Posts Tagged ‘Bike Of The Year 2009’

My ‘bike of the year 2009’ has to be the Ribble Aero TT. Not only is it an incredibly smart looking bike, with the deep rim Zipp’s on board and cool looking geometry lines, but the value for money ‘from £2199′ price tag cuts all the other contenders to pieces.

The component selection ranging from the Shimano Ultegra back end to the Dura ace front shifters makes it a match when it comes to the ‘big buck’ bikes.

Some of the lines on the other bikes are a bit too ‘futuristic’ for my liking, still exceptionally good bikes, but just not for me. The only bike for me that would come a close second would be the 2009 Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 SSL.

Could it only be a ‘brand’ thing that’s holding the price down on the Ribble Aero TT? Imagine if one of the top tri pro’s were sponsored by Ribble, or if one of the top cycling pro’s rolled into Paris on one. Would the price bracket be higher?

Who knows, however when it comes to value for money, this bike wins hands down and it looks ever so much the part too. If money were no option would I buy one of the other bikes? Yes, but I would also have a Ribble Aero TT tucked up in the garage too.

Out of all contenders for the coveted crown of ‘Trispace Bike Of The Year 2009′, which one would you go for if money were no option? Comments please!

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DREAMT UP BY EGGHEAD AERODYNAMICS EXPERTS. BUILT BY OBSESSED ENGINEERS. COVETED BY THE FASTEST PROS ON EARTH.

The most advanced bicycle ever built to race against the clock. The all-new composite Trinity Advanced SL features every aero advantage. It’s stiff, agile and infinitely adjustable for the perfect fit. Add the groundbreaking AeroDrive stem/handlebar combination and aero tubing, its clear - the clock has met its match.

Tell me this isn’t ‘the dog’s’ huh? Wow, everything about this bike says ‘aero’. From the custom Aero Drive stem/handlebar combination at the front, to the tyre hugging aero tubing at the rear, this little dancer ticks all the boxes and certainly get’s my vote. There’s only one draw back with this monster though and that’s the price tag. If you’ve got money to throw at your bikes then the £9,545 price tag (zipps inc) shouldn’t be an issue, but for most of us mortals though that kind of money could easily be spent on a years supply of nappies instead! Contender for my ‘bike of the year 2009’? Oh yes..!!!

The full spec looks a little like this;
* Sizes S (53cm), M(56cm), L(58.5cm)
* Colours Team Blue/Composite
* Frame Advanced SL-Grade Aero Composite, Custom for Shimano Di2 electronic
* Fork Advanced SL-Grade Composite, Full Composite Steerer
* Shock N/A
* Handlebar Giant Trinity Advanced SL- Grade Composite Integrated Cockpit System
* Stem Giant Trinity Advanced SL-Grade, 3 positions
* Seatpost Giant Vector SL Composite Trinity, adjustable offset
* Saddle Fi’zi:k Arione Tri 2 w/ Braided Composite rails
* Pedals Not Included
* Shifters Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic, TT 20 speed
* Front Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic
* Rear Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic
* Brakes Giant Trinity specific
* Brake Levers Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic, TT
* Cassette Shimano Dura-Ace 11-21
* Chain Shimano Dura-Ace 7900
* Crankset Shimano Dura-Ace 7900, 39/53
* Bottom Bracket Shimano Dura-Ace, Internal Press Fit
* Rims [F] Zipp 808,[R] Zipp Sub 9
* Hubs Zipp
* Spokes Zipp
* Tyres Vittoria Crono Evo CS, 700×20mm tubular
* Extras Saddle Two bottle cage holder, Stem Fitting system

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Triathlon Plus magazine tested one of these Special Edition Ribble Aero TT bikes back in their July edition. Compared against a Trek, a Giant and a Scott the Ribble received the best of test Gold Award.

“The Ribble offers wheels and componentry that smashes others tested”
The Verdict: “The surprise, though, is the Ribble. You just can’t ignore its incredible value. The frame stands up to comparison with the others here and it boasts wheels and componentry that drops the others off the pace.
But make sure you can live with the aggressive ride position. If you can, you’ll get yourself a sparkling, super-quick bike that keeps on giving.

You may still be scratching your head, looking for the catch. But there isn’t one.”

12K Carbon monocoque frame and forks with high quality components from Ultegra, Dura Ace and Dedacciai. The Ultimate in design, aerodynamics, stiffness and performance.

- Carbon 12K monocoque frame and forks
- Shimano Ultegra 10 speed Double groupset
- Cane Creek carbon time trial/triathlon brake levers
- Dura Ace 7900 bar end shifting levers
- Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR Wheelset
- Ribble headset 1 1/8″ Hidden (ITS) 45×45
- Aero TT carbon seatpillar
- Selle Italia SLR T1 saddle in white
- Deda Crononero handlebars and Deda Parabolica Uno extensions
- Deda Quattro Stem
- Continental GP4000 Tyres

All this for a unbelivable £2,199.99. Which in comparison to the Trek TTX at £4000+, is not that bad a deal!

Another great contender for my bike of the year 2009!

Which idiot thought they could ever get away with stealing this beauty? It’s a shame that the Trex TTX 9.9 SSL has already been a contender for my ‘bike of the year 2009′ otherwise I’d have been bleeting on about this one untill the cows came home!

This is the most expensive complete bike build so far in my ‘hall of fame’, costing somewhere in the region of $10,000, or a shade over £7100.

While the TTX above was AWOL the Trek ProjectOne Team frantically built up a new bike to be ready for todays Tour Of California time trial stage and added a rather neat piece of artwork to the frame….class!

Now I’m not so sure which bike Lance intends to ride today. Will it be the recovered bike, or the new TTX build with the artwork?

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It’s not exactly a ‘new concept’ design bike for 2009 as this beauty was about in 2008. However, it does rival the ‘bigger’ bike brands for spec versus cost and does look amazing!

Bike of choice for Craig Alexander, 2008 Ford Ironman World Champion. The Ordu difference is easy to see – unique headtube shaping that reduces frontal area, a bottom bracket design that settles airflow under the bike and tube profiles that slip through turbulent air.
These features are the result of feedback from athletes like Hunter Kemper, Greg Bennett as well as Craig Alexander, along with wind tunnel evaluation by Orbea’s award-winning design team.

The complete bike build (from allterraincycles) directly below will set you back £5671. Pricey? Yes, however when you look at the second bike build (from epic cycles) at £2599 you just know you’ve got a good deal. The frameset alone retails at £2000 and with the additional build cost of £599 you know you’re on for a winner.

£5671 - allterraincycles.co.uk
Stem: ZEUS CARBON CAT-III
Levers: CRONO SLBS79H
Brakes: SHIMANO DURA ACE Derailleurs and brakes
ZIPP 808 CLINCHER Wheelset
SHIMANO DURA ACE 12-25 10S groupset
MICHELIN PRO3 RACE Tyres
SELLE ITALIA SIGNO T1

£2599 - epic-cycles.co.uk
Shimano Ultegra 10sp groupset
Mavic Cosmic Elite aero wheelset
Schwalbe Ultremo tyres
Profile T2 Wing Base Bar
Profile T2+ Aero Bars
Profile Quick Stop 2 brake levers
Selle Italia NT1 time trial saddle

Check out the ‘pimped up’ verison of the Ordu below. I wounder how much this beauty would set you back? I came across the image on a forum, but there wasn’t a price tag with it.

I also managed to find this short promotional video of the Ordu on Youtube. It gives you a good view around the frameset.

With the current economic climate you never know, you may just land yourself a real New Year bargin if you go out hunting for one of these animals!!

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Another contender for the ‘bike of the year 2009’ is this, the Cervelo P4, which is the latest TT bike to grace our planet from the team at Cervelo. This beauty is set for release early 2009, however I have seen the frameset already on sale on the net.

The P4 is the eagerly anticipated successor to the current time trial standard, the Cervélo P3. After two months of intensive testing at the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel, the P4 came out as the fastest bike ever in the wind tunnel, including both UCI-legal and illegal bikes.

The strengths of the P4 are found in its many fine details, some of which are quite visible but others are difficult to detect at first glance. The key to the performance of the P4 lies in the frameset’s integrated design. This System Engineering approach, which considers the frame, components, wheels, hydration and the rider together, generates substantially reduced drag.

The highlight of the P4 design for me is the custom rear brake, fully integrated into the frame design. The brake is recessed into an alcove immediately behind the bottom bracket. By using a recess instead of placing the brake above or underneath the chainstays as is commonly done, the brake is not only invisible to the eyes but, more importantly, to the wind. Genius !

The Cervelo P4 will be available as frameset only in late December 2008 (I have seen this available online now!) retailing for £2976(US$4,800). The complete bike will also be available from late January 2009 with SRAM Red components for around £4216 (US$6800).

Will Father Christmas have one of these in his sleigh for you?!?!?

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Whilst browsing away earlier today I came across the new Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 SSL for 2009 for the first time. I’ve never really been a one for Trek bikes for some reason, however I must say this one does the trick, it looks fantastic.

Just about everything on the bike is carbon and manufactured by Bontrager from the Aeolus 5.0 carbon wheelset to the aero bar. Then there’s the ‘drivetrain’, which is a full SRAM set including carbon shifters.

Could this be a new contender for my ‘bike of the year 2009′? I’d even go as far to say that I prefer it to the Ceepo Viper I blogged about last month. It could also be the fact that it looks quite similar to my current Orbea (less the wheels)!

At a RRP of £4,400, it is again a bit steep for the average multi-sport enthusiast, however compare it to the Ceepo and the Felt DA, then the price tag doesn’t seem quite so bad after all.

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The latest issue of 220 triathlon magazine landed through the letterbox this morning and guess what caught my eye whilst browsing through the mag? No, not even the new Cervelo P4 managed to capture my attention, but instead this ‘Ceepo Viper’ did. Apparently this monster is one of the latest concept bikes from the Japanese manufacturer Ceepo, which is due to make it’s mark 2009.

Glancing at the bike, you straight away think ‘yep it’s going to cost my entire life’s savings’! Well, the estimated £4500/$8000 price tag may seem quite steep for a tri bike, but take the 2009 Felt DA, currently retailing around £5000. Now the price tag slapped on the Viper doesn’t seem so bad after all, does it?!?!

The bike itself boasts a unique carbon fibre time-trial frame reportedly among the thinnest in production with a mere 26mm thickest point on the down tube, along with a wheel set is to die for and an array of top end components on board too!!

Out and about at races this season I’ve seen a few of the DA’s doing the rounds which just goes to show that people are prepared to pay this kind of cash for a tri bike.

The only thing is,  even if you had the cash to buy the bike you’d have to perform rather well in races, otherwise you could end up looking a bit of a clown, or even worse a health conscious character out of a batman movie!!

What a beauty though!! I’d be interested know what other people think?

(Picture courtesy of gadgetlab)

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