That picture above is labeled as
http://lagazzettadellabici.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/tdf_1997_ullrich_big1.jpg, so if it is to believed, is from the 1997 TdF.
There were plenty of Lightweight vs. ADA threads on here several years back. Anyhow, I just dug this up. Note the sentence which I have put in
bold purple. You might as well read the rest of the thread while you're at it, and click on the post quoted below to see the post's attachments.
In When did Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel first rode LWs?, CarbonSports wrote:Timo wrote:No offense, but that's a very selective answer if you look at the other questions raised in this topic (the colored braking surface on Ulle's wheels, the "army green" hub mentioned by pritched, the "thanks for the wheels" shirt presented to Cees, etc.)
Taken from
this Interview:
Heinz Obermayer: First: We didn't know at all in 1997, that Ullrich or Riis were actually riding our wheels. A friend of mine was at the TdF and saw both riding with our wheels. He then phoned me, that I should turn on the TV. Then I saw for the first time, that our wheels were ridden on the TdF. I have a big picture of Ullrich from this Tour and it clearly shows, that firstly the hub had our traditional grey hub shells and secondly our aero spokes. (to the present day ADA has still round spokes).They didn´t know he was riding them. This is because Mr. Beers sold LW´s in the mid and late 90`s. Ullrich got his set borrowed from Rijs. Rijs bought them from Beers. Ullrich didn´t know about D&O because Beers claimed he made the wheels (like he claimed he made the disk when he sold it to Lemond - funny btw: No comments on the disk so far... From the interview:
Heinz Obermayer: In the main everything is already said.
Maybe one more thing: Mr. Beers let himself photograph with a disc wheel of us in the american „News“.). That´s also the reason for the "Thank you shirt"
Heinz sticks to what he always has said: Mr. Beers SOLD LW´s (spoked and disks) before they departed.
Atteached you find 2 more pics. I called Heinz and he just took them in his office. It shows a 97 "Thank you wheel" with Jan´s signature besides some others like Zabel etc. And it shows the hub construction of 97 with the grey/green plastic.
I also asked Heinz on the phone about the braking surface. He has no real explantion. Now these are all the facts I have. I will stop posting in this thread right now. Make up your mind for yourself.
BTW: I suggested earlier that "Pandora´s box should stay closed forever"....
Edit: Note that CarbonSports (Stefan) links to
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/articles.php?ID=57 for the interview, of which he posted an extract, however, that link is not (no longer) valid. I thought perhaps it had been moved to another location on this site, so I googled for the Obermayer quote above, and unfortunately did not find a link to the full interview, but did find this additional, older, and related post, also linking to that same invalid interview link.
On March 17, 2004 in ada, CarbonSports wrote:jersievers wrote:Who came first ADA (cee beers) or Lightweight (Dierl and Obermayer) because someone is copying. ADA site says Cee Beers never got a patent. ADA says they started in 1988, Lightweight in mid 1990's.
Did dierl and obermayer sneak into the ADA shop and prefect Cee's non-patented design.
Here is what Mr. Obermayer says about this topic:
" The first spoke wheels built by us had low profile rims and „press-formed“ spokes - not yet spokes in „aerofoil form“. For a short time these were named „DO 2000“. Then the company Heylight helped us with the distribution of these wheels and we renamed them to „Heylight“. Approximately 1994/95 we got to know Mr. Cees Beers and he wanted to distribute our wheels worldwide. Mr. Beers was 1x in our workshop and he called on us to shape the rim profile more aerodynamic. As therefor new molds were necessary, we asked for financial support. Then we received 850 Netherlands Guilders and invested them into new molds. The outcome of this were the first spoke wheels with aero rims in 1995 here in Munich."
[...]
"First: We didn't know at all in 1997, that Ullrich or Riis were actually riding our wheels. A friend of mine was at the TdF and saw both riding with our wheels. He then phoned me, that I should turn on the TV. Then I saw for the first time, that our wheels were ridden on the TdF. I have a big picture of Ullrich from this Tour and it clearly shows, that firstly the hub had our traditional grey hub shells and secondly our aero spokes. (to the present day ADA has still round spokes).
Also they couldn't have been ADA wheels, because Mr. Beers has not yet made wheels at that time. "
[...]
" Maybe one more thing: Mr. Beers let himself photograph with a disc wheel of us in the american „News“. But until today Mr. Beers has no disc wheels in his product program. We've never taken any legal action against Mr. Beers, because we were always occupied with work for several months and we never found it necessary to waste our valuable time with quibbling. You have to work hard for success, envy do you get as present."
Taken from:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/articles.php?ID=57I have one of the very first low profile Lightweights that Mr. Obermayer mentioned above. They had a ~20 mm rim and 24 spokes (flat pressed, not quite like the ones today.)
I can post a pic if you like.
When 2 people say opposite things - everybody should decide for himself whom to believe.
Also, another related thread (and there are others as well)
Old pic: what is Ullrich's rear wheel?.
