A Tour Down Beneath mega tech gallery: The most well liked gear from the season opener

We have already introduced you a full gallery of the brand new, as but unreleased Issue Ostro VAM, so we shan’t dedicate a lot time to it right here. Suffice it to say, to the shock of no person, it is wanting like it should be extra aero on the entrance, and lighter on the again. The geometry might shift although, because the chainstays look to be shorter, evidenced by the rear wheel which now tucks into the seat tube considerably.

Recent new bikes for FDJ this season. The Wilier Filante SLR, right here belonging to Rudy Molard, is decked out in a lot the identical approach because the crew’s Lapierre bikes of final season. Dura-Ace all through, and Prologo saddle. White bar tape is changing into an endangered species, but it surely’s a professional contact we nonetheless like to see.

The cockpit has been wrapped to its full span for extra consolation on the tops. It’s going to give a slight aero penalty, however the bar itself is already a bit of extra chunky in cross part than many.

Huge-set seatstays have gotten an ever rising development amongst aero bikes, kicked off by the unique Hope HB.T observe bike. We will additionally see that is Molard’s second bike, reasonably than his principal race bike.

Groupama-FDJ stays one of many closing strongholds for tubular wheels and tyres. On this case they’re 25mm broad, which is on its solution to being thought-about slender, regardless of the opposite being true just some years in the past.

The cadence magnet essential for Shimano’s energy meters is normally a barely ugly silver blob. Right here although it is neatly painted white to mix into the paint scheme.

This is the primary correct have a look at the S-Works Tarmac SL8 in Soudal-QuickStep colors for 2024, on this case belonging to Julian Alaphilippe. He undoubtedly loses factors for having his bike within the small chainring I am afraid, however as a double world champion we will let it slide.

From the entrance the ‘Pace Sniffer’ nosecone is not fairly so outstanding, and you’ll respect simply how flat the Roval Rapide cockpit is. Alaphilippe for years was a staunch champion of conventional spherical bars, but it surely appears that is lastly the 12 months he provides in to the aero gods.

Beautiful sweet fades and paint sparkles apart, this profile shot reveals how far the pinnacle tube protrudes from the steering axis of the fork.

As we gleaned from chatting to the crew mechanics at Soudal-QuickStep’s coaching camp, the crew will primarily be utilizing cotton tyres with internal tubes in races in 2024, flying within the face of the development in direction of tubeless adoption. The bottom line is to take a look at the valves, that are devoid of the lockring, however we additionally know these Turbo Cotton tyres are porous and thus aren’t tubeless appropriate.

Truthfully, that is simply an opportunity to take a seat again and admire the paintwork. Little doubt it is heavier than a largely black bike, however I am glad some groups are holding out in opposition to all-black ubiquity.

The crew referrs to itself as ‘The Wolfpack’, therefore the little wolf on the highest tube.

Outdoors within the sunshine we grabbed a fast snap of the Liv EnviLiv Advance Professional of freshly minted Australian highway race champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon. Sadly it bought whisked away earlier than we might get a full gallery, however you get the gist…

A easy inexperienced and gold scheme makes for an exquisite wanting bike.

Again indoors within the ‘Massive White Marquee’ and here is the Dice Litening of Biniam Girmay. It is successfully an unchanged setup from final 12 months, and you’ll nearly spot his dash shifters on the drops peeking out from beneath the Prologo bar tape.

As ever, we are inclined to get entry to the rider’s second bikes, denoted by the “2”. This shot provides you a good suggestion of the seat clamp mechanism on the bike although.

Little doubt his extraordinarily pared-back hubs are rolling on ceramic bearings, as is the norm these days.

Whereas lots of the newest crop of aero bikes have a lot wider tyre clearance, the Litening does not seem to have a lot headroom above what we consider is a 28c Continental GP5000 S TR.

Like Molard earlier, Girmay opts for a bar tape wrap throughout all the width of the tops. As a rider who’s typically contesting dash finishes that is surprising, however consolation is essential too.

There is not any mistaking these Newmen wheels for the rest, with their large chrome logos.

A standout function of Girmay’s bike is, satirically, wheel valves that do the precise reverse of ‘standing out’. They’re hidden inside for an aero profit, and are inflated utilizing an adaptor which feeds into the outlet and screws into place onto the valve.

Definitely the speak of the workplace greater than another bike this 12 months, the Van Rysel RCR Professional will get its first outing in Adelaide. How lengthy till it claims a stage win although?

This bike belongs to the younger Frenchman Bastien Tronchon, who’s a tall chap at 1.85m, evidenced by the tall head tube and spacer stack. Regardless of this, he is a surprisingly adept climber.

Designed with assist from a French aerospace lab. Van Rysel is actually pulling out all of the stops to try to compete with the established manufacturers.

At a look the RCR Professional has all of the hallmarks of a sorted all-round race bike. It is bought the suitable tube shapes, an built-in cockpit… we’re wanting ahead to reviewing one to actually discover out what it might do.

Once more, wide-set seat stays to permit the soiled, turbulent air to go subsequent to the wheel unimpeded.

A blue head tube, together with the blue on the rear of the seatpost, are the one actual flashes of color on this in any other case gray bike.

Massive ring, little sprocket. That is the way it’s achieved. A full complement of Dura-Ace kits out the bikes for 2024, a change from Campagnolo Tremendous Document EPS for the riders to get used to.

Whereas the frameset is a Van Rysel creation, the cockpit is an aftermarket Deda unit, solely wrapped as a lot as essential right here.

Tubeless Continental tyres mated to deep Swiss Aspect wheels – A speedy mixture, although at this depth, doubtlessly troublesome in a crosswind.

Whereas Visma-Lease a Bike riders are inclined to go for the Cervelo S5, in addition they have the choice of the skinnier R5, kitted out right here within the new crew paint (once more, largely black to save lots of weight), and with shallow Reserve wheels.

It is visually attention-grabbing as mostly-black paint schemes go, but it surely’s clear the designers have been given a quick to make use of as little paint as in all fairness sensible for the crew’s climbing bikes.

By no means a crew to shrink back from liberal functions of paint, the Cannondale SuperSix Evo bikes of EF Schooling-EasyPost are most likely probably the most visually arresting within the bunch.

Swirls, dots, dashes, all utilized in a playfully erratic solution to associate with the fastidiously curated goofiness of the crew’s media persona.

Whereas the paint scheme signifies these are the top-end ‘Lab71’ framesets, the UCI sticker tells a distinct story. They’re in truth the mid-tier HiMod frames, because the crew used final season. At this level we do suspect that the crew won’t ever be on the Lab71 choice, however will proceed to fly the flag for it, branding clever.

Whatever the carbon layup inside, they’re good wanting bikes, particularly with deep wheels and cotton cased Vittoria Corsa Professional tyres.

Not the Danish nationwide champion, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is aboard a typical Lapierre Xelius SL for 2024. In contrast to the FDJ-sponsored males’s squad, the functionally separate FDJ-Suez crew stay on Lapierre bikes and have made the swap to tubeless.

The seatstays for the Xelius connect a long way alongside the highest tube, reasonably than to the seat tube. This, it’s claimed, provides better compliance.

Paintwork apart, the most important change for Bora-Hansgrohe riders to adapt to is the swap from Shimano Dura-Ace to SRAM Pink.

Whereas they actually look nice, the actual fact the chainrings, cranks, and energy meter all all a single built-in unit makes it a considerable price after they do ultimately put on out.

There are not any extra inwardly-pointed brake hoods because of the newest UCI guidelines.

Very like Soudal Fast-Step referring to themselves as ‘The Wolfpack’, Bora Hansgrohe go by the ‘Band of Brothers’, so this brand seems on their high tubes and jerseys… together with a pair of bumping fists, as a result of macho 🤜🤛.

Whereas the downtube will get a stunning fade from gloss inexperienced to matte black, the junction on the seat tube is abrupt and linear. Oddly it appears the ‘Hansgrohe’ brand is a sticker whereas Bora is painted on. Maybe this was omitted by chance within the paint sales space.

Whereas some riders may have some adapting to do, Primož Rogliç at the very least, coming over from the SRAM-sponsored Jumbo-Visma crew (now Visma-Lease A Bike), ought to discover it no challenge.

The EnviLiv frames of Liv AlUla are a few of the busiest wanting of the bunch. For his or her small body, Alex Manly has wrung out all of the aero bike match wins potential; slammed, lengthy stem, and a saddle rammed ahead on the rails to recover from the entrance of the bike.

The Liv brand does considerably get misplaced amongst all of the design aptitude on present right here.

It is nearly potential to see the aero sculpting of the pinnacle tube amongst the patterns.

No such patterns for the Jayco AlUla males’s squad, solely block colors fading into one another, which makes for a really pleasing visible package deal.

Separate bars and stems are a dying breed within the peloton, however they do are typically extra widespread at this early junction of the season the place riders would possibly nonetheless be dialling in bike match.

Up shut there may be some patterning on present, but it surely’s far more refined than the bikes of Liv AlUla.

The built-in seatpost of the Propel does present a barely bigger canvas for the designers to work from.