I am still extremely interested in how Eddie Dunbar gets on. Have posted about him before but he's basically a young Andy Schleck. He was never confident in his descending so he would go from way, way out in lumpy races and often win.
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vedrafjord said:I am still extremely interested in how Eddie Dunbar gets on. Have posted about him before but he's basically a young Andy Schleck. He was never confident in his descending so he would go from way, way out in lumpy races and often win.
Leinster said:This has to be a publicity stunt. Well, obviously it's a publicity stunt, but how far will the stunt go?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/aqua-blue-sport-to-compete-on-3t-strada-disc-bike-with-1x-drivetrain-in-2018/
"Single-ring road bikes will be raced in the pro peloton for the first time in 2018. The Irish pro road team Aqua Blue Sport will compete on the 3T Strada, an aero disc-brake road bike notable for its absence of a front derailleur, 3T announced the news at Interbike."
Oh, and spot the deliberate mistake? I'm pretty sure single rings have been raced in the peloton before 2018. A long time before 2018, it must be said.
Leinster said:The disc brake issue is being addressed. Within a couple of seasons everyone will be on disc brakes anyway.
The 1x is interesting though. On some races it won't make much difference. MSR or Roubaix, riders are pretty much on the big ring from start to finish anyway. 11-28 at the rear is standard now, and a 53-28 gear is lower than any pro would need on the Poggio or Arenberg.
The big question will be in lumpy races with steep slopes like Flanders, LBL, or Grand Tour mountain stages up the Angliru or Zoncolan. Presuming that riders will want their top end, and their low-end, gears to be similar to what they currently have, will they be happy to have bigger gaps in the middle?
Aqua Blue may be a strong Pro Conti team but they hardly have the budget to go and replace sub par sponsor equipment on their own coin the way JV did when Slipstream got fed up with SRAM a few years ago.Leinster said:I’m guessing the 9t will be titanium or something.
Again, maybe it’s something where a WT team with a near bottomless supply of parts will be less concerned about high turnover of itty-bitty cogs than anyone who has to shelll out their personal hard-earned on their ride.
42x16ss said:Aqua Blue may be a strong Pro Conti team but they hardly have the budget to go and replace sub par sponsor equipment on their own coin the way JV did when Slipstream got fed up with SRAM a few years ago.Leinster said:I’m guessing the 9t will be titanium or something.
Again, maybe it’s something where a WT team with a near bottomless supply of parts will be less concerned about high turnover of itty-bitty cogs than anyone who has to shelll out their personal hard-earned on their ride.
Unless they’re willing to risk a mid year sponsor change, Aqua Blue could be walking a tightrope. Hopefully both the team and 3T have done their testing and research.
Someone please explain how it works in the sport of cycling to this guy. His team, his project, but if he gets invitation at the expense of another team and another project, that is okay? I am a fan of this team but the sooner they understand the reality the better.FilipeFD said:Just another kicking for team @AquaBlueSport . It’s confirmed, no Grand Tour.
https://twitter.com/RickDelaneyABS/status/983669891910729728