{"id":51871,"date":"2023-07-26T17:00:21","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T15:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=740432"},"modified":"2023-07-26T17:35:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T15:35:48","slug":"up-close-with-lidl-treks-dazzling-custom-tour-de-france-femmes-bikes","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/up-close-with-lidl-treks-dazzling-custom-tour-de-france-femmes-bikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Up-close with Lidl-Trek\u2019s dazzling custom Tour de France Femmes bikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Balsamo\u2019s race bikes have been given the Project One treatment <\/p>

By Stan Portus\n \t\t<\/p>

2023-07-26 15:00:21<\/p>

\n\n

At races such as the Tour de France Femmes, cycling brands are keen to attract the beady eyes of the press photographers and journalists snooping through the cavalcade of team buses and along the roadside.<\/p>\n

For the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes, which began last Sunday, plenty of the women\u2019s team bikes<\/a> have been given a fresh lick of eye-catching paint. Not least, Lidl-Trek\u2019s. The team has given all of its riders\u2019 bikes custom paintwork, ranging from the conservative to the outrageous.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Trek\u2019s Project One customisation scheme, the bikes of Elisa Balsamo and Lizzie Deignan reflect the two ends of this spectrum.<\/p>\n

Deignan\u2019s bike requires a bit of close inspection to realise what\u2019s going on with that blue finish and Balsamo\u2019s \u2013 well, you can\u2019t miss it.<\/p>\n

Lizzie Deignan\u2019s Trek \u00c9monda<\/h2>\n
\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Lizzie Deignan\u2019s 2023 Tour de France Femmes Trek \u00c9monda.<\/span><\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

From a distance, Deignan\u2019s Trek \u00c9monda<\/a> looks as though it\u2019s painted in a fairly standard navy blue.<\/p>\n

However, get closer and you see the climbing bike<\/a> has a bluey-black base coat with a glistening lighter blue pattern over the top.<\/p>\n

\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The frame has a glistening blue pattern.<\/span><\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Deignan is running a Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 TLR wheelset. Bontrager says the 51mm-deep rim of these wheels was designed using 3D modelling to create its fastest and most stable design.<\/p>\n

The road bike wheelset uses RSL-level OCLV Carbon which, along with the rim profile, is said to deliver speed and versatility across conditions.<\/p>\n

\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The bike has Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels fitted with Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR tyres.<\/span><\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The tubeless-ready wheelset has an internal rim width<\/a> of 23mm and is fitted with Pirelli P Zero Race TLR<\/a> tubeless tyres, which are indeed set up tubeless<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We saw Deignan running these tyres on her winning Paris-Roubaix Femmes bike<\/a>. But while she opted for 700x30mm tyres for the Hell of the North, she\u2019s gone for 700x28mm in the Tour de France Femmes.<\/p>\n

\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/picture><\/div>
Deignan is using a 2x drivetrain.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Brit has the stage profile on her one-piece cockpit.\u00a0<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/picture><\/div>
There are sprint shifters on the underside of the handlebar drop.\u00a0<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Another difference between the Trek Domane Deignan rode into the Roubaix Velodrome and her Tour de France Femmes Domane SLR is it has a 2x rather than 1x SRAM Red drivetrain.<\/p>\n

Given the prevalence of 1x drivetrains at the men\u2019s Tour de France<\/a> \u2013 also used by the men\u2019s Lidl-Trek team \u2013 this more conventional setup might come as a surprise.<\/p>\n

Maybe we\u2019ll see Deignan or others at the Tour de France Femmes switch between multiple bikes with different drivetrain choices, as Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> did.<\/p>\n

One small custom touch to Deignan\u2019s \u00c9monda is it has sprint shifters located on the underside of the drops of her handlebar.<\/p>\n

Elisa Balsamo\u2019s Trek Madone<\/h2>\n
\""Elisa\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Elisa Balsamo\u2019s 2023 Tour de France Femmes Trek Madone.<\/span><\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

An oil slick on the road is a cyclist\u2019s worst nightmare. Have one on your bike, though, and you\u2019ll likely be the envy of many riders.<\/p>\n

Elisa Balsamo\u2019s Trek Madone<\/a> has one of the most eye-catching paintjobs we\u2019ve seen on a pro bike.<\/p>\n

\""Elisa\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Lidl\u2013Trek rider Elisa Balsamo\u2019s Trek Madone seatpost hole.<\/span><\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The paintjob is similar to the Chroma Ultra-Iridescent Madone SLR raced by fellow sprinter and Lidl-Trek rider Mads Pedersen in the men\u2019s Tour de France.<\/p>\n

The paintwork helps pick out the aero bike<\/a> frame\u2019s details, from the chunky bottom bracket area to the hole in the seatpost.<\/p>\n

\""Elisa\"<\/picture><\/div>
Balsamo is running a 52\/39t SRAM Red crankset and Time pedals.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Elisa\"<\/picture><\/div>
There are sprint shifters on the inside of the handlebar drops.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Elisa\"<\/picture><\/div>
The oil slick paintjob changes to orange around the rear dropout.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Like Deignan\u2019s, Balsamo\u2019s bike has Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 TLR wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres and a 2x SRAM Red groupset<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Balsamo also has sprint shifters, but these are located in the curve of the handlebar<\/a> drop rather than on the bottom of the bar.<\/p>\n

Deignan and Balsamo have also opted for different saddles from Bontrager\u2019s line-up. Deignan is using the Bontrager Ajna Pro, whereas Balsamo has chosen the Bontrager Aeolus Pro.<\/p>\n

\""Elisa\"<\/picture><\/div>
Balsamo is using the Bontrager Aeolus Pro saddle\u2026<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Lidl-Trek\"<\/picture><\/div>
\u2026whereas Deignan is using the Bontrager Ajna Pro.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Matt Grayson <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

The two riders\u2019 bikes also use the same Time pedals. The French brand has been owned by SRAM since 2021 and it was announced<\/a> in January this year that it would return to professional road cycling.<\/p>\n

Time pedals were used for 11 consecutive Tour de France victories, from Pedro Delgado\u2019s 1988 triumph to Marco Pantani\u2019s 1998 victory.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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