BIKERADAR’S SNEAK PEEK AT LARS BOOM’S BIKE
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Aboard one of his Giant TCR Advanced SL bikes, Rabobank’s Lars Boom led a breakaway for most of Stage 11 in the 2011 Tour de France, getting caught by the peloton only in the last 2 kilometers. Photo by Cor Vos.
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BikeRadar.com has given its readers a peek at one of Lars Boom’s Giant TCR Advanced SL bicycles that the powerful Dutchman is riding in the Tour de France for the Rabobank Team. It’s not the same bike that Lars was riding as he pulled along a breakaway for nearly all of the 168 km in Stage 11 of the Tour de France – but it is the prettier one! Of the color and graphics, Editor James Huang writes that between the two bikes, this one is: “…a bit cheerier-looking, with a gloss white base and brighter orange and blue graphics than in years past. It's still far from over the top but it's almost as if Giant has finally allowed one of the graphic designers to have some more leeway. It's a decidedly more modern look and one that's easier to pick out of the crowd.”
Discussing the bike’s performance compared to previous TCR Advanced SL bicycles, Huang writes: “…there are a number of key differences, the most significant of which is a move to a 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch front end that Giant say provides a whopping 40 percent improvement in "steering stiffness". While pundits may scoff at the likelihood of such a claim, keep in mind that steerer tube rigidity is a much more substantial issue with increasing frame size – and the Dutch Rabobank squad is chock-full of vertically gifted riders such as Lars Boom, whose bike is profiled here, and team leader Robert Gesink. In addition to being newly reinforced up front, Giant says the new frames are also lighter by as much as 148g (nearly a third of a pound).”
And, yes, you are keen-eyed if you noticed that the stem on Lars’ bike is the Giant Contact. From the BikeRadar story: “Nearly all of the Rabobank riders have opted for prototype PRO stems and integrated cockpits with the new 1-1/4 inch steerer clamp size. However, Boom's machine is fitted with Giant's own Contact forged aluminum stem instead. According to Giant global communications manager Andrew Juskaitis, Boom just likes it better, though it's also possible that it's due to the Giant stem's somewhat rare 115mm extension length. Completing Boom's team-issue build is a Fi'zi:k Antares saddle, Vittoria tires and Tacx Tao Carbon cages. Total weight as pictured is 7.11kg (15.67lb).”
To read the full BikeRadar.com article, click here.
Discussing the bike’s performance compared to previous TCR Advanced SL bicycles, Huang writes: “…there are a number of key differences, the most significant of which is a move to a 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch front end that Giant say provides a whopping 40 percent improvement in "steering stiffness". While pundits may scoff at the likelihood of such a claim, keep in mind that steerer tube rigidity is a much more substantial issue with increasing frame size – and the Dutch Rabobank squad is chock-full of vertically gifted riders such as Lars Boom, whose bike is profiled here, and team leader Robert Gesink. In addition to being newly reinforced up front, Giant says the new frames are also lighter by as much as 148g (nearly a third of a pound).”
And, yes, you are keen-eyed if you noticed that the stem on Lars’ bike is the Giant Contact. From the BikeRadar story: “Nearly all of the Rabobank riders have opted for prototype PRO stems and integrated cockpits with the new 1-1/4 inch steerer clamp size. However, Boom's machine is fitted with Giant's own Contact forged aluminum stem instead. According to Giant global communications manager Andrew Juskaitis, Boom just likes it better, though it's also possible that it's due to the Giant stem's somewhat rare 115mm extension length. Completing Boom's team-issue build is a Fi'zi:k Antares saddle, Vittoria tires and Tacx Tao Carbon cages. Total weight as pictured is 7.11kg (15.67lb).”
To read the full BikeRadar.com article, click here.
July 13, 2011
