Before I begin, here is my normal disclaimer:

• These are static images taken at a single moment during the race.
• Camera angles can distort positions.
• I’ve also started viewing multiple sources other than the images below to make my recommendations.

I’m also assuming that athletes have arrived at these positions through a deliberate process, supported by trial and error, bike fit professionals, and some form of aerodynamic testing.

Photos by Kevin Mackinnon

1. Hayden Wilde – 1:58:51

The Olympic Silver Medalist seems to have adapted nicely to the time trial position. In my experience, most World Triathlon-focused athletes can either go full-blown TT position or something in between, as you’ll see further down the list. Hayden rides a pretty standard position that is a bit more reminiscent of the positions used just before we started seeing the trend of taller and longer setups. He rides taller in the front, but doesn’t ride as long. What I like about his position is that his bar drop is in just the right spot, allowing him to relax onto the front end and keep his head low.

2. Rico Bogen – 1:59:02

Rico rides the most aggressive position of the top 10 bike splits. He looks like what a ProTour rider would look like if they didn’t have to abide by the UCI rules. He is very low and long, with the front end so low that he forces his head into a very nice position. I’m not sure how comfortable he is, but if he hasn’t already, I’d experiment with coming up in the front to see what that would do to his CDA.

3. Justus Nieschlag – 1:59:07

It’s hard to get a great look at Justus’s position in these photos, but he has a solid setup. His front end isn’t that low, but he does a really nice job of hiding behind his hands in a very relaxed position. He rides what I’d call a moderate reach—not tight, but not overly stretched out, either.

4. Jelle Geens – 1:59:08

I struggle to write this because I’m biased by his result. He won the race! This doesn’t mean that he can’t improve. I’ve worked with world champions that didn’t want to change a thing until it stopped working. I’d always say that “failure forces change.”

If Jelle hadn’t performed so well during the back half of the year, I’d rip his position apart! Jelle doesn’t ride as steep as some of the other top riders, and this is exacerbated by not having great anterior pelvic tilt. Some of this pelvic position can be attributed to his front end being overly tall and the reach being short.

If I were working with Jelle, I don’t think I’d do anything drastic in 2025, as you don’t want to make big changes to a formula that seems to be working. The changes I’d make would focus on getting him more familiar with the mechanics and posture of a good TT position. I would extend his reach and work on his pelvic position, which could result in moving the saddle forward, or by him adjusting to a more forward position on the saddle. I’d keep the bar height where it is if adding length achieved the desired result.

5. Kyle Smith – 1:59:09

Kyle is another athlete who rides a very aggressive position—steep, low, and long. A few things I’d do here: 1. Lower his saddle, 2. Raise the front end, and 3. Add more angulation to the bars using the Canyon fairing to shield the head and body, similar to what you see Sam Laidlow and Patrick Lange doing.

6. Leo Bergere – 1:59:29

Leo is another ITU athlete who, like Wilde, looks really great on a TT bike. I don’t think I’d change anything with his position at this time. He rides forward with good pelvic tilt, a great front-end position that elongates his torso while keeping his head nice and low.

7. Henri Schoeman – 2:00:07

I went to Henri’s Instagram account to see if I could find more images/videos of him on his TT bike. It seems like he looks a bit different in all of them. This suggests he either does a lot of experimenting or his position is primarily driven by his posture at the time. Henri is somewhat limited by the geometry of his bike. He rides more rearward of the bottom bracket with a relatively tall front end. When you don’t ride as far forward, in order to maintain an open hip angle, you will typically need to raise the front end. Henri does a great job of working around this by manipulating his posture on the bike, sinking low onto the bike and keeping his head low.

8. Ruben Zepuntke – 2:01:17

Ruben rides one of the longest positions in the top 10. To classify this position, I’d go with steep, long, tall and narrow. I have seen images of Ruben racing where it looks like he could do a better job of keeping his head down, but that is just from observing a few pics from his Instagram account.

9. Harry Palmer – 2:01:29

It looks like Harry visited the Silverstone wind tunnel in November of 2024 with his bike sponsor Argon 18. Having participated in many of these sessions, I’d be curious to know how much time the athletes actually had in the tunnel and if they were also working with a bike fit professional. I will write more about this in my “Pillars of Speed” series, but I’m always happy to see an athlete exit the tunnel without having their chins on the front wheel, having thrown all bike fit principles out the window as they chase the lowest unsustainable CDA.

Harry does a great job with his front end, keeping his head low and hiding behind his hands. I think when you’ve had the chance to do some aero testing, you’ll see how big of a difference this makes, and it will incentivize you to focus on it throughout the race.

Harry doesn’t ride very far forward on the bike, which could limit how much he can lower his front end without impacting his biomechanics via a closed hip angle. With how well he postures on the front end, I’m not as bothered by his saddle position.

10. Gregory Barnaby – 2:01:45

Greg has a nice position. As I mentioned in the Kona bike article, he rides steep, long, low and keeps his head in a nice position. I do think, if he has any stability issues or feels like he is falling off the front of the bike, he could experiment with more bar tilt for extra support.

-Mat

The post Taupō Rides: The Positions of the Men’s Top 10 Bike Splits from 70.3 Worlds first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

After arriving in Lahti last year feeling like he was ready to push for the podium, Jason West ended up getting sick and not even being able to start the race. It was one of the few down points of a stellar season that included wins at Clash Miami and Ironman 70.3 Los Cabos, along with podium finishes at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, the PTO US Open and the PTO Asian Open.

He’s back for another go at the 70.3 Worlds, but arrives in Taupo after a self-admittedly tough season. West spent much of the first half of the year fighting through injury and pain, and after taking a long break halfway through the year, has been steadily building back to his 2023 form. While most of the pros here in New Zealand are yearning for a break after a long season, West would love to keep things rolling.

The 31-year-old American will hit the course here in Taupo on the new Ventum Tempus.

“It’s been awesome to be on the new bike,” he said. “I think they did an incredible job with it. It handles really, really well … the responsiveness of it. It feels more like a road bike, which is great, ’cause you get on your bike and you feel like you can whip around corners. You feel really connected with your bike, like it’s almost an extension of you.”

West has also been impressed with the new bike’s front end – “it is super adjustable and super clean, and they are continuing to develop more things to provide extra reach and bridges to get bottles in the right place.”

West has tested the new bike and his position in the wind tunnel – “we know we’re fast,” he said.

FRAME: Ventum Tempus

COCKPIT: Profile Design Wing ultimate 42cm w/Asc pro

HYDRATION: Profile Design HSA/800 EVO and Profile Design Hsc250 gel bottle

DRIVETRAIN: SRAM Red 2x, 165mm cranks, 56/43 chainrings, Quarq Powermeter

WHEELS AND TIRES: Swiss Side Hadron Disc and 80mm front with Continental GP5000 tubeless tires

SADDLE: Wove V8 and what we hear to be a prototype cage from Wove.

PEDALS: Wahoo Speedplay aero

The post Jason West’s Ventum Tempus first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Go big or go home they say. And Wahoo has gone biggest with the ELEMNT ACE.

Whats in the box? User manual, little cute safety strap, USB-c cable, massive (yet lighter) mount and, of course, the computer itself.

One, Two, Three is the current count now when it comes to bike computer options from Wahoo.

ELEMNT BOLT – ELEMNT ROAM- ELEMNT ACE

The above and below will give you an idea on size of the offerings

The new mount really breaks the “mold” and comes in metal instead of plastic.

Elemnt BOLT at 3.05″ x 1.86″ x .84″ with a 2.2 in display and 15 hour battery life.

ELEMNT ROAM with a 3.56″ x 2.34″ x 0.8″ and 2.7 in display and 17 hour battery life.

Now that you have a visual Idea on the size of this sucker the ELEMNT ACE, let’s dive in a little.

With a massive 3.8″, 3:2 aspect screen that comes in with a weight of 208g // 7.4 oz, Wahoo isn’t trying to attract the weight weenies with this new computer. Instead they are after the information-seeking geek that wants to not only see what’s going on, but also has buttons that make getting around the device as easy as possible. This thing even comes with a digital bell: a “ding ding, get out the way” sort of ring to it. This size and spec makes the ELEMNT ACE the largest bike computer on the market today. So what’s inside all of that space and what do we think about it?

WAHOO APP

One of coolest part of the new product offering for me is sort of misleading is the Product Name “ELEMNT ACE.” The reason it’s sort of misleading and exciting to me all at the same time is the this is first time that Wahoo has any of their bike computers sync with the Wahoo App, instead of the Elemnt App. Meaning they are going in the direction of a single app and that now I can pretty much have almost all of my stuff in one app instead of trying to remember what app I need to control my Wahoo tools. And being a triathlete that is entering winter and the pain cave months that is pretty nice to have. As Wahoo continues to consolidate the ELEMNT app into the main and single Wahoo App we will all benefit that’s for sure.

These are going to be all the tools I live by for the next 3-4 months and its nice to be able to see everything in one control center.

Massive Digital Display

First off the extra large screen is not only big but it’s touch screen. It’s not the first or only touch screen bike computer on the market but it is the largest touch screen. And when it comes to trying to mess with your computer while riding your bike ,sometimes having that larger field of play helps you get the touch point just right. Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t like playing around with your iPhone but the touch screen is pretty legit when it comes to moving from page to page. Sometimes buttons just get old. While the screen is larger then its competitor, the Garmin Edge 1050, it does have a smaller pixel count by 80; the Wahoo Ace coming in with 480×720 instead of Garmin’s 480 x 800 pixels. (That’s the photo geek in me.) What impresses me the most is the 30 hour+ battery life that this massive display allows. A lot of this is because of the way Wahoo designed the display using the transflective thin-film transistor (TFT) screen. It provides excellent anti-glare and anti-reflective properties and allows for not only the LED backlight but also the sun to power the device in regards to visiblity.

INTERGRATED WIND SENSOR

Wahoo is dubbing this a category first – and I have to agree that this is pretty freaking cool. Although way more of this will be in our follow up article, but for now does this mean we are going to be able to buy this device and skip the wind tunnel? Probably not. But will this tell you in real time you are getting a solid draft off your buddy that you are sitting behind? 100%. Just look at the 13 minutes I sat right on my buddy Ryan’s wheel going up the canyon while we had a head wind. Heavy airboost on! Don’t worry, I don’t need his wheel; I needed to test the product! What does this really mean? It means that if you are in a draft legal event (triathlon or otherwise), you start to use this tool to help you pace yourself in a pack. Maybe it can also help you figure out what the difference getting in the drops makes.

Using the front facing opening shown below, the ACE allows for riders to not only see real time data while in or in front of the pack,but also post ride ELEMNT ACE provides Wahoo Wind Dynamics (WWD) to the Wahoo App that can be used to analyze performance and to help understand wind speed and its impacts on performance.

Does the computer come with all the bells and whistles of the Air Sensor? Not yet, but the basics are live and the rest will come in the forthcoming updates, some of which are listed at the end of this article.

MAPS

Not only does the ACE support Google and Apple Maps, but the Turn by Turn navigation is now also audio enabled which allows for riders to explore safely. This is where screen size really comes into play. Riders can not only see the direction they need to go, but what is ahead of them with overlays of your desired data points and/or graphs. Nothing drives me more nuts then going on a ride and not knowing if I have a 4 mile climb coming up or not. I really like to explore but in my older age I want to be prepared for as much as possible too.

Using MAPBOX in the new userface really does an awesome job at allowing riders to dive into the what they just completed. Seeing everything in 3D and having mulitple viewing options not allows for riders to get a feel for things, but they can really start to see where they can improve as everyone is searching for KOM and QOM’s these days.

Adding routes from other platforms seems to be about as easy and I have seem. I sync’d this from Ride With GPS.

So if you’re getting maps from friends or your coach, connecting and creating routes is pretty seamless.

The post event data is just a whole new level as well. Everything a Slowtwitcher would want to see.

INITIAL THOUGHTS?

I sort of laughed when I got the package and opened it up. All I could think about was how big this thing was. Then I plugged it in, turned it on and started to use it. I’m not sure I would ever use it in an IRONMAN or a 70.3. I just don’t know if I need that much data and size for a “guided tour.” But I will 100% use it at every single gravel race or long training ride I do. (Assuming I can fit it between my aero bars.) It’s about time Wahoo finally started to consolidate it’s apps into one. That has been one of my only complaints with their eco-system to date. All in all, it’s not so much the idea that I can see a thousand data fields on my screen as much as I can actually see the data I want. I can be a little more safe while trying to navigate in places where I have never been. I can see a little more clearly if an important call, text or email comes in so I’m not reaching for my phone to check it. These are the things that I think are important to a lot of us who live really busy lives that are trying to stay healthy at the same time.

We will have another write up and full YouTube video in the next week or so. Mostly because some of these updates didn’t really come out until the last day or so so I just didn’t have enough time with the holiday to get out and test them the way they I needed to. Below is the latest spec sheet from WAHOO along with their planned updates.

PRICING

• USD $599.99
• CAD $849.99
• GBP £549
• EUR €599
• AUD $999
• JPY ¥99,000

Forthcoming Updates

• Planned December 2024 Updates
  • Strava Live Segments
  • Offline configuration support (to supplement cloud based architecture)
  • “Workout Profiles” rebrand to “Activity Profiles”
  • Additional UI/UX Refinement and bug fixes

• Planned January 2025 Updates
  • Enhanced LiveTrack

• Ongoing Updates 
  • Wahoo is committed to improving rider experience through regular software updates – much of this is from customer feedback, alongside a company mission to keep improving the functionality of our products. There will be regular software updates unlocking new features, levels of performance and data-driven insights.

The post The All New Wahoo ELEMNT ACE first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

It might be his first trip to Australia, but the upbeat American certainly appears in the right frame of mind (and fitness) to be able to excel at the final two races in the IRONMAN Pro Series. While Marc Dubrick isn’t gunning for a top-10 finish in the standings since he hasn’t done an IRONMAN, (like Grace Thek, who we interviewed earlier), he is hoping to earn enough points over the next few weeks to get into the top-50 in the standings, which would provide a welcome US$5,000 cheque.

The trip to Australia also serves as a tune up for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo in a couple of weeks, which has been Dubrick’s “focus the whole year.”

After earning a scholarship at the University of Missouri after walking on to the cross-country and track team there, Dubrick, who had been a competitive swimmer through high school, turned his sights to triathlon. He started competed on the elite draft-legal racing scene from 2018, but would eventually start jumping into some long-course races along the way. He was second at his first half – IRONMAN 70.3 Maine in 2021, and earned his first qualifying spot to the 70.3 worlds in St. George the following year. He continued to jump back and forth between draft-legal and long-course racing until this year.

“I made the switch 100 percent and it has just been so good for me,” Dubrick said in an interview in Busselton a few days before the 70.3 race. “I think I just better at this distance. I really enjoy the community as well. I joined the Real Tri Squad (RTS) two years ago and it just makes every race really fun. We have a nice community growing and the people on the team are fun … It’s just the camraderie around triathlon in general – in long course it seems to be a bit better.”

Preparing For a Fast Day

“I like to compare the course (here in Busselton) to Indian Wells,” Dubrick said. “It’s flat and the pavement is actually better here. And it is pancake flat. We’ve got the 12 m draft rule and an ocean swim, but it’s with a wetsuit, so that will also make for a quick swim. We’ve also got some short-course people coming in, so they’re going to push the swim. Hopefully I’ll be there and helping with that and split it up, because I don’t really want a massive 20-person group on the bike.”

Dubrick is also expecting Swede Robert Kallin, who’s 3:54:33 bike split at IRONMAN Vittoria-Gasteiz is being hailed as the fastest ever for a full-distance race, to blast through the course. Kallin, who is currently in eighth in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings, is just one point behind Jonas Hoffman, and is looking to move up at least one spot in the standings after this weekend.

“I’m sure he (Kallin) wants to make sure he doesn’t get off the bike with everyone because every second counts,” Dubrick saiid. “It’s actually funny because he is literally one second behind the person who is ranked ahead of him.”

So where does Dubrick fit into all this? Now that he’s “all in” on the distance front, he’s looking to continue to compete with the top athletes.

“I have the run background, the swim background, been working my ass off on the bike, so hopefully I’ll be in a position where I’m always coming off the bike close to the leaders and can let the run legs talk,” he said.

Along with those lofty goals, though, is an outgoing nature that makes Dubrick a perfect fit for the RTS squad (and also his part-time gig doing customer service for Magic5).

“Beyond just performance I want to keep meeting people, keep growing my community, keep getting people excited about triathlon,” he said. “I absolutely love this. I just love the multisport community. If I can get people in the sport motivated to chase their goals, whether it is to finish an IRONMAN, finish a half, do an Olympic, whatever it is. Have a good time with it. With the Real Tri Squad, especially, we have a great community.”

While Dubrick is considering moving up to a full-distance race next year, he’s not trying to recover from even one IRONMAN race heading into tomorrow’s race, let alone three, like many of the contenders have done through 2024. If he can help keep the pace moving through the swim, look for the 30-year-old to stay in the mix through much of the bike. If he can stay close enough, who knows what sort of “talk” those run legs can provide.

Mark Dubrick’s Felt IA 2.0

_{Dura Ace 1x drivetrain, with an 11-30 cassette and .}

_{… a Drag2Zero 58-tooth chainring}

_{Dubrick tested this aero set up off the back of his Bisaddle Saint Pro 3D saddle, and the aero water bottle on the top tested a few watts quicker in the wind tunnel.}

_{We’re used to seeing the raised BTA bottle to go along with the Fast TT aero bars}

_{He’s not sure where it started, but he’s leaning into the Marc “The Shark” moniker}

_{We believe Dubrick will be the first triathlete to use the Enve SES 100 wheels in a race}

_{He’ll also be riding the ENVE Disc. He’s using a Continental Aero 29 mm in front with a GP5000 TT 28 mm on the disc.}

The post Marc Dubrick Has a Fast Bike, but That’s Not the Only Reason We’ll See Lots of Him at the Last Two Ironman Pro Series Races first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

No, it is not a name that you typically associate with Italy. The son of a couple from the UK (mom from London, dad from Bristol), Gregory Barnaby was born in Verona, Italy, 33 years ago. He did his first triathlon in a swimming pool in 2000, and has pretty much been hooked ever since. All that devotion has really paid off in 2024 – Barnaby heads into the final two races of the IRONMAN Pro Series with a shot at the overall title.

Formerly a member of the Italian national team competing at draft-legal World Triathlon events, Barnaby had already decided he would be moving to long-course racing at the end of 2019, realizing that he wasn’t likely to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

“I thought it (long-distance triathlon) was more for me,” Barnaby said in an interview near the famous Busselton Pier a few days before the IRONMAN Pro Series race in Western Australia. “I always suffered with the really, really fast pace, especially on the run. I was a lot better over the long distance, even in training, so I probably could have switched before, but I mean, even short course has taught me so much that I take into long course.”

After competing in numerous half-distance races in 2021 and 2022, Barnaby’s big breakthrough came at IRONMAN Israel in 2022. The Italian ran alongside Patrick Lange for 25 km before the German was finally able to drop him. Barnaby ran a 2:35:33 marathon split (compared to Lange’s 2:30:31) and would finish third. (Denmark’s Daniel Baekkegard was able to hold him off.) In 2023 Barnaby made his IRONMAN World Championship debut in Nice, finishing eighth.

Based on those results, it should hardly be a surprise that Barnaby is now in the running to take the IRONMAN Pro Series. At the start of the season, though, the Italian didn’t appear to be on track for the success he’s enjoyed. He found out after pulling out of T100 Miami that he had a broken rib, which meant he couldn’t get started on the Pro Series races until IRONMAN 70.3 Mallorca in May. He surprised himself and his coach, Luca Zenti, with a third-place finish there. In June Barnaby had a tough day in Cairns, finishing eighth. Things really turned around, though, In Frankfurt, where Barnaby finished third at the IRONMAN European Championship. He then moved up two spots at this year’s world championship, finishing sixth in his Kona debut.

IRONMAN Pro Series

With only one “counting” 70.3 on his IRONMAN Pro Series resume for 2024, Barnaby is just a few points behind American Matthew Marquardt and a couple of hundred points ahead of Kristian Hogenhaug (who also have a race in hand) heading into the final two series races. Hogenhaug is also here in Busselton, and all three will be in Taupo in a few weeks, too.

You can see the standings here.

“My goal at the beginning of the season was to finish in the top-five of the series,” Barnaby said. “I’m there now – I’m fifth – but now my goal is to finish higher because the season has gone so well.”

Barnaby was aware that giving himself a couple of shots for a decent score would be advantageous, which is why he and girlfriend Giorgia Priorone came to Australia after his race in Kona. It also provides some insurance in case something goes wrong at either race.

So, what would it mean for Barnaby to take the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series and the US$200,000 bonus cheque for the winner?

“It would mean the world to me,” he said. “I’ve been in the sport for almost 25 years now, and doing it professionally for the last 12 years. It can be tough at times. The sport is changing and there’s more money involved, but it hasn’t always been like that. It wouldn’t just be the money, it would be an amazing achievement for me.”

Lest you think the pressure might get to him, it is worth noting that Barnaby has a reputation for being calm heading into races.

“Yeah, its a lot of money, and, yeah, it’s a big, big ambition to win the Pro Series, but I’m normally pretty relaxed before races and I think that is one of my strengths,” he said. “Now I’ve trained well and I can perform well. I know I’ve done the work and I don’t let the pressure get to me. I just want to race my best at each individual race. I already put a lot of pressure on myself, so I don’t feel too much pressure from the outside.”

So, to answer the question posed in the headline of this story, yes, it would appear that Gregory Barnaby is a likely contender to take the IRONMAN Pro Series this year.

Gregory Barnaby’s Bike (Training Set Up)

Since we caught up with the Italian a few days before the race, his bike hasn’t be completely set up for race day.

Frame: Trek Speed Concept
Wheels: Vision. (On race day he’ll use a 91 SL on the front with a Vision Disc.)

Cockpit: AeroCoach (Minini is one of his sponsors!)

The post Can Gregory Barnaby Win the IRONMAN Pro Series? Meet the Italian Contender first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

While at the booth we did find some time to look at the expanded offerings Dimond is bringing to the space. Like most triathlon-focused bike companies, Dimond found they needed to offer more than just flagship triathlon-specific bikes. That’s especially true for companies, like Dimond, that only offer non-UCI approved versions. Those bikes are fast – probably some of the fastest on the market. Cervelo went down a similar route with the P5X and P3X series (yes, they still have the UCI-approved P5 and P-Series), but even that approach comes with a price. I’m not talking about the lack of weight savings. I’m talking about how expensive they are, and how hard they are to produce. In the end, bike molds are not cheap, and manufacturing at small scale isn’t either. The other hardship that these companies run into is providing the necessary customer service required for these specialty bikes. No matter what the size the customer base, they still have to have parts on hand, along with customer support staff that know what they are talking about.

What has been very different with the companies that are offering non-UCI approved bikes is the wide variety of pricing. Dimond, for example, offers $10,000 frames that end up at $21,905.21 for a full build. But, because they have been able to utilize a modular building process, they can still have a $3,500 offering for a fully-built beam bike. (I personally think you need to get your head checked for spending $22,000 on a bike for a triathlon, but we live in a world where people spend that sort of money just getting to the race. So, I guess, if you have it, why not?)

So, lets look at Dimond’s flagship offering.

THE MOGUL

Frame Weight: 1.8 ± 0.05 kg (Size IV)

Dimensions: 43 x 32 x 11 in

Size: I, II, III, IV, V

Build: Frameset, Custom

Compatibility: Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap, Mechanical (1x only)

BB Specification: PF30 (46 mm dia. x 68 mm w.)

S.H.I.S. Specification: IS 41 28.6 / IS 41 30.0

Material: Carbon Fiber

MONARCH BASE BAR

Basebar Width: 40 cm

Stem Length: 90 mm

Pad Reach: Max. 150 mm

Arm Tilt Adjustment Range: +/- 10°

Steer Tube Clamp Diameter: 1 1/8 in / 28.6 mm

51 SPEEDSHOP EXTENSIONS

• 15mm Offset
• 30 Degree grip angle

LUNCH BOX

Large enough to fit your whole lunch, and almost three times the size of most storage systems, the Lunch Box is an integrated bento that’s built in to the beam behind the stem. The volume is significant – size IV and V hold approximately 700mL, while the II and III sizes hold about 550mL.

Some examples of what will fit:

• 13 Gels
• 8 Cliff Block Sleeves
• 6 PowerBars
• 2 Gel Flasks

TOTES

Tools Or Technical Equipment Storage (TOTES) is designed specifically for your flat kit and multitool storage. The compartment is located above the BB cluster. The TOTES improves aerodynamics and will allow you to fix a flat on those long training, or race, days. Your significant other will be happy to hear they won’t have to pick you up (again) because you left your flat kit at home.

Suggested contents: 1 Tube, 2 Tire Levers, 2 CO2 Cartridges, 1 CO2 Inflater Adapter, 1 Small multitool.. (Or, if you’re sure your significant other really loves you and won’t leave you stranded, more snacks.)

AERO

The fully integrated internal cable routing on the front end is super clean.

TIRE CLEARENCE

While one could fit a 30 mm tire on the Mogul, the margin of error is pretty slim. Dimond recommends 28 mm tires, which are shown here.

FYI

Because of the way the Mogul is built, if you plan to use it on a smart trainer, you will need to purchase the Stationary Trainer Adapter to keep your warranty active.

My thoughts have always been consistent with regard to the look and feel of the Dimond beam bikes: they are beautiful with a rear disc wheel.. They look a little odd without a disc on the back, in my opinion.

According to the company’s website, here’s the current Dimond triathlon line up:

• MOGUL $10,000 (Frame only) $21,905.21+ decked out.
• IKON $8,499
• MARQUISE $7,499
• MARQUISE RIM $7,199
• TRILLUANT $4,999
• CARBONADO $3,500

One of the things Tollakson and I spent some time talking about was how much overlap our companies have in the endurnace market these days. At Slowtwitch, I continue to point out that, in the end, our community is more “Endurance Sports” driven than “Triathlon” driven. Over the years Tollakson has been forced to follow the path of this loyal triathlete customers, too. That’s why it’s not only been a success, but a need, for him to produce Road, Gravel and even get into the Mountain Bike scene. The company also does little kids’ “Balance Bikes,” but that’s mostly becuase of Tollakson’s passion for youth cycling, and, in my opinion, his joy of being a father who trying to keep his kids as active as he can.

Dimond has been able to innovate, not just because of the modular build process, but by also keeping high-dollar accessories in house through the launch of Red Crown Cycling, which does bars and wheels. That ensures Tollakson avoids having more items shipped from overseas, and ensures he can keep things spec’d the way that these bikes need to be.

The latest from the company is the new GRANITE Gravel frame. That bike was born from the desire to get a 2.2 Mountain bike tire between the seat stays, while still using a road BB. They did end up about .1 short of that goal, but, maybe if you’re like the great “Caveman” Conrad Stoltz, you can just shave that little bit extra off the tires and be just fine.

The Dimond Granite:

Max Tire Clearance: 700c x 50mm or 27.5 x 2.2″

BB Standard T47 (86.5mm)

Fork steerer tube 1.5 to 1.125 tapered

Internal Cable Routing

Internal storage allows for a all sorts of stuff including “lunch”

The FIDLOCK system they use to keep your goods in the frame is the best one I have seen to date.

TIRE CLEARENCE

45c is what is shown here

Mounting’s Galore

This bike is made to go the distance with over 11 mounting points outside of the top tube. This frame can probably hold enough gear for even the longest backpacking adventurer.

The Red Crown Cyling and Intergrated Front End.

Dimond was born out of Tollakson’s desire to go faster. His engineering mind would just never stop thinking about things. He was the first professional triathlete to use the high-hand position – which is now common. His elbow pads may have been a little extreme, but using them still tested faster, and he was clearly onto something.

Starting and owning a business is hard work. I have always admired Tollakson for doing what he does, and I certainly applaud him for still being in game. What he currently makes in the triathlon space may not be for everyone. If it is something you’re interested in, you should go check the Dimond bikes out. They are far from the standard, UCI-approved frames so many other company’s are offering. You can get more information at www.dimondbikes.com

The post Dimond Bikes Continues to Press Forward first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

We stopped some of the top gravel pros before they ventured onto tomorrow’s race course for Life Time’s Big Sugar event.

ISABEL KING

Frame – Scott Addict Gravel RC

Drivetrain – Shimano GRX 2x 48/31

Wheels – Shimano GRX WH-RX880

Tires– 45 Panaracer X1 plus

Power – 4iii

Personal touch

Daily Reminders

CHASE WARK

Frame – Lauf Seigla

Tires – Continental Race Kings 2.2”

Cockpit – Vision Metron 5d ACR integrated 3k

Wheels – HED Emporia

Drivetrain – Sram Quarq 1x 48

HEATHER JACKSON

Frame – Canyon Grail CFR

Drivetrain – Shimano Mix Dura-ace 50-34 / GRX(wants the power)

Grips – Shimano GRX

Moto – Dirt Brigade

Cockpit – Canyon Grail custom

Tires – IRC Boken 45c

Alexey Vermeulen

Frame – Enve MOG

Drivetrain – Shimano Mix Dura-ace 50-34 / GRX(wants the power)

Grips – Shimano GRX

Tires – Kenda rush 2.2 up front, Kenda prototype 50mm rear

Cockpit – Enve SES AR One-Piece

Custom – #noflats

The post The Many Bikes of Big Sugar first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

I’m really starting to discover a lot gravel these days. It all started in 2019 when I went to the old ST HQ and got on one of Dan’s OPENs. It had vast amounts of rubber tires wrapped around 650 wheels. It had been sitting outside for the winter so the SRAM 1x was all rusty looking and I think I broke like 2-3 seat bolt clamps trying to get the seat adjusted so I could ride it. I cruised around his yard for all of about 5 mins and then he came out and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the trail head.”

Dan was going running, and I was going riding. He dropped me off at about 6,000 feet and pointed me in the direction of a California fire road. He was going to run for about 90 mins and I was was either going to meet back up with him or I was going to take the main road back down the hill to his house.

After about an hour or so of climbing, I ended up at the top of Jackson Flat Campground. I finally had a cell signal and so I texted Dan and told him I would meet him at the house. I had finally started to get the bike set up the way I wanted it so I figured I would put some more time in. I road around the fire roads high over the San Gabriel Mountain range looking over parts of LA in the distance. I figured out I didn’t have a lot of water with me and so I should probably start to head back. On the way down I realized just how steep it was on the fire roads. The camp round had been closed for what looked like a couple of seasons and so the roads where all sorts of “chunky.” It was at this point I remembered the story of Gary Fisher and what inspired him to make his own bikes. Insert me falling over the handlebars. OK, I’m going to lower the seat. That’s better. Once I got to the main road its about a 8-9 mile fast decent on pavement. Then it was a couple of miles of rollers back to Dans. Over the next couple of days I put lube on the chain and rode the OPEN a lot. I explored every single piece of pavement and dirt road that I could and I left Dan’s house ready to buy a gravel bike.

Three months later, I started doing some YouTube reviews here on slowtwitch. We reviewed the Argon 18 Dark Matter , the Niner MCR 9 and then the Ventum GS1. I was having the time of my life. I was testing all sorts of bikes, and I was learning what I liked and didn’t. And to be honest it was giving me something to do as COVID was starting to get weird. Then, all of a sudden, boom. Everyone started buying bikes, and the bike companies had zero reason to send us bikes to review. So a couple of years later, I still had my Ventum GS1, and I was getting pretty busy with some other things anyway. Getting back into about 2022, gravel was entering its really big peak of the crazy and we were starting to get some of the bike brands to have new things to talk about. “All Road” was the newly coined term from the big companies that weren’t quite ready to embrace what companies like Salsa, OPEN, and even Lauf were putting out. Tires and tire companies were also starting to be the sticky point. 38c was “Big” when it came to “gravel” everyone else was slapping on mountain bike tires.

So, while the industry was learning and coming around, people started returning to work, and the dirt roads became less packed. Overstocked, all road bikes were highly discounted on the internet, and small tires were all put on closeout. Five years after my first gravel ride and three years after the big companies started to really work together on bike frames, wheels, and parts, here we are, and here is what I chose to put on my gravel bike. Not what was just left around the garage — some of these parts where given to me for long-term review purposes; the rest I bought and/or traded for photography work.

Now that I have bored you with my long short story (or short long story), let’s lay the foundation quickly on this bike and the “why” behind it. The first thing for you to understand is that I wanted to build a gravel bike around a dropper post. Why? Because in good old Utah, I feel like I need and/or want one. And because of that, I want everything on this bike to be able to handle all the places and situations that drop post is going to allow me to comfortably ride. So that means massive gearing, strong frame, big tires, and a comfortable seat. Oh, and I want it to look RAD AF, too. Just like the rest of you bike geeks, the thing has got to turn heads.

DROPPER SEATPOST

This is is the foundation of the “whys” on this bike:

• Material: alloy

• Diameter: 27.2mm

• Length: 350mm

• Offset:zero

• Travel: 70mm

TIME 45 ADHX FRAME

BCS Carbon Fiber – Dyneema® Enhanced with the RTM build tech is the most robust carbon fiber bike frame on the market It’s not the lightest, but OMG, does this thing feel good underneath you, And it doesn’t have some special seat post that I can’t add a dropper post too. Just your normal, standard 27.2mm post.

SHIMANO GRX 12 Di2

Hoods. The #1 reason I will choose Shimano over SRAM is the ergonomics of the hoods. I have a Cervelo Aspero with SRAM, and every single time I ride downhill on that bike , and I want to stop, I feel like I need two fingers on the brakes. With Shimano, I don’t. I can be on the bars, going down a 30% gravel grade and I can use each of my pointer fingers and boom. I’m stopped. The hoods are 70% of my decision.

GEARING = 2x

The other 30% of my decision is gearing. 1x is excellent, but it’s not always great for everything, and unless you are going to run the new SRAM RED, chances are the front derailleur will be troublesome for you. So, while I wish Shimano would figure out power on GRX, this drive train is what I’m looking for.

FRONT GEARING

• 170mm Crank with 48 and 31 chainrings allow me to take this everywhere my riding ability can handle.

REAR GEARING

I have an 11-34t because I didn’t want to run the 105-level cassette. But I can do that later if I need that extra two-tooth range as this GRX RD-RX825 allows for a 36t cassette.

Shimano provided us this for the launch a while back, as well as long-term reviews.

POWER AND PEDALS

Because Shimano doesn’t yet feel like gravel riders care about power enough to put a meter in the GRX crank, and because I have a dropper post on this machine, I felt like I wanted an SPD-type pedal system, as it’s a lot easier to get in and out of. This is one thing I might change up a bit as I get into longer rides on this bike. But for now, it’s a power mountain bike pedal. And no, Garmin didn’t give me these. And yes, I will review these in the next coming month.

WHEELS AND TIRES

These are 100% review wheels and tires, but I also have five other sets I could have put on the bike. Reminder: I want this to act like a downhill mountain bike at particular times and places. So these new Zipp 303 XPLR with a 32mm inner hookless rim gives me all sorts of options here. Now, time will tell if these do hold up on the downhill single track I want to try to bomb, but for now, they are holding up.

ZIPP 303 XPLRSW with Goodyear 45 Tires. I also plan on doing a lot of other tire tests with this wheelset.

SADDLE

The WOVE MAGS. I owe this saddle its own review. This is by far the most comfortable I have sat my underside on. Now at $499 bucks, it’s a tough pill to swallow, but to never deal with pressure points — It’s worth it.

BAR AND STEM

This is a Discovery handlebar, and they are also part of a long-term review these feature a 30-degree flare and sweep of 5- Degree. I’m running the 42cm width on this bike.

I am also using a 100 mm Discovery Stem, ± 6 degrees.

There you have it, folks…wish me luck.

The post My TIME 45 ADHX Gravel Build first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Now, just a reminder: to play the game, a rider must finish the race.

Equipment trends

• While Cervelo had the most bikes, Canyon took the fastest time
• Pro’s chose Shimano over SRAM, yet chose ceramicspeed over regular derailleurs
• Favero Assioma took the pedal count within the top 10
• No one in the top 10 was riding 1x
• Aerobars are no longer “Stock”

Big steep hills, fast steep descents

With an elevation gain of +8,895 ft and loss of -8,877 ft, the Championship course took a toll on some, yet 8 of these ladies ended up in the top 10 overall. Let’s start with some crazy facts from the GPX file provided by IRONMAN.

CLIMBS

With eight sections that qualified as a “climb,” athletes saw max grades over 20%

1. 6.1 mi 1,081 ft 3.6%: Starting mile 6.2 – avg grade of 3.6% and Max grade of 9.7 %
2. 0.9 mi 151 ft 2.7%: Starting mile 17.9 – avg grade 2.7% and max grade 8.1%
3. 11.5 mi 3,206 ft 4.9%: Starting mile 25.1 – avg grade 4.9% and max grade 23.3%
4. 1.1 mi 187 ft 3.2%: Starting mile 39.1 – avg grade 3.2% and max grade 4.1%
5. 0.6 mi 106 ft 3.1%: Starting mile 43.9 – avg grade 3.1% and max grade 4.4%
6. 1.7 mi 358 ft 4.2%: Starting mile 48.2 – avg grade 4.2% and max grade 8.6%
7. 4.1 mi 1,066 ft 4.8%: Starting mile 75.8 – avg grade 4.8% and max grade 7.6%
8. 1.1 mi 203 ft 3.1%: Starting mile 90.3 – avg grade 3.1% and max grade 5.1%

DESCENTS

With seven sections that qualified worthy of a “descent,” athletes saw max grades of -12.1%

1. 4.2 mi 687 ft -2.7% Starting mile 20.9 – avg grade -2.7% and max grade -4.4%
2. 1.4 mi 268 ft -3.1% Starting mile 40.2 – avg grade -2.6% and max grade -4.5%
3. 1.2 mi 391 ft -6.1%: Starting mile 53.5 – avg grade -5.9% and max grade -8.6%
4. 7.1 mi 1,774 ft -5.5%: Starting mile 68.7 – avg grade -5.5% and max grade -12.1%
5. 0.9 mi 147 ft -3.8%: Starting mile 79.9 – avg grade -3.8% and max grade -4.7%
6. 7.7 mi 1,766 ft -3.9%: Starting mile 82.3 – avg grade -3.9% and max grade -9.4%
7. 10.4 mi 1,950 ft -2.9%: Starting mile 91.7 – avg grade -2.9% and max grade -10.8%

#1 Laura Philipp: 5:02:25

• Speed Machine: Canyon Speedmax CFR
• Drivetrain: Shimano with SRM
• Aerobars: Canyon Custom
• Wheels: Swissside Disc / 800 front
• Pedals: Wahoo Aero
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: Yes

#2 Kat Matthews: 5:05:46

• Speed Machine: Canyon Speedmax CFR
• Drivetrain: Shimano 2x
• Aerobars: Canyon Custom
• Wheels: DT Swiss Disc, 1100mm front
• Pedals: Wahoo Aero
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: Yes

#3 Marjolaine Pierré: 5:12:27

• Speed Machine: Cervelo P5 (2019 Model)
• Drivetrain: Sram 2x
• Aerobars: Stock
• Wheels: DT Swiss ARC 1100 Disc / Arc 110 front
• Pedals: Favero Assioma
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: Yes

#4 Chelsea Sodaro: 5:15:14

• Speed Machine: Pinnarello Bolide
• Drivetrain: Shimano 2x with SRM Crank
• Aerobars: Most
• Wheels: DT Swiss ARC 1100 Disc / Arc 110 front
• Pedals: Shimano
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: Yes

#5 Nikki Bartlett: 5:17:42

• Speed Machine: Cervelo P5 (2019)
• Drivetrain: Shimano 2x w/Rotor Crank
• Aerobars: Drag 2 Zero
• Wheels: Rolf Prima Disc / Rolf Prima EOS front
• Pedals: Look Keo
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: No

#6 Marta Sanchez: 5:18:00

• Speed Machine: Cervleo p5 (2019)
• Drivetrain: Shimano 2x
• Aerobars: Custom
• Wheels: Hed Disc/ Speedsix Ultra light front
• Pedals: Favero Assioma
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: Yes

#7 Penny Slater: 5:18:36

• Speed Machine: TREK Speed Concept
• Drivetrain: Sram 2x
• Aerobars: Drag 2 Zero
• Wheels: DT Swiss ARC 1100 Disc / Arc 110 front
• Pedals: Shimano
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: No

#8 Lotte Wilms: 5:22:02

• Speed Machine: Strorck Zeitjaeger
• Drivetrain: Shimano 2x
• Aerobars: Sync Aerobar One
• Wheels:  Xentis Mark4 5-spoke
• Pedals: Favero Assioma
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: No

#9 Merle Brunnèe: 5:23:44

• Speed Machine: CUBE Aerium
• Drivetrain: Shimano 2x / Rotor Crank
• Aerobars: 3D printed
• Wheels: Citec disc/ 83 Front
• Pedals: Favero Assioma
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: No

#10 Daniela Bleymehl: 5:23:50

• Speed Machine: Scott Plasma 6
• Drivetrain: Shimano SRM
• Aerobars: Rad Sport Ibet
• Wheels: Princeton Blur 633 Disc Wake 6560 Front
• Pedals: Shimano
• Ceramicspeed rear hanger: Yes

The post IMWC Nice: Women’s Top 10 Finishing Bike Splits first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Hannah Otto is an ex-triathlete who discovered her love for riding dirt more than swimming and running. If she isn’t taking on some crazy adventure on the trails, she is coaching her athletes and inspiring the world’s youth. She is no stranger to podiums, including the top step at the Leadville 100 MTB Race in 2022. Hannah is a bit of a bike geek, too, so when we had the chance to show off her new build, we took it. The new Pivot Vault features a frame weight of 995g, tire clearance up to 50c, an integrated Tool Shed compartment in the down tube, and the ISO Flex system around any 27.2mm seat post. (more on that below) The two noticeable differences are the abilities for Hannah to choose wider tires (which she did), and she has gone from Shimano Dura-Ace 2×12 speed Di2 to Shimano GRX 1x Mechanical. Let’s dive in.

TIRES

Tire choice on dirt is almost as important as how many carbs you need for race day. Now, even though Kenda sponsors Hannah, and so not all the options in the world are available to her, she still has plenty of them. With that said, she is on the new Kenda Prototype 700x45c (We need to get our hands on some.)

COCKPIT AND CABLES

Because she is riding mechanical 12-speed, she will have some extra stuff up front. But look at that clean cockpit! Even the sticker agrees with me.

DRIVETRAIN

While we are still waiting on Shimano to get with it on their 12-speed 1x Di2 (or lack thereof), we see plenty of pros and consumers proudly running mechanical. Hannah’s drivetrain specs include a 170mm GRX crank with a 48 Wolftooth chainring, 4iii Power Meter, GRX Rear Derailleur (RD-RX822-SGS), and a Deore XT Hyperglide+ 10-51 rear cassette. Pedals of choice will be Shimano Dura-Ace. Note that we are seeing most gravel pros switch to the SPD-SL and or road platform instead of the SPD and/or off-road.

CLEAN AND AERO

Besides the little derailleur cable saying hello, the bike looks mean AF from the front. The GRX hoods are mounted on an Easton 90 SLX bar: 40mm and Easton EC90 AX Carbon Stem: 90mm -7 with an integrated computer mount called the ICM system for the Coros Dura she is running. There is still plenty of space for more tire width. She is also running a Smanie Apex Carbon saddle.

WHEELS AND HUBS

The DT Swiss GRC 1100 DICUT features a 30 mm high carbon hooked rim and a 180 DICUT hub with ceramic bearings and a claimed weight of 1298 g. She is also running 160mm rotors front and back.

ISO FLEX

What is it? Think of your seat post as being surrounded by a pivotal (see my pun) insert that allows for the flex.

#6 is the inserted fiber-reinforced nylon sleeve, which allows #2 (the clamp) to hold the vertical position while allowing “Flex” aka damping. I don’t know how really awesome this works. I think I need to see it in person, in my opinion.

QUESTIONS I HAVE

Knowing this new frame geometry is more relaxed, I wonder if Hannah will consider adding a front suspension fork for next year’s Leadville MTB Race. Will the girls follow the guys? She for sure has the bike-handling skills to do it. Also, is the ISO FLEX really that great, or is it marketing fluff? We plan on following up on these two things for sure.

Big thanks to photo pro Forrest Dalmer for the sweet pics.

The post Hannah Otto’s New Pivot Vault Shimano GRX 1x Mechanical first appeared on Slowtwitch News.