Introducing my new Trek Speed Concept Project One TT/Tri bike, supplied and built by the team at CycleWorld, Guernsey.
Choosing a TT bike at this time is quite complex as the shift from rim brake to disc brake technology is not complete as not all of the leading vendors have made the switch yet, though the picture is changing all of the time. Indeed just after placing my order for the Trek, Cervelo launched the disc brake version of the iconic P3 bringing a further choice in the mid market. For the moment disc brake TT bikes are a premium product and if you already have your lightweight aero wheels, the cost of a shift to disc brakes is likely to be a figure well above £5k/$/EUR and nudging up to £10k if top of the range everything is specified.
I like having disc brakes on my all round, one bike for everything Reilly Spectre. Braking can be notoriously bad on carbon rims and combined with some of the weaker aero optimised braking solutions found on many TT bikes having decent brakes would be a welcome upside
I settled on the Trek for what was a combination of two quite a simple reasons: Fit and value.
The Trek Speed Concept frame and handlebar set up is known for being one of the most adjustable available and with my height and reach requirements I knew I could get a really good fit.
Secondly I could buy just a frameset and transfer all of my high value and still fit for purpose items across to it – a selection of Zipp wheels, Shimano Ultegra Di2 and Quarq PowerMeter. My old TT frame is not serviceable so selling on a complete bike was not an option. Indeed for an interim period I’ve been racing and training on my still competent 2005 Isaac Joule (TT/Tri Rig 2.0).
What do I like about the Trek? As said before the fit flexibility was the main attraction, followed by all of the aero attention to detail – the mono riser bar system, totally hidden cable runs, bolt on storage options and last but not least the Project One colour option. This might be my last TT bike for serious age group competition and whilst racing on the limit is never easy, at least I can grin knowing I’m riding a fantastic looking bike.
Visit the Trek Speed Concept website.
In the gallery below the picture with the rider was the fit as picked up from the shop, I’ll make some further adjustments once I complete some time on the bike.
Quick fit on the Trek
