement with just an extra link splitting the Horst 4-bar). But then, with that extra control link (blue) connecting the two front short links (yellow & green), it guides their relative rotation mid-way through the travel – giving the suspension designer more control over kinematics.

Basically, it seems to take the virtual pivot concept to the next level, letting the suspension designers pick & choose performance characteristics that they want.

Things like supple early travel with more rearward axle path for a plush feel. Less chain growth in the middle to end of travel and a flatter anti-rise curve for consistency pedaling through rough sections and limited pedal kick back on big hits. A smooth, consistently progressive leverage ratio that works well with large volume air or coil shocks.

Really, it just seems like the extra pivots give the engineers more control over the situation. And it simply feels great out on the trail.

Why so Integrated?

Maybe more noticeable than the extra pivots and linkages tucked in there, is the Integrated Suspension Technology design, hiding the rear shock inside the enlarged downtube in front of the bottom bracket. From a design & engineering perspective, Scott’s move here is to get weight lower in the bike, to allow longer dropper posts, and to protect the sensitive shock from the dirty mountain biking elements.

As the lead Ransom engineer Kai Wheeler described it, “frame Integration keeps dirt & dust out of shock seals. So end of season suspension suppleness is just like day one.”

I know how my suspension gets treated year-round, and how much mud I wipe off my seals after most ride. And I also have good idea how few mountain bikers lovingly take care of their suspension and how few actually regularly service the internals (or pivots).

So, I can understand that might be the best reasoning for hiding shocks inside.

The new Ransom also moves to integrated internal cable routing, too. Routing brake lines under the bar and into the frame through a neat Syncros stem and through the upper headset bearing. Service-wise you can flip the angle adjustable headset cup around without messing with cables, but swapping to 0-offset or needing to replace that bearing is going to require disconnecting line and bleeding brakes.

Also new is integrated storage in the downtube. Scott already had to give the lower end of the frame s big cutout to access the rear shock. So, they took advantage of that opening and the big protective bash guard cover to store tools & spares. Clipped into the cover is an 8-bit mini tool. And then, a plastic “Matchbox” slides up into the downtube and clips in place securely. Inside you get a spare tube strapped flat, plus a chaintool & tire levers.

New Adjustable Geometry

The new Ransom gets updated enduro geometry that is a bit more gravity infused. And it is a 29er-only. Kinda.

A little longer frame Reach and a little slacker headtube angle want to make this bike go downhill fast. But it also gets a substantially steeper seattube angle to 77.2° for a more forward position for improved climbing. A lot of focus on putting more weight on the front wheel for good steering handling grip. And it makes the bike feel almost short when you are going uphill. Don’t fret, it feels long and slack going down.

That slackest 63.8° head angle is also adjustable so you can fine tune your ride. Many will keep it in that slackest -0.6° offset position for max stability at speed. But flip the +/- 0.6° cups around to get a 65° angle if you ride tighter trails where you need more maneuverability. Or the bike also comes with a zero offset cup for a 64.4° happy medium setting.

The rear end is also adjustable with a chainstay flip chip that allows an optional 27.5″ mullet rear wheel swap. No complete bikes come set up that way, but Scott knows that serious gravity riders want options depending on where they ride or race. And with this simple chip, the mullet conversion is quick & easy.

Trac-Loc: a whole new type of Twin-Loc 3-position remote lockout!

I first rode the triple-button Twin-Loc 2 remote lockout and dropper controls on the XC Spark when it first debuted the integrated internal shock layout for Scott 2.5 years back. It took a bit to adjust to. But wow, did it work well. Especially that middle reduced travel traction control mode (with reduced air volume AND higher compression damping). The new Genius also gets the same setup, which Tyler show in great exploded detail here.

Well, now the Ransom reinvents the remote lockout, too. And this genuinely might be the single feature that makes this bike work so well. (Sorry, 6-bar.)

You see, the new Trac-Loc isn’t actually a lock-out. It still has 3-modes. But Scott calls these three: Climb, Ramp Control & Descend.

The unrestricted Descend mode is fully open as you would expect.

But the Ramp Control mode does not change travel or compression damping. It is simply closes an air chamber in the shock, increasing suspension progression, like adding a bunch of volume spacers at the push of a button. Magic.

Then, Climb mode is your normal lower air volume AND extra compression mode, reducing travel down to 130mm and keeping the bike sitting high to make pedaling uphill more efficient.

Tech details

The new 2024 Scott Ransom comes in two levels of frame construction, all with alloy links. The top-tier features ultra-hi-mod HMX (High Modules Extreme) carbon front & rear triangles, only on the top 900 RC. A standard-spec hi-mod HMF front triangle paired to 6061 aluminum swingarm rear end on all other models reduces cost a bit, only adding a couple hundred grams.

All frame specs combine 170mm of travel front and rear. And all reduced down to 130mm in traction control Climb mode. There’s also a neat Sag-meter on the non-driveside link at the BB that makes suspension setup easy. And with the shock hidden, it lets you know if you’ve used all of your rear wheel travel.

The bike sports 29″ wheels and 2.5″ tire clearance. It features internal cable routing through the adjustable angle headset – wireless or mechanical shift compatible, a PressFit BB92 bottom bracket, UDH, and Boost spacing. With the 31.6mm Syncros posts, you get long dropper travel – 140mm on S, 180mm on M & 210mm on L & XL.

Pricing, options & availability

Five complete bike builds are available of the new Ransom, all with 29″ wheels only.

2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC

The 2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC that I tested is the top of the crop at a whopping $10,000 / 10,000€. For that you get the full HMX carbon frameset, a Fox 38 Factory fork to match the hidden Float X Nude EVOL Factory shock hidden inside the frame, and a complete SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission with Code Ultimate Stealth brakes at a claimed 15.2kg.

A 1-piece carbon Syncros Hixon iC bar+stem cockpit, Duncan travel adjust dropper, and no-nonsense alloy RaceFace R30 wheels wrapped in Maxxis Assegai EXO+/Dissector DoubleDown tires finish the build (tubeless sealant & valves included). Plus, built in Syncros Tubeless Tool in the handlebar ends & fully-stocked Matchbox kit inside the downtube.

Ransom 910 & Contessa 910

The stealth black $8000 / 8000€ Scott Ransom 910 softens the blow to your wallet just a bit, switching to the HMF mainframe & alloy rear, plus a Performance Elite fork & shock, and still a GX AXS Transmission with Code RSC Stealth brakes.

You get the same bar, dropper, built-in tools & tires, on Syncros Revelstoke 2.0 alloy wheels. All at a claimed 15.7kg (all weights claimed for a size M set up tubeless, but without the hidden tools/spares installed).

A Contessa Ransom 910 build at the same price gets a flashier white & splatter paint finish, but the same exact spec, except for a more women-friendly Syncros Savona saddle vs the Tofino on all of the other bikes. The only limit is the Contessa only comes in sizes S-L.

2024 Scott Ransom 920 & 930

Then, a 2024 Scott Ransom 920 at $6000 / 6000€ lops off another two grand in mustard yellow by dropping back to a conventional mechanical SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain on a good old fashioned Universal Derailleur Hanger.

It gets a RockShox Zeb Select+ fork, but the same Fox Float X Nude shock hidden inside. Plus, alloy separate Syncros bar and stem (still with hidden internal routing), the same Duncan dropper & Revelstoke 2.5 wheels for a claimed 16.4kg.

Lastly, the 5200€ Scott Ransom 930 offers the lowest cost of entry to the new bike. (Sorry Americans, looks like this one is not coming your way). You get the same HMF carbon front end with remote controlled 3-position Fox Float X Nude shock inside and alloy rear as the 910 & 920, but a lower spec again – still with the Duncan dropper & Syncros Matchbox internal storage.

The 930 gets a RockShox Domain R fork, the only Shimano build with Deore 12sp & MT520 4-piston brakes, plus 30mm alloy tubeless rims on Formula hubs, at a weight of 16.7kg.

As for availability, it depends a bit country-to-country. But officially, the new 2024 Scott Ransom is slated to be in dealer shops from the “early summer”. So you will get to riding as soon as possible.

So how does it ride?

My initial impressions were that the bike really crushes downhills. The 6-bar really seems to do some gravity-shredding magic.

But really, the first thing I did on the new bike was to pedal it up some super steep rocky & sandy fire road climbs to earn my turns a bit. And popping the new Ransom into reduced-travel traction mode really did turn it into a mountain goat. Thinking back, it’s kinda no surprise that my <16kg test bike reduced to 130mm of rear wheel travel climbed like a regular trail bike.

The magic of this bike really feels like the Trac-Loc. That lets it be a killer freeride bike on the descents. And a perfectly reasonable trail bike for the climbs back up. And there really isn’t much of a downside. Well, except for its impact to your wallet.

Tune in tomorrow morning for my complete detailed review of the Ransom 900 RC.

Scott-Sports.com

The post Scott Ransom Enduro Bike Shifts Towards Freeride on All-New 170mm 6-Bar Suspension appeared first on Bikerumor.

Colnago knows a thing or two about drop-bar off-road bikes, even though most think of them as a road-only brand….thanks Pogačar.

Let’s not forget that legends like Sven Nys and Niels Albert rode the Colnago Prestige — the same with a very young Wout Van Aert. The Prestige would eventually fade out of the Colnago line. The World Cup and World Title winning machine was replaced with the gravel/cyclocross-focused Colnago G-3X.

The G-3X is more of a gravel bike than a pure ‘cross-machine, but it does have that iconic Colnago kick and more tire clearance than the Prestige ever had.

In recent years, though, Colnago has put effort into re-thinking their business’s gravel side. Adding to it, they have created something pure Colnago. A performance-focused gravel bike. One that looks at home on the white roads of Tuscany or on twisty American single track (more on that later). Plus, it’s handmade in Italy.

What is the Colnago C Series

The C series is a moniker for the top tier of Colnago bikes; the more attainable version for most is the ‘V’ series. The C68 bikes are handmade in Italy and aim to balance beauty and performance. The Colnago C68 Series of bikes boasts a Road, All-Road, Titanium Custom, and now a Gravel bike.

Colnago describes the C Series as: “C for Carbon, Colnago, Cambiago (where the bikes are made), and Class. The 68 represents how far Colnago has come since its founding in 1954.”

Colnago C68 Gravel Frame Details

There’s much to unpack here, so let’s start with the frame creation. First, the Colnago C68 is 100% hand-made from high-modulus carbon fiber. Some parts are lugged, making it also a modular frame.

What does Colnago mean by ‘modular’?

The C68 Gravel is comprised of six separate carbon pieces. The engineers designed the headtube/downtube and top tube junction to be maneuverable when building the frame. The tubes are lugged and modular, as the builder can move them slightly, augmenting the stack slightly, the same as the headtube height.

This method is only used on the C series frames, though Colnago has used lugged carbon construction since the 1980s. The lugged tubes give the C68 Gravel a unique look, and the matte green pearl paint (similar to the Aston Martin) accentuates the curves.

How much does it weigh?

The frameset’s claimed weight is 1,150g for a 480s (roughly 54 cm) C68 Gravel frameset. The weight includes everything (framewise), including the rear derailleur hanger and seatpost wedge. The uncut painted fork is an additional 480g; add that to the overall weight, and the total weight is around 1,630g.

Yes to Top Tube Bag But No Third Bottle

As for modern gravel bits, the C68 has a top tube bag mount and can fit two large bottles (think 38oz) in the frame. There is no third bottle mount under the frame, so if you’re planning a super long, unsupported ride, you’ll need to plan accordingly.

The tube shaping in the C68 Gravel is designed for power transfer, minimizing road chatter, and handling a flying rock to the down tube without cracking.

The frame uses a D-shaped seatpost similar to the one on the G-3X but with an updated tightening mechanism.

The bottom bracket is a T47, the same as the C68 All Road.

The frame is optimized for a fully electronic groupset but can run a mechanical 1X like the new Shimano GRX 12-speed. The placeholder for a front derailleur is a neat 3D-printed cover, which takes nothing away in performance but adds cool points.

The chain guard is also 3D-printed and pictures the mountains of Italy.

Colnago Gravel Geometry

Though the C68 shares some features of the Prestige, All Road, and G-3X, it has a unique geometry. It has a shorter reach and higher stack than the C68 Road. The updated reach-stack ratio allows for a shorter stem, giving the bike a lively feel on the trails and lots of control over the front end.

C68 Gravel will be available in 5 sizes, all in sloping configuration: 450 (52cm), 480 (54cm), 510 (58cm), 540 (60cm), and 570 (63cm)

Colnago feels this setup offers better handling for challenging gravel or trail features without sacrificing an aggressive setup. I agree after spending some hours on the bike.

The Colnago CC.01 wide bar/stem combo riffs off the new C68 gravel geometery. The new Wide version of the CC.01 is specifically designed for gravel. The Colnago CC.01 Wide has more flare than the road version of the Colnago CC.01. The reach is 72.50 mm and a drop of 120mm with a stem angle of 82 degrees.

The Colnago CC.01 Wide is available in five different stem combinations with the same 40 hood and 46 wide at the drop: 80mm – 40/46, 90mm – 40/46, 100mm – 40/46, 110mm – 40/46, and 120mm – 40/46. The C68 Gravel complete bike arrives with the Colnago CC.01 Wide cockpit but is compatible with a traditional bar/stem combination.

How about tire clearance?

When I asked about tire clearance, the Colnago team calmly stated, “Up to 42mm but it performs best with the 40s”. Why not 50mm or something more extensive like the trend? The team told me, “This isn’t that kind of gravel bike.” The C68 is a fast bike designed around a more aggressive riding style, leaning more toward the gravel-road/racing side.

It’s the same reason you’ll find no internal storage on the C68 Gravel. The team didn’t want to compromise on the bike’s silhouette or the tubes’ integrity. I admire the choice not to follow the trends and to keep the design focused on speed, handling, and beauty.

Now, the team says 42mm is the max, but that is the maximum for the rear tire. If you want to push the limits, you can get a larger tire in the front. But the fork is more sculpted than some, and you could run into mud clearance issues if you run bigger. The frame can fit gravel suspension forks if you’d like…but like the super wide tires and internal storage box — that might not be this kind of bike.

Colnago C68 Gravel Builds and Paint Options

Currently, the C68 will come available as a frame and fork or in three different build options. The builds range from SRAM Red XPLR, Force XPLR, and Shimano GRX 822 mechanical.

All bikes will come equipped with Colnago CC.01 Wide integrated handlebar, Selle Italia Regal Short Open Fit CRB (Carbon) saddle, and Pirelli Cinturato Gravel TLR 40mm.

The wheels for each model change slightly, with the SRAM Red arriving with Zipp 303S carbon wheels, Force with Fulcrum Rapid Red 500, and the Shimano GRX with Fulcrum 900.

Paint-wise, the new Colnago C68 Gravel will be available in Green Pearl (in most photos) or gloss black with red undertones in the sun. Having seen the paint up close, both are great options (I’m a glossy fan), but the Green Pearl should hide the scratches and abuse of gravel riding better.

Colnago NFC Tag

Like other Colnago bikes, the new C68 will have a near-field communication or (NFC) tag. The tag is linked to the MyLime Polygon Blockchain and is inextricably linked to the bicycle. 

How does this help the rider? If your bike gets stolen, you can use the NFC as proof of ownership. The NFC also helps with re-sale and helps prevent (or disrupt) counterfeit Colnago bikes from entering the market. For more info, check out Colnago’s explanation of why they chose to be the first bicycle company to adopt Blockchain here.

Colnago C68 Gravel Pricing

• Frameset only $7,100.00, €5,935, £5,269.00 *Includes frame, fork, Colnago CC.01 bars and seatpost.
• SRAM Red XPLR, ZIPP 303S Wheels, $13,199.95, €12,010.00, £11,099.99.99
• SRAM Force XPLR, Fulcrum Rapid Red 500, $9,599.95, €8,690.00, £8,099.95
• Shimano GRX 822 1X, Fulcrum Rapid Red 900, $7995.95, €7250.00, £6,899.95

Look for a ride review shortly, and for more information and availability near you, check out; Colnago.com

The post Colnago Unveils its Vision of Gravel Racing with the Italian Crafted C68 Gravel appeared first on Bikerumor.

The French accessory powerhouse Ekoi is developing a new aero-top-of-the-line road pedal. If you follow the French continental team Nice Métropole (you should), you’ll notice some pretty large clipless pedals on their rides.

Ekoi PW8 — What is it?

The piece catching everyone off guard is the size of the platform of this new design. If you look at some of the photos posted on their Instagram account, it’s obvious. The pedal length compared to the crank arm is telling; this is a long, lean pedal.

The French cycling outlet LeCycle.fr first broke the news, reporting that the new Ekoi PW8 pedal will offer a modern twist to the road clipless pedal. The pedal may cover more surface area while also offering a thinner stack height.

From the picture above, it looks as if the ‘cleat’ may extend all the way to the edge of the shoe around the toe, with the pedal then recessed inside it when clipped in. That could result in a more aerodynamic connection between the pedal and shoe. It also could create a more walkable platform on the bottom of your shoes.

A New Standard?

If that is the case, it seems likely this system could require a new mounting system, though it’s possible it could be added to a shoe around the traditional 3-bolt interface currently used by most pedals. We’re guessing that’s where the new Ekoi road shoes come into play.

We contacted Ekoi for comment but all they would divulge at this time is that the pedal is currently being tested with various teams. If you want to learn more, I recommend watching the Nice Métropole Team, Burgos-BH Team, or the Ekoi website.

Update:

As reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine and many others, it seems the UCI has already banned the Ekoi pedals from use in competition – at least for now. Apparently, even though the proper paperwork for prototype use in competition had been filed, it hasn’t been approved yet by the UCI. So even though they had already used the pedals in one stage, the UCI made the team scramble to find replacement shoes just before the race started thanks to their last-minute decision.

The post Spotted: Ekoi Developing All-New Road Pedal Design with Huge Platform! appeared first on Bikerumor.

It is Official — the Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe sponsorship deal is clear to move forward. But why?

The rumor mill has been churning out a possible Red Bull + BORA-Hansgrohe partnership for a few weeks now. Well now it’s official. It’s moving forward. And it brings with it plenty of grand speculation of a super-Tour-team.

Dropping an official statement on January 29th, the BORA-Hansgrohe team website explained, “The joint venture between Red Bull and Team Manager Ralph Denk’s operating company can be implemented as planned. The Austrian antitrust authority has no objections to the planned partnership with BORA-Hansgrohe. Further details will be presented during the season.” 

What will or could a Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe Team mean?

Now that Red Bull is out of the UCI MTB World Cup broadcasting game, it is free to pursue other ventures.

Up to this point, the iconic energy drink brand has only sponsored individual athletes, never a team. However, it does have a collection of outstanding and well-rounded professional cyclists, on- and off-road. Although, as a brand, they do tend to focus more on ‘extreme’ athletes and ‘death-defying’ sports.

Now, If I let my mind run really wild, I would love to see all of the current Red Bull cycling powerhouses join up as a super squad.

Current Red Bull-sponsored men’s pro road cyclists include: Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Anton Palzer (already on BORA-Hansgrohe), and more still to come. They also have a new Red Bull Junior Brothers U19 road development team that’s likely to be a source of up-and-coming riders going forward.

Hell, maybe they could add American Justin Williams who wears the Red Bull helmet on L39ION of Los Angeles to the Euro-racing roster, too!

What about the Red Bull dropbar women like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Zoe Bäckstedt, Kata Blanka Vas, who first come to mind? Or could some XC, DH, Freeride or even BMX riders make do some crossover collaborations with the new road team?

That is all purely speculative, of course. And there’s plenty of existing contracts that would keep it from happening too easily, I think…

Or a straight-forward title sponsorship?

With (some) of the INEOS sponsor’s plastics money recently going to purchase 25% of Manchester United for $300 million, this could be the perfect time for a new cycling powerhouse to swoop in at the top-tier of the sport. And powerful new sponsors, too!

The Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe teams could end up being just that. Above all, Red Bull could assemble their famous athletes accordingly, the team would be stocked with loved cycling personalities. 

Can Red Bull energize Road Cycling?

Maybe Red Bull could shepherd in new crop of road cycling fans?

If all goes according, we would see Red Bull Media House producing shows around the Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe team and some of its featured athletes. I’m a massive fan of Red Bull video content, especially the films. They certainly are great story-tellers!

And I would love to see a Red Bull feature on World Tour life. Can you imagine a Red Bull produced film about Paris–Roubaix?!

What does BORA-Hansgrohe management think?

Ralph Denk, Team Manager of BORA-Hansgrohe, explained what the decision could mean for the future. “With today’s decision, we have cleared an important hurdle. The foundations of our partnership with Red Bull are now officially in place. This is the green light we’ve been waiting for to proceed with the formalities and many specific parts of the collaboration.“

For now it sounds like a pretty straightforward Pro Team sponsorship deal, right? But we can’t help but read deeper in between the lines.

What are Red Bull’s next moves on the road? 

Although no monetary commitment has been disclosed nor a clear product agreement (other than those cool custom helmets, we assume), details should come to light rapidly.

If Red Bull is looking for a title or co-title sponsorship, I’m sure it’s not cheap.

But they seem like a company not afraid to dump cash into some wild bike projects. And are not new to aerodynamic optimization, whether F1 or on two wheels.

I’m thinking the wind-tunnel developed World’s Fastest Descent on a bike, Rampage, HardLine, BMC tri bikes, and more…

Now, we’ll see what they can do on the road!

Red Bull’s venture into the World Tour might convince other brands to do the same. We might be rooting for a Monster Energy-Visma-Lease-a-Bike-Drywall squad someday?

For more information and to dive more into the Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe partnership, check out:

Bora-HansGrohe.com

The post Red Bull Gives BORA-Hansgrohe Wings! Why are they Sponsoring Pro Road Racing?  appeared first on Bikerumor.