Competitions

Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2011: technical analysis of bikes

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Parent Category: Competitions

Category: Race 2011

Published on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 21:38

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Thanks to: Ridley, DCM, Vacansoleil, Fast Forward, Etixx, Vredestein, Rotor, KMC, Tacx, Morgan Blue, Lazer, Selle San Marco, Deda Elementi, Forza, SMS Santini

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The Liege 2011 was interesting from a technical standpoint with some new techniques and advances in the range 2012. Several customizations aesthetic, some are very successful. Among which are those of the team with Ridley Helium Vacansoleil-DCM-Ridley customized for the Belgian and Ukrainian national champion. Then the team Sky Pinarello Dogma and the beautiful Specialized sample Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov. From the technical point of view all the athletes have left the bikes in the smallest possible configuration, at least one granted by the team, according to their technical sponsors. Many athletes have taken a combined 11-25 for the cassette sprocket, with a classic 53-39, only a few athletes have chosen a more comfortable 11-28. On Ridley Team Vacansoleil-DCM-Ridley was tested a new brake assembly, the same as that in use on time trial bikes, which provides greater stopping power. Almost all the teams using liquid anti drilling tubulars and the increasingly popular chain guide. Vinokourov is the only athlete to have the new saddle Selle Italia Monolink, which promises a reduction in friction when pedaling. No team has used the new Specialized Venge, believed to be heavy and not suited to a path like that of Liege. Many athletes continue to use Rotor oval crowns or SRM power detector. Many have kept the wheels in high-profile carbon fiber, other intermediate solution and very few have chosen low-profile wheels. Athletes of the Lotto team continue to divide the bike between the Canyon Aeroad CF and the former CF SLX. The winner, however, use the stable CF Aeroad Canyon, which for the Liege had been updated with a derailleur Campagnolo Super Record 2011, while the rest of the group remains Record. The team HTC-High Road adopted wheel Shimano Dura Ace instead of the usual wheels without sponsorship. Nothing new technique Wilier and Focus. Continued testing of the Campagnolo electronic, with the Movistar team, while 60.1 Pinarello Dogma is unchanged, as well as Kuota Kom Evo, which did not show any particular technical solution. Look, Time, Lapierre, Kona and Zannata are not particularly constructive solutions if not a cure and a very nice assembly. The most beautiful bike, however, remain the Trek team's Leopard -Trek, always a step above the others to build care and definitely better than the Trek team of Radio Shack. Cannondale has given to the future Nibali SuperSix 2012, is now called Evo, the short-analyzed in detail.