Pro Bikes

None that I am aware of. Although a few frame makers do make lighter frames for the mountain stages (ie, Cervelo and BMC now have frames in their lineup which are about 100 grams lighter than previous top-end models)
However...I think this is for marketing purposes. 100 grams makes absolutely no difference in how fast someone will climb up a mountain pass. Although, for riders that do switch bikes for mountain stages, I would bet there is a psychological advantage to riding something "lighter" than they usually do.

redmarkerdown said:

What are some of the differences that occur in a professional cyclist's bikes as they go from flatter stages to hilly stages then to mountainous stages? (No need to mention TT because everybody knows about that)

Thanks

There are quite a few things that are changed between stages depending on terrain, weather, rider preferences;

~rear cassette combination, depends mostly on terrain.
~front chainring size, believe it or not, there are times when teams or individual riders prefer compact cranks
~tyres, depends on weather and road conditions
~wheels, depends on terrain, wind, and maybe wheather or not a rider plans on a break
~frames,again, depends on the terrain.

Bikes are cleaned after every stage, checked, and set up for the next stage as per each individual riders request.

Of the pros I've known and seen, the only real difference from day to day is the choice of wheels. For example, a week ago there was a race here in Vancouver that was big enough for the Navigators to show up. Before the start I was in the athletes area with my teammates while they got ready to race. I was surprised that only one of the Navs was using Boras and the rest were on Eurus. I didn't notice any other differences between the bikes. And trust me, their Colnago C50s will handle everything from crits to high mountain passes.

Of course, there are some riders that will tinker endlessly with their position on the bike. Some are picky about saddles. And others will have their own small quirks when it comes to less significant bike parts. But on the whole, the bike they get is the bike they ride day after day. At the very, very top level, the leader of a team such as Boonen will demand certain frames, cranks, pedals etc but likely won't change those things based on the terrain.

Exceptions? Sure. Like Paris Roubaix where everyone swaps their bikes for something durable and comfortable.

John Swanson
www.bikephysics.com

redmarkerdown said:

What are some of the differences that occur in a professional cyclist's bikes as they go from flatter stages to hilly stages then to mountainous stages? (No need to mention TT because everybody knows about that)

Thanks

BikingBrian said:

None that I am aware of. Although a few frame makers do make lighter frames for the mountain stages (ie, Cervelo and BMC now have frames in their lineup which are about 100 grams lighter than previous top-end models)
However...I think this is for marketing purposes. 100 grams makes absolutely no difference in how fast someone will climb up a mountain pass. Although, for riders that do switch bikes for mountain stages, I would bet there is a psychological advantage to riding something "lighter" than they usually do.

Outside of TT's, almost all of the bikes are right down to the UCI weight limit anyway. If they're using a lighter frame, it's only to spend the weight somewhere else. Like stiffer handle bars. Other changes typically include lower gearing, and lower profile wheels (mountain roads have a lot of side gusts). I've heard that Iban Mayo sometimes rides the mountain stages on frames with shorter than usual chainstays, but it doesn't seem to be helping much lately.

"If they're using a lighter frame, it's only to spend the weight somewhere else. Like stiffer handle bars. "

Good point, also to be able to use things like Power Meters; SRM or PowerTap, etc. without a weight penalty. Floyd was using a PowerTap when he was climbing the Joux-Plane - earlier in the stage he had switched bikes partway through - but I haven't read anywhere why? The commentators on tv said prob it was their lighter version frame (just speculation). Anyone have any more info??

broken spoke I believe

Also heard that he broke a spoke