New Irish pro Conti team (aka The Aquablue thread)

Chips Lovell

This is shaping up to be the most disastrous bike sponsorship deal since Cofidis were on Fondriest bikes. Frankie Andreau admitted to deliberating driving over his bike in order to get a new one.

Chips Lovell

Speaking of Cofidis, prior to this, the last time I remember someone foregoing a front derailleur was David Miller in the 2003 Tour prologue. He was on track for the win until this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Tx6MV_XyM

gmacww

RobFowl wrote: »

Pro Conti level is not a pace to test out new and unproven technology with out having a back drop of standard equipment.
Riders must be absolutely fuming....

Of course it is. Most teams test out new proto-type tech at world tour level and if you ever see tech from a GT you'll see lots of unproven proto-type kit. The main difference here though is phasing. Most teams if they are trying say a Rotor groupset then they put it on one or maybe two bikes. See how it goes provide the feedback and refine the product before mass rollout. In Aquablue's case they pulled the trigger big time. They should have used it on a couple of bikes and had standard setup on the rest. Although I can see the complexities in that given the distinct engineering of this particular machine.

It's a strange one. Put in chain catchers and you may aswell use a derailleur as you've gotten rid of the aero advantage. Does the rear mech have a clutch? I assume it does otherwise it's useless.

gordongekko

They've adapted they have 3 in the breakaway today so they'll be able to just swap bikes if their strongest rider has a problem today

brocbrocach

gordongekko wrote: »

They've adapted they have 3 in the breakaway today so they'll be able to just swap bikes if their strongest rider has a problem today

I think Eddie will do well today

Weepsie

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

Speaking of Cofidis, prior to this, the last time I remember someone foregoing a front derailleur was David Miller in the 2003 Tour prologue. He was on track for the win until this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Tx6MV_XyM

Had he been racing clean you'd nearly have sympathy for him.

RobFowl

gmacww wrote: »

Of course it is. Most teams test out new proto-type tech at world tour level and if you ever see tech from a GT you'll see lots of unproven proto-type kit. The main difference here though is phasing. Most teams if they are trying say a Rotor groupset then they put it on one or maybe two bikes. See how it goes provide the feedback and refine the product before mass rollout. In Aquablue's case they pulled the trigger big time. They should have used it on a couple of bikes and had standard setup on the rest. Although I can see the complexities in that given the distinct engineering of this particular machine.

It's a strange one. Put in chain catchers and you may aswell use a derailleur as you've gotten rid of the aero advantage. Does the rear mech have a clutch? I assume it does otherwise it's useless.

If you actually read the post you quoted you would see I said that....

RobFowl

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

This is shaping up to be the most disastrous bike sponsorship deal since Cofidis were on Fondriest bikes. Frankie Andreau admitted to deliberating driving over his bike in order to get a new one.

I remember Reading Robert Millar talking about the worst frames he ever had, MBK ones. He said they were built like they were put together by plumbers....

CrowdedHouse

Eddie sitting on a Quintana attack for the last few km - great to see!

terrydel

Weepsie wrote: »

As the team owner, he could have said no surely?

He comes across as an eejit

He does, a rich one!
Usually the worst kind.

terrydel

Weepsie wrote: »

Had he been racing clean you'd nearly have sympathy for him.

Or less of the massively pretentious numpty he is.

CrowdedHouse

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

Eddie sitting on a Quintana attack for the last few km - great to see!

Apologies - not Eddie in the lead group it's Denifl

1bryan

Weepsie wrote: »

Had he been racing clean you'd nearly have sympathy for him.

prefer this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIW1MAvyPD4

and it suggests that it's not the equipment. It's the d!ck using the equipment.

Lusk_Doyle

Baron de Charlus wrote: »

Speaking of Cofidis, prior to this, the last time I remember someone foregoing a front derailleur was David Miller in the 2003 Tour prologue. He was on track for the win until this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Tx6MV_XyM

Couldn't have been the prologue. Lance was wearing yellow.

Raam

1bryan wrote: »

a total eejit. His attack on sticky bottle for absolutely nothing another case in point.

What happened there?

Shedite27

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Couldn't have been the prologue. Lance was wearing yellow.

He started in Yellow that year, there were a few strange things that year being the centinerary

Lusk_Doyle

Shedite27 wrote: »

He started in Yellow that year, there were a few strange things that year being the centinerary

Ah right.

RobFowl

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Ah right.

Up until recently enough the previous years winner was allowed wear yellow in the prologue.

gman2k

Good win for Adam Bylthe today!

1bryan

Raam wrote: »

What happened there?

an unprovoked twitter attack on stickybottle reporting on a race that didn't go to well for aquablue. Tweet was deleted and a couple of days later he sent another tweet to stickybottle commending him for his excellent reporting (that tweet is still there)

TychoCaine

Conor Dunne won the national championships on an unbranded frame yesterday. It didn't even have the gold strip on the down tube to make it look like a 3T Strada from a distance. Something tells me they'll be on a different frame next season, if not sooner....

Eamonnator

TychoCaine wrote: »

Conor Dunne won the national championships on an unbranded frame yesterday. It didn't even have the gold strip on the down tube to make it look like a 3T Strada from a distance. Something tells me they'll be on a different frame next season, if not sooner....

Did it have one or two chainrings?

1bryan

TychoCaine wrote: »

Conor Dunne won the national championships on an unbranded frame yesterday. It didn't even have the gold strip on the down tube to make it look like a 3T Strada from a distance. Something tells me they'll be on a different frame next season, if not sooner....

will they exist next season? They almost missed out on their license this season and Delaney seems a bit deflated at being overlooked for so many races. Wouldn't be surprised if he threw his hat at it.

gman2k

Eamonnator wrote:

Did it have one or two chainrings?

Single ring, no front mech, disc brakes, 3t branded wheels, no logos on the frame though

CramCycle

Conor may have had a specially made one that they just haven't branded correctly due to his towering over typical riders in the peloton.

gman2k

CramCycle wrote:

Conor may have had a specially made one that they just haven't branded correctly due to his towering over typical riders in the peloton.

I dunno, he had a photo in Instagram, someone asked the question about the frame, he deleted the comment and then turned off comments on that post...

YakerK

Just got an email from 3T announcing the launch of their 2x Bike, Aqua Blue to use in the Tour of Austria....

Thud

YakerK wrote: »

Just got an email from 3T announcing the launch of their 2x Bike, Aqua Blue to use in the Tour of Austria....

Electronic only

1bryan

YakerK wrote: »

Just got an email from 3T announcing the launch of their 2x Bike, Aqua Blue to use in the Tour of Austria....

standard gear ratios? or are they gonna do something a bit 'mad' again?

CrowdedHouse

https://mailchi.mp/3t.bike/new-bike-launch-only-for-3t-newsletter-readers?e=474509a9d1