This is the bike that John Archibald rode to victory in yesterday’s National 25-mile Time Trial in Cumbria.
Rounding out a perfect week for the Archibald family in which his sister Katie won Olympic gold in the Madison and silver in the team pursuit, the 30-year-old Scot bagged what has always been regarded as British time trialling’s blue riband event.
With his winning time of 45:48 Archibald, riding in his Eolo-Kometa UCI ProTeam colours, was the only rider under 46 minutes on a rain-lashed A66, with Chris Fennell (The Independent Pedaler-Nopinz) 21 seconds behind.
Eolo-Kometa ride Aurum bikes on the road, a brand founded by Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso (the team is also supported by the Contador Foundation), but there’s no time trial bike in the range.
As has been noted before, this frame bears more than a passing resemblance to that of the Ribble Ultra TT - the bike Archibald rode with the Ribble-Weldtite team last year before for signing for Eolo-Kometa in November.
However, there's no name on the down tube or branding anywhere else, with just the logo of the team's official bike sponsor featuring on the plain-black frame’s head tube, and Eolo-Kometa stickers on the seatpost and behind the seat tube.
Shifting is Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, with a CeramicSpeed Oversized Pulley Wheel System upgrade to the rear mech.
The chainset is a Rotor INspider ALDHU with carbon cranks and a dual-sided power meter. Archibald runs a 60t Pyramid 1x chainring.
Those are Look Keo Blade Carbon pedals, valued by time triallists for their smooth and aerodynamic underside.
The rear wheel is a Walker Brothers WideBoy TT disc, as used by Archibald’s former Ribble team, and up front is an ENVE SES 7.8, shod with Vittoria Corsa Speed 25mm tubeless tyres.
Making the the front wheel even faster is a WattShop Anemoi Aero Valve Cover that's claimed to save 0.7 watts at 45kph.
The bar is a TriRig Alpha One with the company’s monopost design - a single spacer stack in the centre of the bar. TriRig says this is its fastest ever bar.
Archibald uses USE extensions with Di2 bar-end shift switches and the wedge-shaped Wahoo Elemnt Roam computer.
The brakes, both the front and the rear that's hidden under the BB shell, are also by TriRig - the Omega One, which TriRig claims is faster than having no brake at all.
Topping it off is the Prologo T-Gale saddle, which has been wind tunnel tested according to Prologo.
Simon Smythe is Cycling Weekly's senior tech writer and has been in various roles at CW since 2003. His first job was as a sub editor on the magazine following an MA in online journalism (yes, it was just after the dot-com bubble burst).
In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends a bit more time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.
What's in the stable? There's a Colnago Master Olympic, a Hotta TT700, an ex-Castorama lo-pro that was ridden in the 1993 Tour de France, a Pinarello Montello, an Independent Fabrication Club Racer, a Shorter fixed winter bike and a renovated Roberts with a modern Campag groupset.
And the vital statistics:
Age: 52
Height: 178cm
Weight: 69kg
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