On top of this, Giant says it uses lasers rather than machine stamping to cut its carbon fibre sheets and now employs robotics to automate certain aspects of the carbon layup. Rather than using off-the-shelf options, Giant says it weaves its own carbon fibre to its own specification, in its own composites factory. Rounding off some of the frame tube shapes away from the leading edges of the frameset, enabled them to bear loads more efficiently, Specialized says. Unusually, Canyon even said it added 30g of extra carbon to the frame compared to the previous version, to improve its stiffness and reliability.
In 2010, Jean Wauthier, a UCI technical advisor, told BikeRadar the limit was set taking into account “sensory-motor coordination, stability, balance, manoeuvrability, adherence, postural comfort, a vision-posture system and safety”. Removable accessories, such as bike computers or water bottles, are not included in this, hyper mountain bike but fixed accessories (ones that can’t be removed during competition) such as pedals, bottle cages and bike computer mounts are. As the sport’s global governing body, the Union Cycliste International (or UCI for short) defines the technical regulations for bicycles and equipment used in its sanctioned races and events.
This was most evident when we weighed pro bikes at the start of the 2022 Tour de France in Copenhagen, Denmark. Despite nearly every rider using some of the best kit available, the average complete bike weight was a hefty 7.92kg. Founded in 2008, Winspace have been designing, building and racing carbon fiber bikes for over a decade.
Bikes such as the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, the latest Factor O2 VAM, Orbea Orca OMX, Canyon Ultimate CFR and the Giant TCR Advanced SL can all be built down to weights that tickle or even break the limit. They bite down on large 203 mm rotors that are a full 2.3 mm thick, all but eliminating the chances of brake fade when bombing long downhill segments. No surprises, just great bikes that you can pay off with as low as 0% APR financing from Affirm on select bikes.
For a product that would have cost the company a minimum of $10 to ship out, I did find it a bit frustrating that their customer service was so poor and we ended up having to pay for the replacement ourselves. A few problems I found with the bike are as follows-
First, I don’t like how the handle bars are designed because you need a wrench to tighten them up and put them on. This is slightly annoying because other than the tires, everything else is assembled using hex keys (also known as an allen wrench). I would have prefered if the handlebars required Hex keys because you could use a multi-tool to quickly make adjustments while riding without needing any other items, but as it is now I always have to carry an adjustable wrench with me. The wrench built into my multi-tool is made for tires, so it is slightly too large to fit and adjust the handlebars because they used another type of bolt like screw for it. This is a minor problem because I just added a wrench to my backpack repair kit and moved along.
The .1R combines the best of the worlds of automotive engineering and design and road bicycles, relying on modern production technologies, high-strength materials, and attention to the smallest details. Small but pointed details are present throughout, like the use of the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s ultra-thin titanium hyper bike badge, and a miniature replica of the hypercar’s wheel design on the titanium piston caps of the bike brakes. ‘Working in collaboration with Aston Martin we have not only taken our titanium bicycles to new heights but have also unlocked true innovation within the cycling industry,’ says Oliver Laverack.
The handlebars sometimes wobble and slide out-of-place, not at the base where it connects to the body, but literally at the center “T” joint at the top near where your hands are, it will slip out-of-place and slide around. I have tightened it a few times and it now finally stays in place, but it can be dangerous when it randomly slides over while riding. While BikeRadar hyper mountain bike tester Ashley Quinlan noted the hyper-light DT Swiss PRC Mon Chasseral wheelset and Schwalbe Pro One TT tyres are “one-trick ponies” of sorts, they make it possible to undercut the UCI weight limit even with pedals and other accessories. Nevertheless, there have been some technical developments in recent years that are enabling brands to build lighter bikes than before.
Speaking to BikeRadar in 2015, the UCI’s then-technical manager, Mark Barfield, acknowledged the UCI’s minimum bike weight limit “is a bit of a relic of the past”. Before the mass adoption of disc brakes on road bikes, for example, many pro-spec road bikes weighed less than 6.8kg and this was not widely considered unsafe. A full range of gearing options can be fitted according to personal preference, and all componentry is selected from the leading manufacturers in the field of racing and road bikes. The .1R is finished off with a specially commissioned saddle from the esteemed British manufacturer Brooks, trimmed in the owner’s choice of leather or Alcantara, as are the handlebar grips. The Back tire isn’t fitted in place correctly and is slightly too high up on the rear tire axle shaft. It appears to be tightened in place and secure by the nut screw, but it creeps me out a bit that if the nut were to unscrew a bit the tire would fly out….