2013 Scheldeprijs winner Marcel Kittel's Felt F-Series FRD bookends the Argos-Shimano fleet before the start. Actual weight without bottles is 7.50kg (16.53lb).(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Canyon reinforces the bottom bracket area of its new Canyon Ultimate CF SLX with an outer woven layer - a detail we didn't see at the launch last July since that sample was covered in paint.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bontrager's Race XXX Lite carbon fiber stem and Race Lite VR aluminum bar for MTN-Qhubeka's Youcef Reguigui.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
MTB-Qhubeka team mechanics use Nokon's very flexible segmented aluminum housing for the chain stay-mounted rear brake on the Trek Madone 7-Series.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The chain stay-mounted rear brake on MTB-Qhubeka's Trek Madone 7-Series leaves the seat stays looking unusually uncluttered.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
MTN-Qhubeka team mechanics use the seatmast head clamp on the Trek Madone 7-Series as a number plate mount.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
SRAM's latest Red cassette features noise-squelching elastomer rings.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
NetApp's Fuji Altamira takes the stage at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
With exclamation points for emphasis!(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
NetApp's Fuji Altamira frames are built with BB386 EVO bottom brackets. Reducer cups are used for the team's Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 cranks.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
23mm-wide Vittoria Corsa Evo CX tubulars are mounted to Oval Concepts 950 carbon wheels - which haven't been added to the company's web site yet.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A Specialized S-Works Venge rides atop the Omega Pharma-QuickStep team car at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Radioshack-Leopard-Trek riders all used the smooth-riding Domane at Scheldeprijs - surely in preparation for the big show on Sunday.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Saxo-Tinkoff's Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4 at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Blue SRAM Red 2012 hoods nicely complement the Saxo-Tinkoff team livery. Note the reduced lever reach for rider Jonathan Cantwell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
25mm-wide FMB Paris-Roubaix tubular tires for the Saxo-Tinkoff team at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bontrager Speed Limit direct-mount brakes for the MTN-Qhubeka team's Trek Madone 7-Series bikes. Note the Gore Ride-On 'grub' seal, too.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
MTB-Qhubeka rider Youcef Reguigui uses an SRM power meter with SRAM aluminum-core carbon fiber arms on his Trek Madone 7-Series.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lotto-Belisol sprinter Kenny Dehaes used Ridley's sleek Noah FAST at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lotto-Belisol team mechanics added a hole to the back of the seatmast head on Kenny Dehaes's Ridley Noah FAST for a number plate holder.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
An SRM power meter with made-for-SRM Campagnolo carbon fiber arms for Lotto Belisol sprinter Kenny Dehaes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lotto-Belisol's innovative Ridley Noah FAST features linear-pull front and rear brake arms that are directly molded into the carbon fiber structure.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The slots in the fork blades on Lotto-Belisol's Ridley Noah FAST supposedly pulls air out away from the spinning spokes to reduce drag.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Classic-bend Deda aluminum bars and Lizard Skins DSP tape for Lotto-Belisol's Kenny Dehaes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lotto-Belisol sprinter Kenny Dehaes set off from Antwerpen with a pair of Tacx Tao aluminum bottle cages.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The distinctly curvy rear end of Movistar's Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Think 2.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
SRM supplies teams with custom decals for its power meters to match the rest of the bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
25mm-wide Vittoria Pavé Evo CG tires and Campagnolo Bora Ultra Two deep-section carbon fiber tubular wheels for Movistar rider Jose Joaquin Rojas.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Movistar team bikes sport a more menacing appearance for the 2013 season.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Chain catchers and Campagnolo Record EPS groups for Movistar at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Movistar rider Jose Joaquin Rojas ran 6 bar (87psi) up front and 6.5 bar (94psi) out back at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Movistar rider Jose Joaquin Rojas is hoping for a better season after an injury-laden 2012. Rojas finished 11th at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Trek is once again using a black-and-yellow color scheme on its Madone but this time it's for the new MTN-Qhubeka team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Saxo-Tinkoff rider Michael Morkov used Prologo's new Nago Evo Nack CPC slip-resistant saddle at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Hey, isn't this seatpost collar supposed to go the other way?(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Scheldeprijs isn't a rough course but it's the last chance for racers to suss out equipment that will be used on Sunday at Paris-Roubaix. Here, Saxo-Tinkoff rider Michael Morkov apparently wanted to get some more saddle time on his Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL4 before the big day.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
TRP R970EQ brakes and AceCo K-Edge number plate holders for UnitedHealthcare at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Custom anodized and etched AceCo K-Edge chain catchers for UnitedHealthcare. AceCo's latest Professional design is more secure and can be easily adjusted independently of the front derailleur than the original setup.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
It's a good thing UnitedHealthcare bikes have giant NeilPryde and Enve logos on them. Otherwise, a casual observer might instead mistake them for Sky's machines based on the color scheme.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Arundel Dave-O carbon fiber cages for UnitedHealthcare at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Hourglass-profile head tubes such as used on UnitedHealthcare's NeilPryde Alize frames are now quite common.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Vacansoleil-DCM team mechanics have to use an extra zip-tie to secure the wire for the Campagnolo Super Record EPS rear derailleur.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Barry Markus's (Vacansoleil-DCM) Bianchi Oltre XR just before the start of Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
FSA's Plasma integrated carbon fiber bar and stem doesn't show itself in public much.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Vacansoleil-DCM's Bianchi Oltre XM is equipped with a machined aluminum seatpost collar and BBB number plate holder.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Vacansoleil-DCM rider Juan Antonio Flecha will certainly be hoping for a better finish at Paris-Roubaix than his 72nd place showing at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Vacansoleil-DCM riders are using BBB's new Icarus helmet.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Juan Antonio Flecha's (Vacansoleil-DCM) tires were conspicuously labeled as 25mm-wide Vredesteins but the construction suggests they were made by one of the smaller manufacturers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) used the only Powertap rear hub we found at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The unmistakable neon yellow hue of the Vini Fantini-Selle Italia team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
We can't imagine how badly Vini Fantini-Selle Italia team mechanics want to file these off.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
UnitedHealthcare team wheels are handbuilt around Chris King R45 hubs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Continental stamps were blacked out on UnitedHealthcare team bikes, which were also the only machines in the peloton to use Enve carbon rims.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Specialized has long said its unique Zertz elastomeric seat stay and fork inserts damp vibration for a smoother ride.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Custom yellow and blue SRM PowerControl 7 computers for the Saxo-Tinkoff team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky's latest team bike livery is almost shockingly basic.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Deep, round drops for Sky rider Bernhard Eisel.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Veloflex Carbon tubulars mounted to 50mm-deep Shimano Dura-Ace carbon wheels for Sky's Bernhard Eisel.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Anyone care to guess who Sky's stem sponsor is?(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A small Sky sticker marks the seatpost height on Bernhard Eisel's Pinarello Dogma K while friction paste helps ensure it stays there.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
More friction paste is used between the aluminum bar and stem on Bernhard Eisel's (Sky) Pinarello Dogma K at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
More noise-reducing electrical tape, this time on a Sky team bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky rider Ian Stannard gets a little extra flair on his Pinarello at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The curvaceous Pinarello Onda fork of Sky rider Ian Stannard.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sky uses FSA reducers to adapt the Shimano Dura-Ace cranks to its PF30-equipped Pinarello frames.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise riders mostly used the Merckx EMX-525 but we also spotted this EMX-5 atop the team car.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
24mm-wide Vittoria Pavé Evo CG tubulars and 3T's cleverly designed Mercurio 40 LTD carbon wheels for Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
UnitedHealthcare riders used NeilPryde's Alize model across the board at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Schwalbe Ultremo HT tubulars are mounted to Edco carbon wheels with ceramic-coated sidewalls on the Vini Fantini-Selle Italia team bikes at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Ag2R-La Mondiale's Focus Izalco at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Astana rider Andrea Guardini spends a lot of time sitting on this fi'zi:k Aliante Carbon saddle and FSA K-Force SB25 seatpost.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Classic-bend FSA bars for Astana rider Andrea Guardini.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The unique racing lacing setup for Astana's Corima Aero+ front wheel.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Blanco used three different Giant bikes at Scheldeprijs: the TCR Advanced SL, the Defy Advanced SL, and the new Propel Advanced SL.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Blanco threw its support being Theo Bos and his Giant Propel Advanced SL at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The wiring setup on Theo Bos's (Blanco) Giant Propel Advanced SL at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Blanco team mechanics got creative with the number plate mounting on Theo Bos's Giant Propel Advanced SL.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Blanco uses custom made aluminum linear-pull brakes on its Giant Propel Advanced SL rigs instead of the molded carbon fiber ones found on production bikes. The more precise noodle socket, stronger return springs, and seemingly tighter tolerances lend a much improved feel at the lever.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Giant's RideSense wireless speed and cadence sensor is mounted to the non-driveside chain stay on Theo Bos's (Blanco) Giant Propel Advanced SL at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
An SRM power meter with Dura-Ace 7800 crankarms for Theo Bos (Blanco).(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Theo Bos (Blanco) used 25mm-wide Vittoria Corsa Evo CX tires at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Giant makes an ultralight compression plug assembly for its OverDrive 2 1 1/4-to-1 1/2" steerers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Crelan-Euphony's Colnago C59 Team Edition sets off for the start line at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Euskaltel-Euskadi's Orbea Orca in the team's trademark black-and-orange livery at Scheldeprijs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Euskaltel-Euskadi uses these neat custom carbon fiber number plate holders on its Orbea Orcas.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
