US Postal wheels & tires..............................

Charles Hizark said:

I was looking at some of the pic's from US Postal's Arizona training camp pics. I noticed that
they were using clinchers....???

Amazing. In training rides, one should pull out all the stops to gain competitive advantage.
Clinchers? It just goes to prove the stupidity of riders at even the highest level.

Dan

Charles Hizark said:

I was looking at some of the pic's from US Postal's Arizona training camp pics. I noticed that
they were using clinchers....??? In last years tdf Lance was using Hutchinson sewups. So I wonder
if they switched over to clinchers. Personally I still prefer the ride of sewups. They just are a
lot more comfortable to ride.

Quoted message said:

On the US Postal site some of the riders mentioned that they were using a training wheel
(Bontragers).... I wonder which

I didn't know Bontrager made training wheels. At least not for full size road bikes. If LANCE needs
training wheels at this point in the season, he is clearly toast. Even Tyler doesn't use training
wheels anymore. Besides, this ride from Litespeed is so much more stylish:

shop.store.yahoo.comlittric.htmlOpen ↗

they outlawed sewups in Arizona. California its still legal but AZ had their on DOT so they can do
that. they almost got busted to....

Dan Connelly <d_j_c_o_n_n_e_l@i_e_e_e.o_r_g> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Charles Hizark said:

I was looking at some of the pic's from US Postal's Arizona training camp pics. I noticed that
they were using clinchers....???

Amazing. In training rides, one should pull out all the stops to gain competitive advantage.
Clinchers? It just goes to prove the stupidity of riders at even the highest level.

I would consider switching over to clinchers if the comfort issue is solved. The only tires that
come close to sewups is Wolber Super Rallyes.

Quoted message said:

Dan

(Charles Hizark) said:

..."[snip some stuff about clinchers]...wheel (Bontragers)"

I think more surprising was the fact that they were on Bontrager wheels that appeared to be 32 holes
laced 3x. I didn't know anybody still used 3x wheels.

from cyclingnews.com: cyclingnews.comphotos.phpOpen ↗

-a
🙂

[email hidden] (Andrew Martin) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

(Charles Hizark) said:

..."[snip some stuff about clinchers]...wheel (Bontragers)"

I think more surprising was the fact that they were on Bontrager wheels that appeared to be 32
holes laced 3x. I didn't know anybody still used 3x wheels.

It's hard to tell what rims they are using... They look like the old Campy rims

Quoted message said:

from cyclingnews.com:
cyclingnews.comphotos.phpOpen ↗

-a
🙂

[email hidden] (Andrew Martin) wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I think more surprising was the fact that they were on Bontrager wheels that appeared to be 32
holes laced 3x. I didn't know anybody still used 3x wheels.

Yeah!!! Who would want to be able to ride home if they broke a spoke anyway? 😉

- Boyd S.

Andrew Martin said:

I think more surprising was the fact that they were on Bontrager wheels that appeared to be 32
holes laced 3x. I didn't know anybody still used 3x wheels.

New UCI regs. Blame Hein.

Bob Schwartz [email hidden]

Bob Schwartz <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Andrew Martin said:

I think more surprising was the fact that they were on Bontrager wheels that appeared to be 32
holes laced 3x. I didn't know anybody still used 3x wheels.

New UCI regs. Blame Hein.

Bob - are you serious? I usually gloss over the UCI threads.

Quoted message said:

I was looking at some of the pic's from US Postal's Arizona training camp pics. I noticed that
they were using clinchers....??? In last years tdf Lance was using Hutchinson sewups. So I wonder
if they switched over to clinchers. Personally I still prefer the ride of sewups. They just are a
lot more comfortable to ride.

On the US Postal site some of the riders mentioned that they were using a training wheel
(Bontragers).... I wonder which

I spoke with the product manager for Bontrager wheels about what Postal was seen using at the
training camp. They were specially-built "heavy" wheels for training purposes only; 32-spoke rims on
re-drilled hubs. To quote him- "Lance and the team like to train on slower, heavier duty wheels."

They are not wheels available for sale.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

On the US Postal site some of the riders mentioned that they were using a training wheel
(Bontragers).... I wonder which

Quoted message said:

I spoke with the product manager for Bontrager wheels about what Postal was seen using at the
training camp. They were specially-built "heavy" wheels for training purposes only; 32-spoke rims
on re-drilled hubs. To quote him- "Lance and the team like to train on slower, heavier duty
wheels."

Quoted message said:

They are not wheels available for sale.

Mike, you're missing an opportunity here. Or maybe you're just slyly letting out the Postal
training secret - "heavy," 32-spoke training wheels. Soon all the wannabees will want to train on
the same special training wheels as LANCE. Then, Trek/Bontrager can succumb to popular demand and
make them available to the public, where they will be snapped up like free donuts at a 'cross race.
Century riders and Cat 4s will ride around on these things and save their Zipps for the big events.
You will have got people onto reasonable wheels and proved that you can sell anything. Clever,
Mike, very clever.

Benjamin Weiner said:

Mike, you're missing an opportunity here. Or maybe you're just slyly letting out the Postal
training secret - "heavy," 32-spoke training wheels. Soon all the wannabees will want

Make sure that you include Robert Millar's old trick of putting 19mm tubulars inside 25mm touring
clinchers on these wheels.

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was looking at some of the pic's from US Postal's Arizona training camp pics. I noticed that
they were using clinchers....??? In last years tdf Lance was using Hutchinson sewups. So I
wonder if they switched over to clinchers. Personally I still prefer the ride of sewups. They
just are a lot more comfortable to ride.

On the US Postal site some of the riders mentioned that they were using a training wheel
(Bontragers).... I wonder which

I spoke with the product manager for Bontrager wheels about what Postal was seen using at the
training camp. They were specially-built "heavy" wheels for training purposes only; 32-spoke rims
on re-drilled hubs. To quote him- "Lance and the team like to train on slower, heavier duty
wheels."

I find it strange that they would switch to these type of wheels for training. There is probably
several possible explanations: Perhaps US Postals budget has been reduced (unlikely). A more
plausible explanation is that they are transitioning over to clinchers.

Quoted message said:

They are not wheels available for sale.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Charles Hizark said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I spoke with the product manager for Bontrager wheels about what Postal was seen using at the
training camp. They were specially-built "heavy" wheels for training purposes only; 32-spoke rims
on re-drilled hubs. To quote him- "Lance and the team like to train on slower, heavier duty
wheels."

I find it strange that they would switch to these type of wheels for training. There is probably
several possible explanations: Perhaps US Postals budget has been reduced (unlikely). A more
plausible explanation is that they are transitioning over to clinchers.

You're forgetting the obvious one. New UCI regs. Hein decided he liked the minimum weight limit on
bikes and applied a minimum weight specification to wheels. No more carbon fiber, just like there
are no more odd sizes. Blame Hein.

Bob Schwartz [email hidden]

This is not such a big mystery. The US Postal team was using standard 32-spokes wheels a few years
back at their Arizona training camp. It's nothing new.

I'm sure that most of the team brought their regular training bikes. When they train on their own,
there is no team car for support. They aren't racing so they aren't worried about having the fastest
equipment. They want durable equipment.

Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
heronbicycles.comheronbicycles.comOpen ↗ tullios.comtullios.comOpen ↗

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I spoke with the product manager for Bontrager wheels about what Postal was seen using at the
training camp. They were specially-built "heavy" wheels for training purposes only; 32-spoke rims
on re-drilled hubs. To quote him- "Lance and the team like to train on slower, heavier duty
wheels."

They are not wheels available for sale.

I was at Het Volk last year and USPS had similar wheels. They were black, wide, box section rims
laced 3x. Labeled Bontrager though. Pretty clearly something built and labeled expressly for USPS.

Todd Kuzma <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

This is not such a big mystery. The US Postal team was using standard 32-spokes wheels a few years
back at their Arizona training camp. It's nothing new.

I'm sure that most of the team brought their regular training bikes. When they train on their own,
there is no team car for support. They aren't racing so they aren't worried about having the
fastest equipment. They want durable equipment.

I think there is more to it than that. A lot of times preseason camps are used to test out new
equipment.

Quoted message said:

Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
heronbicycles.comheronbicycles.comOpen ↗ tullios.comtullios.comOpen ↗

Charles Hizark said:

Todd Kuzma <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

This is not such a big mystery. The US Postal team was using standard 32-spokes wheels a few years
back at their Arizona training camp. It's nothing new.

I'm sure that most of the team brought their regular training bikes. When they train on their own,
there is no team car for support. They aren't racing so they aren't worried about having the
fastest equipment. They want durable equipment.

I think there is more to it than that. A lot of times preseason camps are used to test out new
equipment.

Well, then, they "tested" plain 32-spoke wheels at camp four years ago and nothing came of it.

Then again, it could be a new marketing ploy in the same vein as carbon black tires - sell what is
old as new. New, improved 32-spoke wheels!! Stronger AND lighter than our old 20-spokers!!!

Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
heronbicycles.comheronbicycles.comOpen ↗ tullios.comtullios.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think there is more to it than that. A lot of times preseason camps are used to test out new
equipment.

Well, then, they "tested" plain 32-spoke wheels at camp four years ago and nothing came of it.

Sorry it can't be anything more sinister than wanting to train on heavier equipment so they have a
psychological edge when they go to their lightweight stuff. It's really that simple. It has
nothing to do with durability; heck, what more do you need than a wheel that can cross a field
during the later part of a road stage and stay true? I still can't believe they don't use footage
of that in an ad...

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com

"Todd Kuzma" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Charles Hizark said:

Todd Kuzma <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is not such a big mystery. The US Postal team was using standard 32-spokes wheels a few
years back at their Arizona training camp. It's nothing new.

I'm sure that most of the team brought their regular training bikes. When they train on their
own, there is no team car for support. They aren't racing so they aren't worried about having
the fastest equipment. They want durable equipment.

I think there is more to it than that. A lot of times preseason camps are used to test out new
equipment.

Well, then, they "tested" plain 32-spoke wheels at camp four years ago and nothing came of it.

Then again, it could be a new marketing ploy in the same vein as carbon black tires - sell what is
old as new. New, improved 32-spoke wheels!! Stronger AND lighter than our old 20-spokers!!!

Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
heronbicycles.comheronbicycles.comOpen ↗ tullios.comtullios.comOpen ↗