Team Sky’s penchant for giving their team leaders preferential treatment may have reached its zenith last year when Richie Porte got his own private motorhome in an attempt to help him win the 2015 Giro d'Italia, but it was still exhibited to a smaller extent over the weekend when Mikel Landa was the only Team Sky rider to complete this year’s Giro’s second individual time trial aboard Pinarello’s new Bolide.
The Italian marque have made a host of changes in order to wring extra aerodynamic performance from its time-trial frame, as well as shed significant weight.
Pinarello is still championing integrated brake covers, but where the front cover remains largely unchanged, the rear has taken cues derived from the aerospace industry, culminating in a strange, finned design said to channel airflow better. The last aerodynamic tweak comes in the form of reshaped front dropouts that were used to great effect on Bradley Wiggins’ record breaking Bolide HR.
Where mere tweaks have been made elsewhere, changes in the front triangle are distinct. The downtube has been heavily reengineered, with the truncated rear of the tube recessed in order to fit a bidon more snugly, and where the old Bolide opted for a pan flat top tube, the newest iteration follows a more organic-looking curve to smooth airflow.
These modifications, in conjunction with a rather vague ‘refinement of the carbon lay-up’ claim to help cleave a considerable 350g off the total frameset weight compared to last year’s model. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, however last year’s frameset cost a huge £9,300, so we’d imagine the new iteration won’t exactly be a steal.