Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar goes into Stage 1’s 19.6km team time trial on a new Colnago time trial bike, code-named the TT2. The Slovenien was spotted using it during the Tour de Romandie prologue in April already – no doubt a move to get some race-effort miles on it in preparations for July.
According to Colnago, complete bikes, including a solid-disc rear, can be built to the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg, which is an incredible feat. The TT2 is some 580g lighter than the model it replaces, with savings said to come from across the bike for improved stability and weight distribution, and to aid better performance on modern WorldTour TT courses and uphill finishes. Of course, it’s faster, too, thanks to a new-fangled front end with a conventional steerer (no bayonet here) that is claimed to save 2 watts over the TT1 and cull weight.
The new bike is also bang-on trend to accommodate wider tyre clearances – up from 28mm to 30mm. Based on what we examined, that might be considered overkill, as Tadej’s bike was fitted with 25mm Continental GP5000 TT TR tyres.
Pogačar’s Colnago TT2 is fitted with a 64T Carbon-Ti 1x chainring
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
The bike is built with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 components and adorned with Carbon-Ti trim here and there. Up front is a one-by-specific 64T Carbon-Ti chainring with an 11-30T cassette out back, driven by 160mm cranks – a balanced gearing configuration for the flats but something that will pose a notable challenge for the double-kick ascent up Montjuïc hill to the Olympic Stadium.
Despite the narrow-wide profiling of the Carbon-Ti chainring, Pogačar is using a UAE-branded K-Edge chainkeeper to ensure retention across all terrain types.
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An interesting move was the fitment of 25mm Continental GP5000 TT TR tyres – the narrowest size we’ve seen across all the teams we visited at the Grand Depart weekend in Barcelona. Despite the 22mm internal rim width of the Enve SES Pro wheels, the tyres will – at the most – inflate to between 26-27mm, which suggests it’s been employed as an aerodynamic move. UAE Team Emirates-XRG have also been running 28mm tyres on their Colnago Y1Rs and V5Rs road bikes, again an aerodynamic ploy, according to the mechanics.
Pog’s Colnago TT2 rolls on a pair of Enve SES Pro wheels with a 100mm depth up front and a solid disc at the rear.
The Enve SES Disc Pro has an internal rim width of 22mm
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
The touchpoints come compliments of Enve and Fizik. The Slovenien’s cockpit is a custom one-piece Enve solution that mounts directly to the basebar via dual risers. For extra support, there’s a bridge near the top that doubles as a Wahoo computer mount.
After parting ways with Prologo at the end of the 2024 season, UAE Team Emirates-XRG are now using Fizik saddles, with Tadej opting for the 192g 3D-printed Aeris 1.0 TT model.
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An extra set of shifter buttons has been hot-glued onto the brake levers for index finger actuation when in the basebar
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
We spotted some interesting hacks on the Colnago TT2. For hand retention during cornering, the base bar has grip tape mounted over a layer of black electrical tape – not the prettiest solution, but these rudimentary solutions have become part of the discipline.
Closer examination of the front end reveals an extra shifter button that has been hot-glued onto the Dura-Ace Di2 ST-R9180 STI TT brake levers. Given that these levers already have a remote shifter button, the extra shifter offers an alternative for shifting with the index finger rather than the thumb.
A 192g 3D-printed Fizik Aeris 1.0 TT saddle
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
Other details worth noting are the gold Bikone ceramic bottom bracket, gold Carbon-Ti UDH-compatible dropout and axles, 140mm front/rear disc rotors, and Shimano Dura-Ace pedals. Sadly, no baby Hulk sticker was to be found.
160mm cranks for a better aero position and optimal hip angle for power production
(Image credit: Aaron Borrill)
Colnago TT2 bike specs
- Frameset: Colnago Carbon monocoque
- Fork: Colnago Carbon fork with 25mm steerer
- Cockpit: Custom Enve bar and extensions
- Seatpost: Colnago Aero
- Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2: 64T, 11-30T
- Wheelset: Enve SES Pro front, SES Disc Pro rear
- Tyres: Continental GP5000 TT TR 25mm
- Saddle: Fizik Aeris 1.0 TT
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