We highlight some of the best TT bikes on show in Germany this year
Brand new for 2015, the Cannondale Slice kicks off our TT bike gallery. Skinny shapes mean a claimed frame weight of 1,000 to 1,200g depending on the model
Brand new for 2015, the Cannondale Slice kicks off our TT bike gallery. Skinny shapes mean a claimed frame weight of 1,000 to 1,200g depending on the model - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
The pencil-thin seatstays have four times the deflection of most endurance road bikes according to Cannondale, ensuring comfort. Their solid construction makes the bike UCI illegal - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
There's a glittery finish on this top-end Black Inc model (£7,499), but the range starts at £1,999 with Shimano 105 - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
The Fizik Tritone saddle is in matching gold - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
Cannondale's Truncated Aero Profile (TAP) design means stiffer tubes and less carbon - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
The front-end has neither integrated brakes nor stem – for practicality – but the cables route through this neat cap - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
The geometry has been tweaked for a 79-degree seat angle – or up to 83-degrees with the saddle slammed forwards – as a result of fit analysis from Cannondale's partners at Guru - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
Scott's new Plasma 5 was on show – and still splitting opinions with its looks - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The cables slip under the bolt-on bento box just behind the drinks system - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Scott also showed off how the shrouded brakes work thanks to see-though covers - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The rear brake is integrated more completely into the chainstays than any other bike we've seen - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The drinks system clips on to the front of the stem - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The food box bolts directly to the top tube - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
This camouflaged Plasma 5 was raced to victory by Sebastian Kienle at the Ironman European Championships - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Argon 18 E-118 Next is new for 2015 and will be the TT bike for the Bora-Argon 18 pro team - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The E-118 Next features loads of upgrades including a new lighter front end with extension angle adjustment - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The bike uses Argon 18's new ONEness 3.0 concept, integrating the stem for better aerodynamics while also allowing plenty of adjustment - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Custom aero brakes sit inside the fork's rear profile – made by TRP - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The seatstays exit the seat tube horizontally for cleaner airflow - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Vision's Metro groupset is present on this Bora-Argon 18 team spec bike including this aero-caged derailleur… - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
…this massive aero chainset… - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
…and tip shifters - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Rafael's R-023 concept bike won gold at the Eurobike awards this year - Oli Woodman / BikeRadar
The single-bladed fork is designed to eliminate a chunk of frontal area on the non-driveside - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Rafael uses a drum brake for stopping, we're not sure how aero this chunky box is though - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The front-end uses an integrated drinks system that's stunningly similar to Scott's Plasma 5 - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
There's a handy straw and refill hole for topping up on the go - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The rear of the drinks system / stem area has a long drop to the top tube - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The chain and seat stays are present on the driveside… - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
…but absent from the non-driveside - Oli Woodman / BikeRadar
The disc wheel looks incredibly odd without support - Oli Woodman / BikeRadar
No TT gallery would be complete without Cervelo – the top-end P5 gets a gorgeous new paintjob for 2015 - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
As does the P3, fitted here with Ultegra Di2 - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The previous look is still alive and well on this mechanical Dura-Ace model - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Felt's Ironman World Championship-winning, non-UCI legal IA has a full range this year, the entry-level IA 4 coming with Ultegra and Felt TTR3 wheels - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Frame weight is heavier than the original Textreme version, but all the aero features – such as these super low seat stays are present and correct - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The integrated front end's custom bars hide an internal drinks system - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The range-topping IA FRD was given pride of place on the Felt stand - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Pinarello Bolide is Chris Froome's time-trial machine of choice and was shown in this gold and black paint scheme at Eurobike - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The faring on the front brake covers the entire head tube to cheat the wind - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Like nearly all new TT bikes, the stem is integrated into the head tube for better aerodynamics - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The rear brake is also in the traditional seatstay position, but shrouded for drag reduction - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Ceepo's 2015 Venom now shares the same mould as the company's higher-end Katana, with only a 150g weight penalty for this more budget-conscious bike, which will come in at around £2,500 - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
All Ceepo's bikes are designed by hand and feature triathlon-specific geometry - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Bianchi Aquila CV is a sleek, fully integrated TT bike used by Team Belkin in the 2014 Tour de France - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Like Bianchi's Infinitio endurance bike, the Aquila uses Countervail carbon layup to absorb road buzz - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The integrated brakes live in a scooped-out section of the chainstays - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
There's a rubber bumper on the down tube, which is to protect the frame and fork in the event of a crash - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Aquila has been designed using CFD for a slippery, integrated front-end - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Focus Izalco Chrono was launched last year, but has been tricky to get hold of - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
There's a clever spacing system on the integrated stem to set stack height - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Focus worked with TRP for the integrated brakes - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
BMC's Time Machine TM01 was first seen at Eurobike in 2011, but its integrated front end and aggressive looks mean it's still up-to-date - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The brake caliper is hidden behind this faring - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Sure, there was a Ferrari on Colnago's stand, but it was the K Zero TT bike that caught our eye - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Cube's Aerium Super HPC SLT superbike was also on show again this year - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Orbea's Ordu TT bike has been redesigned for 2015 with a more angular look and flat top tube - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Called the Ordu OME, the rear brake is no longer integrated under the BB… - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
…while the front was shown here with TriRig's Omega aero brake - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Orbea were also showing off Andrew Starykowicz's old Ironman record-setting machine. The American completed the 112 miles at Ironman Florida in 4:04:49 - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
De Rosa's Formula King TT bike is an ultra-classy all-Campag affair - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The integrated stem is pretty chunky up close - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Campagnolo's Bora Ultra chainset and checkerboard wheels scream Italian excess - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
There's no front integrated brake on the Formula King - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Fuji's Norcom Straight has a less angular look than much of the competition - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The bike uses a normal stem with a dropped head tube - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Kuota's KT5 features monocoque construction of the fork and front triangle, the frame comes in at 1,350g painted - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The stem setup lies flat in line with the top tube for optimum aerodynamics - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The front brake is shrouded from the wind and all cabling is internal - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Merida's Warp Tri 5000 gives riders a higher front-end than the original pro-tour version - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The stem can sit in line with the higher head tube area or be spaced up for more comfort - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The original Warp TT was also on show at Eurobike - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The BH Aerolight was launched at Eurobike in 2012 - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
It features an integrated front brake… - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
…but the cabling certainly isn't the tidiest in the world - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Stevens' Super Trofeo looks identical to Vitus' Chrono II TT bike - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Wilier Twin Blade is getting on, but still looks striking - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The bike features a unique split fork that frames the head tube - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The bike boasts about its relationship to the wind on the rear stay - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Like many TT bike manufacturers, Wilier has partnered with TRP for stopping duties - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
If you've been clamouring for a TT bike with a string-based drivetrain, you're in luck - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The bizzare setup is designed to be ultra smooth - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
There are more Eurobike oddities in our weird and wonderful gallery - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Time trial bikes were on the rise at Eurobike 2014, with nearly all the major road bike brands bringing along an aero option.
In our mega gallery, we’ve snapped over 20 bikes on show this year to give you the heads up on what will be hitting retailers in 2015. Here’s our roundup of the most exciting TT bikes at Eurobike 2014.
Cannondale Slice
Brand new for 2015, the cannondale slice kicks off our tt bike gallery. skinny shapes mean a claimed frame weight of 1,000 to 1,200g depending on the model: - Ben Delaney / BikeRadar
Cannondale's new Slice is surprisingly light for a TT bike
The best TT bikes are aero, stiff and light – that’s an almost impossible balancing act to pull off, but Cannondale reckons it's cracked it with the new Slice.
“Why do a heavy, complicated flat-road only tri bike? We turned it on its head, and went with the original clean Slice design with an ego treatment,” said Cannondale’s Murray Washburn.
The top-end frame specced on the Slice Black Inc and Dura-Ace Di2 models has a claimed weight of 1,000g, while the entry-level Shimano 105 version only weighs 1,200g. This is thanks in part to Cannondale’s Truncated Aero Profile (TAP) tubes, which use kammtail-style aerofoils, retaining aerodynamics and stiffness with less material.
Cannondale says the solid seatstays, which make the bike UCI-illegal, offer four times the deflection of most endurance road bikes while the seat tube retains its stiffness, so the total deflection at the saddle isn’t out of the ordinary.
Based on data from thousands of bike fits, courtesy of Cannondale’s partners at Guru, the geometry has moved from a 76-degree seat angle to 79-degrees with scope for an 83-degree effective seat angle via saddle movement. This, combined with shorter than usual cranks for each size, allows open hip angles in aggressive aero positions.
Raphael R-023 Ueberbike
Rafael's r-023 concept bike won gold at the eurobike awards this year: - Oli Woodman / BikeRadar
Rafael's concept bike does away with the non-driveside stays and fork leg
Every year, a panel of judges at Eurobike hands out awards for some of the most innovative gear at the show. The new Rafael R-023 Ueberbike is certainly that, doing away with one fork leg and the seat and chainstays from the non-driveside. It’s an out-there design that drew a crowd throughout the show.
Rafael has included a drum brake on the front for an aero saving while cables are almost entirely hidden. The cockpit also has a built-in aero drinks system.
The panel said: “This triathlon vehicle fully lives up to its name of Ueberbike… this really is innovation. For us judges, it was love at first sight.”
We doubt we’ll see the German-designed Ueberbike in production any time soon, but it’s an interesting look at what the future could hold for aero bikes.
Scott Plasma 5
Scott's new plasma 5 was on show – and still splitting opinion with its looks: - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Scott's Plasma 5 TT bike has already has success at the Ironman European Championships
The here-and-now of triathlon bike tech was shown through the Scott Plasma 5. Featuring a front-mounted drinks system very similar to that of the Ueberbike, space for food and completely hidden brakes, it’s got everything the long-distance time trialist or triathlete needs. Subtract these additions, and it’s a UCI-legal speed machine.
The frame has lost 130g since the Plasma 3, while Scott claims an improvement of 47 per cent in the stiffness department. The use of Scott Foil-esque truncated airfoils on the down tube also mean a penalty of just one watt at 40km per hour when using a standard round bottle.
Argon 18 E-118 Next
The argon 18 e-118 next is new for 2015 and will be the tt bike for the bora-argon 18 pro team: - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
The Argon 18's new E-118 Next has plenty of adjustability in its integrated front end
Another impressive new launch to flag up was that of the Argon 18 E-118 Next, the Canadian brand’s new top-end TT machine, which will be used by the Bora-Argon 18 pro team (formerly NetApp-Endura) in 2015.
The new, lighter front end allows adjustment of the extension angle as well as stack height customisation via the integrated stem’s ONEness 3.0 system. The front brake is nestled behind the fork legs, with the option of completely internal cabling up through inside of the bayonet-style fork, or on the outside for easier adjustment. Either way, there’s also a handy quick-release catch.
The rest of the UCI-legal bike remains virtually the same for 2015, though the Bora-Argon 18 team will be using a full Vision Metron groupset including TT shifters, brake levers, aero chainset and the carbon-caged rear derailleur, which is hidden from the wind thanks to a shrouded cage.
Bianchi Aquila CV
The bianchi aquila cv is a sleek, fully integrated tt bike used by team belkin in the 2014 tour de france: - Tom Ballard / BikeRadar
Bianchi's Aquila CV is a standout bike in the Italian company's 130-year history
Italian cycling stalwart Bianchi was showing off its new Aquila CV TT bike, which was ridden by members of the Belkin team at the Tour this year. Thanks to the Countervail layer in the carbon layup, which was borrowed from the cobbles-munching Infinito CV endurance bike, the Aquila is designed to be comfortable as well as aero.
The smooth front end features a faring running from the brake to the integrated stem, hiding all cabling and sitting below the Bianchi / Vision co-designed bars.
The Aquila’s sleek, curved lines were brought to fruition via CFD development and give a clean, stylish look that’s sure to draw covetous glances at time trials.
There are loads more TT bikes to ogle in the gallery above and don't forget to check out some of our other galleries – Weird and Wonderful and Best of Germany.
