Feature

Wed 20 May, 8:39 am UTC

Pro bike: Lance Armstrong's Giro Trek Equinox TTX SSL

By James Huang, technical editor

Lance Armstrong (Astana) is racing not one, but two custom-finished Trek bicycles in his first appearance at the Giro d'Italia – and that's not counting spare bikes, either.

Armstrong's Trek Equinox TTX SSL was custom painted by artist Kenny Scharf with a space-age theme to go along with his usual 'Livestrong' and '1274' logos. Set on a black background are various stars and other celestial features along with a red figure streaking through the cosmos – perhaps a hopeful portent to the Texan's typically blistering performances against the clock assuming he can find his form in time.

Lying beneath the paint, however, is a standard medium-sized Trek Equinox TTX SSL frame with its deep-section down tube, seat tube and seat stays. The fork blades are naturally aero as well but also set widely apart to allow air to pass through more easily – a feature Trek claims shaves 0.1lb of drag by itself. Extensions behind the fork crown also help smooth airflow on to the down tube, which is also slightly dropped to transition more cleanly with the front wheel.

The top tube is level to reduce frontal area but also broad for good torsional stiffness through the front triangle.:

The horizontal top tube presents minimal frontal area to the wind but its unusually wide hourglass profile also adds stiffness to the front triangle. According to Trek, all too often aero bikes put too little emphasis on frame rigidity, leaving a whippy feel and vague handling – neither of which is good at time trial speeds. 

Scharf also painted a rear Bontrager disc and deep-section Bontrager Aeolus 9.0 front tubular though Armstrong is famously careful in his wheel selection so it's anyone's guess at this point what he'll actually use. Historically, Armstrong has relied on the expertise of renowned wheel and aerodynamics guru Steve Hed based on the wind conditions of the particular day and the course details.  

Armstrong has historically been very careful in choosing wheels so it remains to be seen what will be mounted come race day. for now, a hed h3 is fitted up front…:

As pictured here, Armstrong's bike is equipped with a HED H3 three-spoke front – a long-standing design that is said to still be brutally fast depending on the conditions – and a newly developed H3D rear with a deeper 90mm profile that the company claims to be nearly as fast as a disc but with a lighter weight and better ride.  

However, Armstrong will have an army of hoops at his disposal. Aside from the ones already mentioned, he may also choose from Bontrager's 65mm-deep Aeolus 6.5 or new 90mm-deep Aeolus 9.0.

SRAM have provided armstrong with a special set of their 1090-r2c shifters complete with bulbous levers instead of the usual flat bits.:

Team sponsor SRAM is on hand in the form of a mostly-complete Red group, with notable exceptions being a hybrid Force/Red front derailleur and a Shimano chain. The Red crankset is also fitted with a more aerodynamic – and presumably stiffer – time trial chainring and Armstrong's 1090-R2C bar-end shifters also have a special bulbous shape that only he is using in this year's Giro. Thanks to their unique self-centering ratchet internals, the levers always return to their most slippery position – straight into the wind.

Armstrong's usual selle san marco concor lite saddle is trimmed down a bit here in order to satisfy uci guidelines for setback.:

As always, Armstrong is also using Shimano SPD-SL pedals and his aero Bontrager Race XXX Lite TTX seatpost is topped with a Selle San Marco Concor Lite saddle – complete with a slightly trimmed nose to satisfy UCI guidelines for setback.  

Total weight? A competitive 8.40kg (18.52lb).

Total cost? Priceless.

Will armstrong use this time trial madone back-up instead of the equinox tomorrow?:

Question is: will Armstrong opt for this lightweight Madone with aero clip-ons instead? (Photo: Alex Wassmann/SRAM)

Complete bike specifications

  • Frame: Trek Equinox TTX SSL, size M    
  • Fork: Bontrager Race XXX Lite TT w/ alloy steerer    
  • Headset: Cane Creek IS-2    
  • Stem: Bontrager Race X Lite, 90mm x -17º    
  • Handlebars: Bontrager prototype, 42cm (c-c)    
  • Tape: Bontrager Race Lite Grippy Tape    
  • Front brake: SRAM Red w/ Bontrager Carbon Stop cork pads    
  • Rear brake: SRAM Red w/ Bontrager Carbon Stop cork pads    
  • Brake levers: Bontrager Race XXX Lite Aero    
  • Front derailleur: SRAM Red w/ Force steel cage    
  • Rear derailleur: SRAM Red
  • Shift levers: SRAM 1090-R2C Aero prototype
  • Cassette: SRAM OG-1090, 11-23T
  • Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7801
  • Crankset:SRAM Red, 175mm, 55/39T
  • Bottom bracket: SRAM Red GXP
  • Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL PD-7810
  • Wheels: HED H3 tubular
  • Tyres: Hutchinson tubular
  • Saddle: Selle San Marco Concor Lite w/ shortened nose
  • Seat post:Bontrager Race XXX Lite TTX
  • Bottle cages: Trek Bat Cage
  • Computer: Trek Incite 9i

Critical measurements        

  • Rider's height: 1.77m (5' 10")
  • Rider's weight: 73kg (161lb)
  • Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 753mm
  • Saddle setback: 55mm
  • Seat tube length, c-t: 580mm
  • Seat tube length, c-c: 518mm
  • Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 562mm
  • Handlebar drop: 155mm
  • Head tube length: 115mm
  • Top tube length: 550mm
  • Total bicycle weight: 8.40kg (18.52lb)

Follow Stage 12 of the 2009 Giro d'Italia live on Cyclingnews.com.

User Comments

There are 20 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 20 of 20 comments

  • Stealing from the next headline down, No bleedin' Hope.

  • In my opinion, this is one of the ugliest bikes/paint jobs in the Giro. Sorry Lance.

  • You would have thought when he rolled up on that Yellow and black trek someone would have told him not to let Stevie Wonder paint his bikes anymore. Phew that Lance, what's he like!

  • wow...bpotstra, Verde and beckcd. Looks like all three of you have a pretty solid feeling on Lance. Or is it just the bike?

    Looks like bpotstra has a bit of love for him, but Verde...what has Lance done to upset you so? I would be oh-so-interested in your educated response :)

  • Owww.. fugly.

  • His doping to 7 titles....oh and coming back to promote cancer awareness. This is Professional Cycling not a forum to spread your cause.

  • Lance is alright, I'm no fan, but I don't hate him either... That bike however is terrible! I really dislike Trek as a whole, and I suppose the fact that Lance has always rode a Trek makes me dislike Lance too. Then to give this ugly TT bike (which looks like a lame triathlon bike from the mid-90's) to a van-painter to airbrush... oh dear.

  • Glad to see the lance haters are out in force!!!!!!!!! NOT

    Verde how do you know he doped to 7 tittles nothing has been proved over and over again. Whats wrong with spreading the cause to help beat cancer then????????

  • I'm pretty indifferent to him really. Read Bad Blood and he comes over as a bit of a control freak in that but that's just one side. I liked Ole Ritter and Franz Massen, but i'm showing my old age and one of those boring tits stuck in the past. I quite like the Garmin team's Felt as well

  • Read any of the books and look at the accounts. We all know all of the European teams in the early 90's were doping. On Lance's first trip to Europe with his team, they were left on every major stage. Then the following year they kept up with the riders in every stage. A little strange don't you think.

    Pick up "From Lance to Landis" and let me know what you think. There is no way he wasn't doping. He was dropping riders that were doping on the mountains in all 7 of his victories. Are you telling me he is so good that he can out ride a doping European rider? The answer is no.

    The reason he will never be found quilty of doping is because he has made cycling and himself a household name in the US. No one before he won all those titles could name a single US cyclist (I'm talking about the average American, like our grandmothers or aunts.) Lance has put cycling on the map for the US. Yeah yeah Greg Lemond...Lance surely did more to promote cycling to the average American. I mean that is how Treks started catching on. "Ride the bike a 7 time chapion rides"

    Lance is a driven athlete, I think we all see that in this year's Giro d'Italia. I just hate it when the public can't see that the man was doping. No one can compete versus a rider that is doping, not even our golden boy Mr. Armstrong.

  • Beckcd, I didn't address the cancer thing. I'm upset because I feel that is the only reason he came back was to promote his cause. In turn it is going to divisions in the team with Alberto and other riders. Just look at the Giro. They are splitting the team to ride with Levi and Lance. If Lance wasn't there they would all be riding for Levi. He should have come back to cycling for the passion of racing, not to promote a worthy cause.

  • *sigh* Lance doping blah blah blah. If everyone was doping then he was still the best, surely? And yes, some have admitted it and he hasn't, but to be fair most haven't. It's not exactly in their best interests to do so.

    Anyway, on topic... the bike. Paint job aside, it looks very out-of-date. I'm frankly pretty surprised that given the aerodynamic advances made by others such as fully integrated front ends, hidden brakes etc. Trek haven't advanced their design from 5 years ago. It's even got a water bottle cage slapped right in the middle of it! If I was any of the Astana riders I'd be pretty pissed having to ride that thing given the bikes the competition are on.

  • Trek is so lazy, Astana's Michael Schar is riding a custom made aluminum Trek frame. Yes a-l-u-m-i-n-u-m. It seems that Michael's height of 6' 5" is a little too big for the Madone frame.

    Talk about Frankenbike. Trek needs to get with the times. They can't even make a custom carbon for the team riders!

  • There were seven dwarfs, seven Stevie wonders of the world and it doesn't take a genies nuts to see that Lance has Been Dopey, yes, seven crimes.

  • boring .... boring ....... what's he bothered to come back for anyway? .... boring ..... boring .........

  • He is highly boriginal.

  • The bike looks old school to me, especially the paint. Maybe that is Lance's taste? I like the SFairey Madone a lot, but the paint on this thing is not very original at all. I really dislike Trek. The brand is so vanilla! They need to come out with some really high end limited edition stuff to give them a new image. I remember Lance got everything he wanted when it came to his 7 tour. I guess Trek is just Trek and will always be a follower. They need to hit the R&D dept a little more often and stop using borrowed technology. As far as Lance and doping goes, I really don't care if he did and I'm sure if he was during his Tours, it would have come out. Lance has never been and will never be BIGGER then cycling. Lance won one race 7 times. Hard to do, yes! Impossible, not at all. Its a stage race! It can be controlled. Give a little here, take a little there. Other were able to do it 5 times? Lance was(is) a specialist. He specializes in gaining time in the most crucial areas of the race and in those races, he just happen to be very good at both climbing and time trialing. He was the most well rounded cyclist in the Tour at the time. I'm sure he is a perfectionist and is tough to deal with, but those types of people usually are. I am just really tired of hearing this over and over and we need to move on. Eveyone starts to sound like conspiracy theorists. The truth is we will never know whether he doped or not. I am glad Lance is back because it does bring a lot of attention to the sport and attention to the other riders as well. MY 2 CENTS...

  • aint worth two cents, you were conned and not just by Chance

    Anyone who says that they don't care if he did should maybe move along. Oh sorry you are just condoning doping, what a wonderful, original idea, it should catch on. Admirable

  • I can't imagine anyone condoning drug use in any sport. I am just tired of everyone speculating on this topic. What do you suggest we do to get to the bottom of something that happen between 10-3 years ago? I believe in giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Eveyone has their opinion, but I just think it is beating a dead horse. The point is, we will most likely never know if lance was actually doping, so what is the point of these speculations. You could argue both ways, but it changes nothing. Is the nationally recognized governing body of cycling going to cover up something this, no way. Especially when Lance had just one or two tours under his belt. Rather than just share there unjustified opinion, back it up with facts. Then maybe someone will take the argument seriously.

  • mcm777, go read the 100 books on the subject and the several I witness accounts. Yes it is in the past. If you look, all I said was I don't like Lance or Trek, I was asked to explain further.

    Back to the bike, IT BLOWS.

  • 1

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