{"id":66652,"date":"2024-07-04T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ea411e74-4373-4443-ac18-0bc43ec7448b"},"modified":"2024-07-04T15:25:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T13:25:27","slug":"up-close-with-dares-hyper-aero-unreleased-road-bike-at-the-2024-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/up-close-with-dares-hyper-aero-unreleased-road-bike-at-the-2024-tour-de-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Up close with Dare’s hyper-aero, unreleased road bike at the 2024 Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

We get a close look at Alexander Kristof\u2019s new bike <\/p>

By Simon von Bromley\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 04 July 2024 at 10:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Team Uno-X is riding a radical, unreleased aero road bike at the 2024 Tour de France.<\/p>

Produced by Taiwanese brand (and Uno-X team sponsor) Dare, the bike bucks the prevailing trend for all-rounder bikes<\/a>, instead taking a hyper-aero approach with little apparent consideration for weight.<\/p>

Prior to the race start in Florence, Italy, we got a close look at the new bike at the Uno-X team hotel.<\/p>

Could this be the bike to help the Uno-X team take its first victory at the sport\u2019s biggest race?<\/p>

Return of the aero bike<\/h2>
Dare’s new road bike bucks the current trend for lightweight, all-rounder road bikes. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In recent years, we\u2019ve seen a number of prominent brands ditch dedicated aero road bikes in favour of models that balance aerodynamic performance with low weight.<\/p>

Specialized, for example, famously put its S-Works Venge<\/a> out to pasture when it released the S-Works Tarmac SL7<\/a> in 2020, while Trek\u2019s recently announced eighth-generation Madone SLR<\/a> spelled the end of its \u00c9monda.<\/p>

Likewise, the release of a lightweight Giant Propel Advanced SL<\/a> in 2022 has seen the brand\u2019s iconic TCR<\/a> relegated to only limited use in the WorldTour<\/a>.<\/p>

\"Downtube
The down tube appears to indicate this bike is called the ‘Velocity Ace’. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Dare looks to be taking the opposite approach, with a design more akin to other all-out aero road bikes<\/a> such as the Cerv\u00e9lo S5<\/a>, Ribble Ultra SLR<\/a> and Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod<\/a>.<\/p>

As far as we can tell, Dare\u2019s new aero road bike appears to be called the \u2018Velocity Ace\u2019, as this is printed on the down tube.<\/p>

It\u2019s most likely an update to the brand\u2019s existing aero bike, the VSRu<\/a>. The new bike doubles down on the aerodynamic optimisations, though, with deeper aerofoil tube shapes all over and a build focused entirely on speed.<\/p>

Deep-section tubes all-round<\/h3>
\"Head
A head tube this deep wouldn’t look out of place on a time trial bike. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The head tube is one of the most striking parts of the Velocity Ace.<\/p>

It uses a deep, truncated aerofoil profile and rises from the top tube to meet the rear of the bike\u2019s new integrated handlebar (more on this later).<\/p>

At the lower end, the head tube is sculpted to control the airflow off the fork crown.<\/p>

Viewed head on, the head tube is hourglass-shaped \u2013 narrowing between the upper and lower headset bearings to further reduce drag.<\/p>

\"DT
The aero-optimised fork is more aggressive than before. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

While the fork on the VSRu tapered slightly towards the bottom, the narrow bladed legs of the new fork stay deep all the way down.<\/p>

Where the down tube on the VSRu had a small cut-out for the front wheel, the Velocity Ace has a straight down tube with a deeper, wider truncated aerofoil profile.<\/p>

\"Elite
The deeper, wider down tube might provide more shelter for round bottles on the Velocity Ace. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Unlike the new Trek Madone SLR, the Velocity Ace uses standard, non-integrated bottle cages with round cycling water bottles<\/a>.<\/p>

It may be that the redesigned down tube provides greater airflow management around this area than before, however.<\/p>

At the rear of the bike, the aerofoil profiles of the seat tube, seatstays and seatpost have also been deepened significantly.<\/p>

\"Seat
The seat tube cluster has been reprofiled with deeper aerofoil tube shapes all-round. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Whether this has any impact on compliance remains to be seen. Dropped seatstays aside, though, it doesn\u2019t appear that Dare has made many concessions to comfort.<\/p>

Like some time trial bikes<\/a>, the seatpost appears to have multiple saddle clamp locations, enabling a rider to adjust the effective seat tube angle \u2013 an important consideration for fit purposes.<\/p>

One of the deepest handlebars we\u2019ve seen<\/h3>
\"Dare
This is one of the deepest aerofoil sections we’ve seen on a road bike handlebar. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Beyond the head tube, the bike\u2019s new aero handlebar is also remarkable, thanks to its use of an exceptionally deep and thin aerofoil profile on the tops.<\/p>

Expectedly, the handlebar uses an integrated design, with the hydraulic brake hoses fully concealed within the bar and running into the frame unseen.<\/p>

\"Close-up
The headset top cap on the Dare Velocity Ace looks to help smooth the airflow from the handlebar to the frame. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The top tube rises to meet the rear of the stem, while the headset top cap has been cleverly profiled to smooth out the junction between the two.<\/p>

Overall, Dare\u2019s new bar appears to take the opposite approach to Ribble\u2019s ground-breaking Ultra handlebar<\/a> (which features on the Ultra SLR). The Ribble bar uses a similarly deep aerofoil profile, but is much more bulbous, as it\u2019s designed to manipulate the airflow hitting the rider behind it.<\/p>

Notably, Trek says the updated handlebar on its recently launched, eighth-generation Madone SLR does something similar (albeit on a smaller scale).<\/p>

\"Rear
The new handlebar on the Dare Velocity Ace is exceptionally deep and thin up top. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The Dare handlebar, in contrast, looks to be designed simply to reduce its impact on the airflow as much as possible.<\/p>

As with rear-end comfort, there doesn\u2019t seem to have been much consideration for a rider being able to hold the tops of the handlebar. As with the rest of the bike, it looks to be all about maximising aerodynamic efficiency.<\/p>

\"Measuring
Kristof’s cockpit dimensions are the same as at last year’s Tour. – George Scott \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

On this bike, which belongs to four-time Tour de France stage winner, Alexander Kristof, the cockpit combines a 120mm-long stem with a 380mm-wide handlebar (measured centre to centre at the brake hoods).<\/p>

The frame also has a logo noting the headset contains CeramicSpeed’s SLT (Solid Lubrication Technology) bearings \u2013 which are claimed to provide exceptionally long lifespans, reducing the frequency with which the front end requires servicing.<\/p>

A speed-focused build with personal upgrades<\/h2>
\"DT
Kristof opts for DT Swiss deep-section rims. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The rest of the build sees an uncompromising focus on speed.<\/p>

Like last year, Kristof\u2019s wheelset of choice is the DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut DB, with 62mm-deep rims.<\/p>

These are wrapped with Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres, in a 700 x 28c size that measures up at 27.9mm-wide on the DT Swiss rims.<\/p>

As with last year, the tyres have conspicuous blue accents that don\u2019t come on the versions of the Pro One TLE available in shops.<\/p>

\"Schwalbe
Kristof’s bike was again equipped with blue-branded Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres. – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Having spotted these last year, we asked Schwalbe if this was a new, updated version of the German brand\u2019s highly-rated tubeless tyre<\/a>. Unfortunately, the brand declined to shed any light on the subject.<\/p>

According to our well-informed YouTube audience<\/a>, though, these could be special-edition, race day-only versions of the tyre \u2013 something faster, lighter but potentially less durable than the standard tyres, for example.<\/p>