All dialed and ready for the next days action.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The team is equipped with full SRAM Red 22 mechanical gruppos for their racing machines.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The team is sponsored by Arundel and uses their full-carbon Dave-O bottle cages.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
For the Volta ao Algarve's Queen Stage, Phil selected to race HED Stinger 3’s.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The Diamondback Podium Equipe frames come standard with interchangeable “port-windows” allowing the frames to be routed internally for both mechanical and electronic drive-train options.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The SRAM Red 22 brakes.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
Longtime team-sponsor, HED, supplies the team with a wide-range of wheel options.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The SRAM Red 22 front derailleurs shift flawlessly, and with their YAW Technology, cross-chaining is an issue of the past.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
Gaimon’s crankset features the standard 53/39 chainring set-up, with 175mm crank arm lengths.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
Gaimon prefers his handlebars and shifters positioned in a slightly more upright position.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The team is using a full HED supplied aluminum cockpit.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The team races aboard the Diamondback Podium Equipe frame-sets and mechanics label each frame with appropriate name stickers to denote the athlete and race vs. spare bikes. Gaimon rides a 56 cm frame.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
ISM provides the team with saddles, and Gaimon has selected his Attack model to provide comfort and support on those longs days in the saddle.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
Equipping race numbers to the frames is accomplished with K-EDGE supplied mounts.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
The LOOK Keo Blade pedals come in the three different cleat resistance options - Phil has selected the 16 guage pedal.(Image credit: Sam Wiebe)
Phil Gaimon's move to Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies this year meant another new bicycle in the rider's stable, including the team issue Diamondback Podium Equipe frameset decked out with SRAM Red 22 components.
Gaimon got his first chance to compete on the new machine last week at the Volta ao Algarve, where he played a crucial role in setting up teammate Michael Woods' fifth-place finish on the Queen Stage and 12th-place overall finish. Sky's Geraint Thomas won the overall.
The bike is the culmination of the move into high-end road bikes for Diamondback, a Pacific Northwest company that was founded in 1977 as a BMX brand. The company expanded into mountain bikes in the early 1990s.
In 1999, Derby Cycle Corporation, which also owned the Raleigh Bicycle Company, bought Diamondback and merged Raleigh and Diamondback together. In 2012, the Dutch group Accell, whose portfolio includes the Lapierre and Ghost bicycle brands, bought the company for for $100 million.
The Podium “Optum” frame is a hand built sub-900 gram Advanced Monocoque Molding Process SL carbon fiber racing frame with Diamondback's signature Optimized Resin Compound.
The stiff compound provides for optimal power transfer, while the unique tube shapes and layup provide the comfort. The Continuous Fiber Technology fork works in tandem with the oversized, tapered head tube to provide point-and-shoot steering, while the internal routing hides cables from the wind to give that extra, aerodynamic edge.
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The frames' interchangeable “port-windows” allow them to be routed internally for both mechanical and electronic drive-train options. Gaimon's 56cm bike is outfitted with SRAM Red 22 mechanical shifting.
Gaimon chose the ISM "Attack" saddle to provide comfort and support on the longs days. He rides with a saddle height of 78.8cm and a setback of 12.1cm behind of the center of the BB.
The team is using a full HED supplied aluminum cockpit. Gaimon prefers the 42cm traditional bend bar with a 130mm stem and minimal stack height. He also uses a team-sponsor issued K-EDGE Garmin mount to display his race data. Gaimon prefers his handlebars and shifters positioned in a slightly more upright position than most riders – which is normal for a rider of his height.
Gaimon’s crankset features the standard 53/39 chainring set-up with 175mm crank arm lengths, but he will swap between power-meters at his discretion. The SRAM Red 22 brakes are not only aesthetically appealing and affective in their performance, but they're also very aerodynamic. Carbon-specific pads are used to ensure proper braking with the carbon race wheels.
For the Volta ao Algarve's Queen Stage, Gaimon selected to race HED Stinger 3s because the balance of light weight, aerodynamics and stiffness provide an exceptional climbing wheelset. Gaimon connects to his machine with the LOOK Keo Blade pedals, which come in the three different cleat resistance options. Gaimon uses the 16 gauge pedal.
To see the complete photo gallery of Gaimon's bike, click here.
Complete bike specifications: Frame: Diamondback Podium Equipe - size 56cm Fork: Diamondback Podium Equipe carbon Headset: FSA No. 42 Tapered sealed Stem: HED GTO 130mm x -10 degrees Handlebar: HED GTO 42cm (c-c) Tape: SRAM SuperCork Front Brake: SRAM RED 22 Rear Brake: SRAM RED 22 Shift/Brake levers: SRAM RED 22 Front derailleur: SRAM RED 22 Rear derailleur: SRAM RED 22 Cassette: SRAM RED 22, 11-28t Chain: SRAM RED 22 Crankset: SRAM RED 22, 175mm, 53/39T chainrings Bottom Bracket: PRESS FIT 30 Pedals: LOOK KEO Blade 2 CR Wheelset: HED Stinger 3 tubular Saddle: ISM Attack Seatpost: HED 27.2 20mm offset Bottle Cages: Arundel Dave-O
Critical Measurements: Rider's height: 1.85 m (6ft 1in) Rider's weight: 67 kg (148lb) Saddle height: 78.8 cm Saddle setback: 12.1 cm Cockpit: 63.1
Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.
