Diamondback is celebrating sponsoring the Optum Pro Cycling team this season with a replica edition of its top-end Podium Equipe road racer. Though it's not quite an exact reproduction, it's just about as close as you can get without actually being on the team. The bike even comes with tubulars.
According to Diamondback, the new Podium Optum is a close copy of what the team is using this year, including the same carbon fiber frame beneath the team edition black-and-orange paint, SRAM Red 22 components, and HED Stinger carbon tubular wheels. Whereas the team uses HED bars, stems and seatposts, Challenge tubular tires and Selle Italia saddles, however, the production version will use Diamondback-branded cockpit components, 25mm-wide Schwalbe Ultremo HT tubulars, and a carbon railed Prologo Zero-II saddle.
"The Podium Optum is almost identical to what the team is riding except it uses DB branded components and the team is on HED components," said Adrian Montgomery of Diamondback's US press agency, Verde PR. "It's as close to a replica as I've ever seen in the same model year."
Retail price on the Podium Optum is US$8,000.
Check out our review of the production Podium Equipe here.