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Tour de France tech: Custom bits for the big boys

It's often an overlooked item but a stout front derailleur tab can make a very appreciable improvement in shift performance over one that's too flexy.

  • Evans could have gone with an Aussie theme for his custom Canyon but instead he opted for the colours of Tibet to draw attention to the struggles of its people.
  • A smidgeon of the Australian national flag pattern is applied to the inside surfaces of the fork blades and chain stays.
  • The colours are from the Tibetan flag but the kangaroo is all Australia.
  • Even without the name identification there's little mistaking who this bike belongs to.
  • Evans runs his brakes Aussie-style with the left lever matched to the rear caliper.
  • Red bar tape matches the front end of the frame.
  • Evans' Canyon uses the increasingly common design theme of chunky chain stays paired to spindly seat stays.
  • Evans is one of few riders in the peloton to use a complete Campagnolo Super Record group.
  • There's not much functional difference between Campagnolo Super Record and Record but the slightly reduced weight may provide Evans with a little more leeway in selecting other equipment to hit that magic 6.8kg mark.
  • It's often an overlooked item but a stout front derailleur tab can make a very appreciable improvement in shift performance over one that's too flexy.
  • This small decal makes it easier for the team to recover its wheels at the end of stage from the Mavic neutral support crew.
  • The rear brake is fitted with Campagnolo carbon-specific cork pads.
  • A Campagnolo Super Record rear derailleur is bolted to the rear end of Evans' Canyon Ultimate CF Pro.
  • Evans runs a lot of saddle setback.
  • A bit of tape around the valve stem keeps it from rattling.
  • Look's new KeO 2 Max pedals have a larger platform for improved stability.
  • Current road world champion Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) is using this custom painted Wilier Cento 1 SL in this year's Tour de France.
  • Gold and rainbow makes a nice complement to the white background.
  • Wilier is rightly proud to have a world champion riding one of its bikes this season.
  • Touches of the standard Lampre team colors are still scattered throughout the frame.
  • How can anyone complain about gold bars?
  • Bearings are pressed directly into the shell of Ballan's Wilier Cento 1 SL.
  • For whatever reason, Ballan's Record derailleurs are paired to a Chorus crank.
  • Ballan's Fulcrum Racing Speed deep-section carbon tubulars are wrapped in Vittoria rubber.
  • No need for a repair stand when there are two mechanics on hand.
  • Ballan wants to make sure he doesn't overlook any of the key climbs on Stage 6. Now where are the mechanics going to put that thing…
  • The world championship stripes apparently provide Ballan with enough justification to use the older Look KeO version than the new KeO 2 Max version recently introduced.
  • Sure, anyone can buy components adorned with the UCI rainbow stripes - but it's much more meaningful when they're actually earned.
  • Lance Armstrong's (Astana) custom Trek Speed Concept is indeed eye-catching.
  • Half of the Astana team is still using Trek's Equinox TTX SSL time trial frame but Armstrong actually has two of these new Speed Concept bikes at his disposal.
  • Armstrong wants his 'Livestrong' followers to adopt this attitude in the fight against cancer.
  • Looks like this front wheel was perhaps borrowed from Armstrong's Madone.
  • From an artist's point of view, a full rear disc just provides a bigger canvas to work with.
  • The Trek Speed Concept's steep seat tube requires a seatpost with a lot of setback to get Armstrong's saddle in the correct position.
  • Lance Armstrong (Astana) has not one but four custom finished bikes to use in this year's Tour de France.
  • Not everyone will like the look of Armstrong's custom Trek 6 Series Madone but no one can dispute the completeness of the execution.
  • Even the wheels are decalled to match.
  • The new 6 Series Madone's fork still uses Trek's tapered E2 design and the cosmetic fork crown cap has been replaced with proper carbon fibre.
  • Armstrong's custom finish also carries through to the stem.
  • These icons may be part of bigger die-cut decals but it still takes a skilled hand to get them laid on properly.
  • While the majority of his teammates are using Look's new KeO 2 Max pedals, Armstrong continues to use his tried-and-true Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SLs.
  • A Gore 'grub' seal protects about the only part of the rear derailleur cable that would normally sit unprotected with the new Madone's now-internal routing.

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It's often an overlooked item but a stout front derailleur tab can make a very appreciable improvement in shift performance over one that's too flexy.

© James Huang