Lance's Tricked-Out Ride.

[elf1978]

This is a pic from the '03 TdF. You'll notice that his right shifter is STI, while the left is only a brake lever. Was there any advantage to engaging all you shifts with one hand? Any opinions? Thanks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ong-not-favourite-to-win-Tour-Down-Under.html

 

[titan_90]

He used a downtube shifter for the front shifting.

 

[elf1978]

He used a downtube shifter for the front shifting.

Anyone know why?

 

[Benotti69]

he adjusted the front derailleur with a down tube changer. Probably for better accuracy.

 

[GRAVELBIKE]

I believe he ran that setup because it was lighter.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Anyone know why?

Andy Hampsten first used this to save weight. Nowdays that is not a concern. The brifter mechanisms are lighter and a bike can hit the minimum weight without resorting to tricks like that.

Less chance of dropping a chain would be my guess.

 

[Race Radio]

It was a climbing bike used for the Alp d'huez TT in 2004, lighter weight

 

[Martin318is]

LOTS of people did this when STI shifting first came out. The first STI levers were noticeably heavier than standard brake levers. So all the weight weenies used a standard brake on one side and kept the downtube lever. (remember that everyone who did NOT have STI was still using TWO downtube shifters back then).

Back in the early to mid 90's I raced against a lot of people who only used 1 STI lever. Personally I thought it was dumb because the weight saving was near meaningless on the flat-land we raced on and the difference in lever shapes made your hand positions different and in my mind could result in back/shoulder pain over time.

By the early '00s the difference in weight was coming down to a slimmer gap but the last remaining weight freaks stayed with the downtube shifter. By this time though everyone else they were riding against also had integrated shifting.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I am not sure the issue of weight holds water. The UCI imposed the 6.8kg limit in 2000. By 2004 it was fairly easy to hit that weight.

Plus if a really talented cyclist needed to save weight that much then they would not need a front shifter at all. They would unclip and move the chain over with their foot. Fred Flintstone braking would also save a lot of weight.

 

[Oldman]

I clicked in hoping to see his most recent love interest...my mistake.

 

[Race Radio]

I am not sure the issue of weight holds water. The UCI imposed the 6.8kg limit in 2000. By 2004 it was fairly easy to hit that weight.

Plus if a really talented cyclist needed to save weight that much then they would not need a front shifter at all. They would unclip and move the chain over with their foot. Fred Flintstone braking would also save a lot of weight.

It was all about weight.

A standard Dura-Ace, non-integrated brake lever weighs 130 grams and a Dura-Ace 10-speed STI lever weighs 210 grams, you are looking at a simple weight savings. The downtube shift lever can add as little as 30 grams, plus you save a bunch of grams in extra cable and housing you don’t need looping around the front of the bike.

That particular picture is from the 2004 TT but Lance used that type of set up often over the year.

 

[Martin318is]

Precisely. He was also carrying over weight related attitudes from the period prior to the weight limit coming in. Prior to 1999 for example, the gap between an STI lever and a standard aero brake lever was considerably larger than it was even by 2004 - let alone now.

 

[max_powers]

I am not sure the issue of weight holds water. The UCI imposed the 6.8kg limit in 2000. By 2004 it was fairly easy to hit that weight.

yes, perhaps there is a bit of performance gain taking weight off the handlebar area for a climbing bike, when a rider moves the bars about more than on the flats.

 

[durianrider]

I think it was more of a publicity stunt than any real savings. 'look at what we are willing to do to boost performance...'.

One could spit out more saliva in 5 minutes than the weight saved from a non sti lever lol!

 

[Polish]

Lance got the idea from Marco.
Marco used Campy Record and was a weight weenie.

1998 TdF:

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Lance got the idea from Marco.
Marco used Campy Record and was a weight weenie.

1998 TdF:

It was also for reducing FD rub when in big-big combos, what lance and others, did all the time. Not a big problem with Campagnolo, much bigger with shimano. These guys often opened their brakes on climbs, any 'rub' was frowned upon, whether it made any difference or not.

 

[kiwirider]

Like DM said, one of the first people to do this was Hampsten back in 1992:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/henniekuiper/3724043338/

Back then, the levers were heavier than now - you're looking at almost 500g for a first generation set of DuraAce STI 8-sp. I know that there was a lot of talk around at the time about the extra weight, and about the fact that, since it was on the bars and was therefore being carried up high and forward, that a lot of people felt that it affected the handling - or at least the feel of the handling - of the bike.

So combination of weight, avoiding chain rub (as others have said) and feeling of the bike will have been the motivations.

I should say as well, that this set up was less prevalent amongst Campag equipped teams - as the Campag levers were always that bit lighter and closer to the weight of a non-integrated lever than Shimano ...

 

[El Oso]

It looks like he was trying to cut weight, although, if I recall correctly, the bike failed the weigh in and they had to add weights to meet the minimum (although maybe that was Basso's Cervelo).

He had the downshifter on his bike for the Mount Ventoux TT that same year (http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/tour04/tech/?id=madone_ssl_armstrong)

 

[Maxiton]

It was also for reducing FD rub when in big-big combos, what lance and others, did all the time. Not a big problem with Campagnolo, much bigger with shimano. These guys often opened their brakes on climbs, any 'rub' was frowned upon, whether it made any difference or not.

Agree about it being mostly about weight, but this is interesting info.