Lance Armstrong's
Tour de France Bikes
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| One of the most amazing things about US Postal is
the bikes they're riding...not just that they're TREKs, but that
they're completely stock frames...the exact same frame you or I
can buy off the rack. The only modification made to their
frames is a glued-on number mount. For the Y2K Tour de
France (and 2001 model year for the bikes sold to the public), the
standard OCLV gets a small amount of tweaking. The frame
drops from 2.42 pounds to 2.3 (less than two ounces), and the fork
column goes oversized to 1 1/8". The new fork allows
the use of an aluminum steer tube (instead of steel), netting a
small additional weigh savings (would be greater except that 1
1/8" headset parts weigh more than 1"). Total
weight change should be around 3 ounces or so. Not a whole
lot, but as they say, it's tough getting blood out of a turnip!
The ride quality isn't similar to the prior models...it's
exactly the same. Pricing (for now) is the same as last
year ($2529 triple/$2499 double). I had the opportunity to ride a stock 2001 5200 on
the Mont Ventoux Tour de France course,
and felt right at home (I've been riding TREK OCLV carbon since it
came out in 1991, so you could say I know this bike very, very
well).
Is it a better deal to get the new 2001 5200 bicycle, or a Y2K
model for a bit less (we've got them on sale for $230 off,
although since the 2001 model doesn't include pedals, the
difference is really $280)?
You could probably flip a coin, or choose based on color.
If there's a Y2K model in your size, that might be the way
to go. You can't lose either way, whether it's on a local
century or the mountains of France.
But this isn't the only bike Lance rode in the 'Tour...
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| Above is the frame for Lance's "Climbing
bike." Utilizing an even lighter than normal OCLV 110
carbon fiber material, this frame drops yet another .1 pound or
so. Big deal? Well, it sure is when you combine it
with the Klein Aeolus fork and pressed-in bottom headset
pieces...you end up with a frame and fork combo on the order of
3.0 pounds! Also, the handling is a bit quicker on the 5900
(compared to the 5200 & 5500) due to the shorter fork offset
(rake). The 5200/5500
frameset represents the most bang for the buck, no doubt about
it. This bird? At $1999 for the frameset alone, you're
talking pretty exotic territory! But it is the ultimate, and
many other such framesets cost considerably more (and don't offer
a lifetime warranty). Complete bikes and
frames are in stock NOW!
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| Probably creating the most excitement among Lance's
bikes was his all-new carbon-fiber time trial machine!
Incredibly aerodynamic, light weight and comfortable, there is no
doubt this contributed to Lance's stage win in the final Time
Trial (beating Jan Ullrich, the world champion at the event, by 25
seconds). |
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And what have we got here? How about 7-time
Tour de France veteran Ron Kiefel, using a highly technical piece
of equipment to make sure his saddle is level as well as adjust
the drop from seat to handlebar. Why is this photo
here? Probably because it was my first exposure to the 2001
TREK OCLV frameset used by the US Postal Team in the Tour de
France...and partly because Ron's a pretty cool guy. Also
partly because it was taken while I was in France watching the Y2K
'Tour! |
| The most amazing thing about all
of these bikes is that the US Postal Team is riding the same bike
any of us can buy. No other US company is supplying a team
with stock bikes...they're all coming from one-off custom
shops. A couple of those companies are even bragging about
that! Seems dumb to me. At TREK, anything that's done
to make the team a better bike goes into all TREK bikes. So,
when you're riding a TREK OCLV, you're riding a winner! |
Last updated 05/06/05
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