Tricks of the trade - a look at the mechanics' tech
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It was rumoured we may see a new aero road bike, called 'Aircode' from Lapierre, however we only saw FDJ riders on the Xelius (Image credit: David Rome)
fi'zi:k supply the handlebar, stem, seatpost and saddle to team AG2R(Image credit: David Rome)
Look recently released the new Keo Blade 2 - claiming the widest cleat-pedal surface area (Image credit: David Rome)
(Image credit: David Rome)
Team Garmin-Sharp recently signed with POC apparel - here Steele von Hoffe shows us his Octal Aero lid (Image credit: David Rome)
German Champion André Greipel of Lotto-Belisol had a few bikes at the race. He finished in second place to Simon Gerrans on Stage 1 with this custom painted Ridley Noah Fast(Image credit: David Rome)
The Merida Reacto Evo of Lampre-Merida hides the rear brake underneath the chainstays (Image credit: David Rome)
FDJ on the Lapierre Xelius - a one-piece PRO Stealth Evo handlebar/stem adds plenty of style points (Image credit: David Rome)
Garmin Vector pedals officially on a Garmin-Sharp bike(Image credit: David Rome)
Travel costs are high and so teams have to be careful with what they bring -Team BMC brought with a mix of Shimano C35 and C50 wheels for the Australian conditions (Image credit: David Rome)
The new Giant-Shimano team - the colours are obviously in-line with Giant's brand colours (Image credit: David Rome)
Young Caleb Ewan's team - Uni-SA - was strongly made up of riders from the Avanti Professional Cycling Team. The new Corsa SL team bike was easy to spot (Image credit: David Rome)
Team Orica-GreenEdge recently signed with Finish Line as a maintenance sponsor. The mechanic was using Wet lube as it’s sure to last the distance and the chains get cleaned daily (Image credit: David Rome)
Orica-GreenEdge had added bar tape to their workstand to remove the chance of scratching the paint(Image credit: David Rome)
A measuring jig for Orica-GreenEdge helps with quick and accurate seat height adjustment(Image credit: David Rome)
Another flat tyre, another repair(Image credit: David Rome)
Most mechanics had their own air compressor valve fittings, this simple 'presta-only' head was quick to fit(Image credit: David Rome)
Wheels await a day on the road, the spare wheels are kept inside the car ready for lightning quick changes(Image credit: David Rome)
Lampre-Merida rider Diego Ulissi receives some last minute cleat adjustments before going onto win the day's stage into Sterling(Image credit: David Rome)
The second bidon cage is used to hold a trimmed bidon full of degreaser(Image credit: David Rome)
Marcel Kittel's Giant Propel has an extremely narrow profile(Image credit: David Rome)
Hey Greipel... your team called and said they want some bikes too(Image credit: David Rome)
The sole of Hansen's shoes offer little walking support - a Sidi dial is held at the foot bridge (Image credit: David Rome)
Team Belkin made the move to Bianchi bicycles - the mix of green and Bianchi's Celeste seems to divide opinion (Image credit: David Rome)
Team Uni-SA keeping it old-school with the day's major climbs and feeding zones written down (Image credit: David Rome)
FDJ, Team Sky and Giant-Shimano are just a few teams using PRO components(Image credit: David Rome)
Diego Ulissi and the rest of team Lampre-Merida were wearing team issue Sidi Wire Carbon (Image credit: David Rome)
Another rare sighting of the Di2 external battery - Belkin's mechanics were charging this bike through the new charging port(Image credit: David Rome)
And Cadel Evans rides.... (Hint: it's not the Impec)(Image credit: David Rome)
Team AG2R were riding the Focus Izalco Max(Image credit: David Rome)
Adam Hansen of team Lotto-Belisol and his now famous home-made shoes - expect an update on these soon. Adam tells us these are at 98g a shoe(Image credit: David Rome)
Team BMC had a mix of bikes on hand - Team Machine's, Impec's and strangely this Time Machine with road components and positioning (Image credit: David Rome)
Can't find your Shimano Dura-ace C35 or C50 wheel? Orica-GreenEdge probably took it(Image credit: David Rome)
The ever-bright Merida Reacto Evo of Lampre-Merida - stage 2 saw Italian Diego Ulissi take the win (Image credit: David Rome)
A few riders of Team Lampre-Merida were using the Rotor Power Crank (Image credit: David Rome)
Team Tinkoff-Saxo had the new, brighter colour scheme on display(Image credit: David Rome)
Frank Schleck's new Bontrager shoes - these are a prototype that haven't been seen before - the Boa system is a first for the brand (Image credit: David Rome)
Another look at Frank Schlek's shoes - our guess these will replace or even sit above the current RXXXL shoes (Image credit: David Rome)
A pared down wheel stand is used for applying glue to the rim. We saw this happening a fair bit as the week went on and teams ran low on spare wheels(Image credit: David Rome)
The mechanics were responsible for keeping the cars clean too, the dusty conditions meant the sponges rarely had time to dry(Image credit: David Rome)
Surplus team frames aren’t an option at the Tour Down Under, here an Astana mechanic does a rebuild without the team-issue frame(Image credit: David Rome)
Team BMC had a good selection of tools available(Image credit: David Rome)
A Trek Factory Racing mechanic prepares a rim for a new tyre(Image credit: David Rome)
An Astana frame is pulled apart and then discarded due to crash damage (Image credit: David Rome)
The frame mount stands used allow the mechanics to dial measurements and adjust saddles – two things far more difficult with tube clamp style workstands (Image credit: David Rome)
Shoe repair is another duty of the mechanic(Image credit: David Rome)
A Katusha mechanic confirms the saddle measurement. His spirit level and ruler is basic compared to some of the jigs of other teams (Image credit: David Rome)
The Team Sky measurement jig was one of the more refined on hand - precise measurements are ciritical for performance(Image credit: David Rome)
(Image credit: David Rome)
The Omega Pharma-Quick Step mechanic preps a bike for the next day(Image credit: David Rome)
A lone team Belkin fork sits in the stand, a large enough crash can mean an entire frame swap is needed(Image credit: David Rome)
A box full of German tools is a good sign this mechanic isn't local to Australia (Image credit: David Rome)
Discarded team bidons are re-used to hold cleaning products and tubular tyre glue - each applied with a paint brush (Image credit: David Rome)
Something we love too, the Abbey bike tools Crombie tool. Allowing the Drapac Cycling mechanic to remove the cassette without removing the quick release skewer (Image credit: David Rome)
The team car bike racks are simple, a single toe strap holds the bike in place - speed of removal is key (Image credit: David Rome)
Some mechanics didn't bring their normal tool boxes, and instead opting for lighter (and smaller) soft cases (Image credit: David Rome)
A clean setup for Trek Factory Racing, sponsored by Park Tools (Image credit: David Rome)
Drapac Professional Cycling were the only team sponsored by new WD-40 BIKE (Image credit: David Rome)
An Astana mechanic fiddles with the often frustrating task of internally routed electronic wires(Image credit: David Rome)
Team Sky recently signed with Muc-Off - the mechanics must adjust to these sponsorship changes just like a rider must adjust to componentry sponsor changes (Image credit: David Rome)
More blue of Park Tool - the black wrenches are Torx keys which are becoming common on lighter components(Image credit: David Rome)
The mechanic bays at Tour Down Under are like little office cubicles. All mechanics work next to each other in front of the public eye(Image credit: David Rome)
Another soft tool case for ease of transport - mechanics must be diligent to carry only crucial items (Image credit: David Rome)
Every mechanic will have a favourite Allen key set. PB Swiss are the crème of the crop, about US$100 for a set of these Rainbow wrenches(Image credit: David Rome)
Europcar make do with an upside down bike to hold a recently glued rim(Image credit: David Rome)
A Movistar mechanic replaces a chain. Mechanics replace chains regularly to prevent wear to other drive components (Image credit: David Rome)
The most frequently used tools are kept handy in the tool box pallets (Image credit: David Rome)
Another tool box of Team BMC – this one is a little messier(Image credit: David Rome)
Even with electronic gears, washing the bikes is a daily routine(Image credit: David Rome)
Even with electronic gears and power meters - all bikes are hosed down (Image credit: David Rome)
Another device for chain cleaning, this one is from Morgan Blue (Image credit: David Rome)
A Team Sky mechanic told us his best trick is using two torque wrenches, one with a 4mm and the other with a 5mm Allen bit(Image credit: David Rome)
All the teams had some form of light-weight wheel trueing stand, these are used as much for aligning a tubular tyre as they are for wheel repair(Image credit: David Rome)
Daily cleaning is the first task for mechanics when they return from the race stage (Image credit: David Rome)
No team had the usual team bus and so mini-buses were provided by the tour organizers. Climbing onto the roof of a mini-bus is far from the usual bus experience (Image credit: David Rome)
(Image credit: David Rome)
A paint brush is used to apply degreaser onto the chain. With daily cleaning, the chains never get filthy(Image credit: David Rome)
All the mechanics had a device that allowed the chain to be pedalled without the rear wheel in place. This greatly speeds up cleaning and means the rear wheel doesn’t get covered in degreaser(Image credit: David Rome)
A closer look at the tool box of Team Sky - digital pressure gauge, torque key and plenty of little gadgets (Image credit: David Rome)
Even amongst the professionals, torque wrenches are a vital tool. This mechanic was using two torque wrenches to reduce time wasted with bit swapping (Image credit: David Rome)
As we saw with the Tour Down Under tech gallery I, racing in Australia holds many logistical restraints, and the mechanics tools and supplies are usually the first to suffer.
The mechanics, the hardest working guys of the WorldTour, leave their custom-setup trailers behind, service courses and huge range of spares, and instead make-do with the bare minimum for a week’s worth of racing on often brand-new equipment.
Our tech gallery II takes a look at what the mechanics brought, the little tricks they use and some of the jobs they do that go beyond ‘fixing bikes’.
Click here for the full gallery.
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