Stock pro bike descriptions often throw up the same familiar lines – something along the line of ‘gears whirring to perfection and the brakes set up just so’ sounds familiar.
It’s true, pro race bikes are usually set up perfectly by team mechanics who work tirelessly to ensure the riders' bikes are just right. But who helps the mechanics?
A lot of the technicians' work is actually done before the season starts. They first do an onboarding for pro teams who use or may have switched to SRAM equipment. This winter saw EF Education EasyPost, Uno-X Mobility, Decathlon CMA CGM and Unibet Rose Rockets all switch to SRAM equipment, which will have created new processes to learn for some mechanics.
The technicians help the team with their equipment order but stress to me that they don't tell teams what to use, they simply outline the options. They also go as far as building up practice bikes together, to ensure the mechanics are familiar with everything, Wittenberg explained
“Once the material arrives at the service course, one of us goes and visits a team, and then we try to get as many mechanics as possible at that time. We spend a couple of days with them. We want to make sure we spend enough time with the team, with the mechanics, to really go over the entire setup of the groupsets and entire bike builds.”
At later training camps, the technicians check in with teams and riders again to make sure that everyone is comfortable and that mechanics are happy with the technical processes, though showing certain mechanics the SRAM way of doing things and building confidence and trust is not always simple, Wilhelms explained.
“Some mechanics have 30 years of experience, and you tell them to cut the chain a certain way. Then, they tell you, ‘Yeah, but I cut the chain this way for 30 years, and I will keep going.’ And so it is not always easy.
“That's really our main goal, to visit them much more often before the first races, so that they really understand that they have to follow our manuals, because the group sets are so specific.
“If we see somebody who is struggling, they don't like to ask, because then they look like dummies. If you only show up when they are having an issue, for them, it's a bit like 'oh, we are having an issue, and now you're here to tell us we are doing stuff wrong', and it's not much appreciated. That's really when we need to pick them up to bring them on board, and step in and to support them and to build up this trust. If you have a good relationship, you get honest feedback”.
The race technicians check in with teams year-round to try to foster that strong working relationship. It sounds like SRAM wants all team mechanics to be using the exact same processes when doing things like setting up groupsets and bleeding brakes. Mechanics often have their own preferred ways of doing certain jobs, but the point seems to be that controlling the specific setup process can help minimise mistakes or imperfections that could result in an issue or subpar performance.
The technicians gave a few specific examples of SRAM-specific points that might need clarification. Wilhelms said that the hydraulic SRAM Red brakes that most top-level SRAM teams use only need bleeding once a year. You might imagine brakes being bled before every race at this level, but it seems it's not needed; simpler calliper maintenance and cleaning is enough.
Many mechanics may also be familiar with lubricating a rear derailleurs pivot points, something some pro mechanics might do instinctively or just out of habit. The Teflon-coated bushings on the Red derailleur don't actually need touching, especially with the electronics. These are the kinds of things the mechanics point out to team mechanics across the board, not just the Rose Rockets squad.
I arrived at the Rose Rockets team hotel on the afternoon before Omloop, as the group of team mechanics were beginning to clean some of the bikes used on the squad's last training ride.
SRAM tech Ward Deschepper checked in with the mechanics and almost instantly set to work checking the chain length of a Red XPLR 1x13-equipped bike.
The team decided to switch to SRAM's 1x13 Red XPLR gravel groupset for the Classics, which was first used last year by Lidl-Trek at Opening Weekend, which means different cassettes, derailleurs and possibly chains. The team's riders had been given a presentation on the system by squad performance staff the night before and, despite some hesitation on the large cassette size, were almost all on board with the concept which provides some aero benefits by dropping the front mech, and provides good chain retention from the XPLR gravel-oriented rear derailleur.
Deschepper explained that the correct chain length for the system was critical, and he and head mechanic Sam checked this together.
It's worth putting the level into context here. Team mechanics are all very capable. The SRAM technicians certainly aren't holding their hands; they can cover more nuanced mechanical issues because they know the product inside out, but they are also there to advise on best practices and to get the team up and running from the beginning of the season to ensure the product works as well as it can.
For instance, the team had installed Wolf Tooth 1x chain guides on the frames to minimise the chance of any chains coming off. The mechanics told me the riders weren't as keen on this but SRAM strongly recommended it. For the sake of a few grams, and arguably a small amount of extra aerodynamic drag, a chain staying on might be the difference between a good result for a team like the Rockets and a rider's day being over, depending on the situation of the race.
"It's safer to run a chain device when the chain is under load and shifting; the chance of an issue is low. When you stop pedalling or freewheel or backpedal before a corner, something could happen." said Deschepper.
At this point, the team's head of performance wandered over and, after chatting cheerfully, explained he had some broken pedals and a still-functioning rear mech that was missing an electronic button. The SRAM techs were happy to look at the items with issues and it genuinely felt like a relaxed, friendly exchange.
Any mechanic who has ever faced a problem will know the feeling of needing to get something done right and of hoping nothing causes an issue in a race or event for a rider. Even the world's best get help when they need it, and part of the SRAM technicians' goal is to help pro mechanics feel able to pick up the phone and say, 'Can I have a hand with this?'
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