New Trek TT Bikes

Now I don't have really any specs on the bikes, but I have seen a lot of pics after seeing them in the Giro and the 1st stage of the Tour. So I thought I would try and get more pics and try to solve the mystery of this new gem.

Watching Lance's ride on the 4th of July in the Tour, I think I was watching his bike more than I was watching him, or the race. The Tour is where you see "what will be" in the future. From helmets, shoes, wheels, etc. So it's a bit of a debut of new stuff. Love the new stuff.


Looking at this bike it is obviously quite different from the current TTX. Starting at the front, I believe that Lance used the SRAM R2C (return to center) shift levers. These are slick and I would love to have a pair. The idea is that the lever stays in the forward position and you click up, or down, when you want to shift. The lever never points "down" or "up." It simply stays neutral creating what you would suspect to be a more aero position by allowing your hand position to stay forward.

I also noticed on Lance's ride on the 4th that he was using Zipp Vuka aero extensions for his aero bar. Probalby even the Zipp Shift that integrates the shift lever into the aeo bar. Kind of funny since Bontrager and Trek are pretty much married and did not produce a bar that would work for Lance.
In this picture you can also see that Contador is using a new handlebar design similar to the Zipp bars that allow the extension to be tightened with an external design. Seen here in an aluminum material/color where the aero extensions meet the base bar. If these are Bontrager bars, this is a very new design. Once which I appreciate because it allows you to stay flat on the baste bar.One of the newest designs on this bike, but not new to the industry, is the bayonet style fork. Obviously Felt started this a couple years ago on the '07 DA that cost aboiut $7200, and now it seems like a lot of manufactures are following suit. But I like how Trek designed this, and I would suspect that it is supported by wind tunnel tests as well. They took this one step further...

Internally routed has a whole new meaning. Cables around the stem, which would eventually be routed into the frame, have totally disappeared on the new frame...gone...non existent! Love that.

One of the privileges, or gifts, of riding for the TIMEX Multisport Team is that once a year we get to meet with all the sponsors of the team. Typically not "sales" people, rather the owners, designers, and engineers. It's pretty neat. Last year the engineers of the Trek TTX and the Madone came and met with us. As they were now looking to design a new TT bike they were wondering how they could make the best bike better. They were thinking of nutrition options, how they could do an internal hydration system, etc. Just ideas, things they thought we would have an interest in. As I was talking with them, I told them that I thought the bike is so aero right now it's incredible. But as you look at it form the front, the ONLY thing that sticks out is the front brake cable. Is there a way to "hide" that. Windtunnel tests show that "hiding" the brake behind the fork actually creates drag. Although some bike mfg do it because it looks like it would be more aero. But I suggested hiding the brake inside the fork and have the cable come down through the fork tube. It would be a mechanics nightmare, but would get the cable and the brake out of the wind. I believe Kyle Marcotte (TIMEX athlete as well) was a part of this conversation too. So, when I see this being implemented into the the new bikes, I smile. Not that we came up with this, but obviously other people in the engineering world thought the same, and made it happen.

The hidden front brake in the fork is amazing! This is a HUGE advancement and I would suspect that it cost a lot to design. But the bar has been raised, and we will now watch the other companies follow suit. Personally, I think this is one of the coolest improvements, that all the others improvements in the frame will be lost unfortunately. There have been a lot of changes to the, dare I say, 'old' TTX. But this one is as big as they come.


Look at the above shot of Contador in the TT. Where did the front brake caliper go? This bike looks like a track bike other than the brake levers (I think I just came up with the next design improvement :)) However, you can see that Contador's bike is not using the SRAM R2C shift levers.
So the front brake is gone...it would seem appropriate to hide the rear as well. And that is just what Trek did. This is also something that a few other bike companies have done. But Trek has just done it better. Most other bike companies simply bolt the rear brake near the bottom bracket. Not Trek. Look how this brake is in the same lines as the frame. The matching paint helps to hide it too, but look at the lines. So clean. I am not too sure what that block of black tape is. Maybe hiding something....
It looks to me as if the rear stay is larger too...beefier you might say. That might be a results of the smaller rear triangle...also probably hidden in the wind tunnel.

You can see in these last 2 pics that the rear triangle is smaller. Less material and less exposed to the wind. The above pic of the yellow frame you can see a little black hole, or cable, coming out of the non drive side of the rear stay. I am not too sure what that is, or what it is for. I can't see how it's for the rear brake, and I doubt it's for any electronic/powermeter. It's near where that block of black tape was on Contador's bike as well.
Looks like the seatpost is s similar design as the current TTX. Which is more of an internal compression design. Look how big the bottom bracket area is...similar design as the Madone utilizing a different BB design.

I am excited to see what they release to the public. Pretty exciting and definitely a bike that will truly raise the bar.