Lapierre, why are FDJ all riding Xelius?

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defride
Posts: 142
Joined: Fri May 09, 2014 4:26 pm

by defride

At a time when aero seems the way to go in the pro ranks given they can easily hit the UCI limit I was surprised to see that from at least the Tour on all the FDJ riders seem to be on the light weight Xelius rather than the 'aero' Aircode.

I doubt they've been told to ride one over the other, Pinot would definitely ride the fastest, wouldn't he? Anyone know what the deal is?

Grill
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Location: Oop North

by Grill

Maybe they just prefer the Xelius. Pinot will ride fastest on whichever frame he feels the most comfortable.

by Weenie


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MikeyBE
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by MikeyBE

Comfort and the climbs in the TdF?

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kgt
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Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

defride wrote:Pinot would definitely ride the fastest, wouldn't he?


He does. Xelius that is.
More aero does not mean faster. It depends.

AJS914
Posts: 5392
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Roadcyclinguk.com said:

As Lapierre’s aero machine, the Aircode is, quite frankly, a bike designed to be ridden as quickly as possible. It’s stiff through the bottom bracket, but also quite stiff through the back-end too. It’s not harsh exactly, but very much has the qualities of a bike designed to get from place to place (or, rather, from the start line to the finish line) as quickly as possible, and one of the by-products of that is that you do sacrifice a bit of comfort.
Read more at http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/first-rid ... KKGJAL9.99


It's probably hard to ride that frame all day, everyday, in a grand Tour or even a one-day race.

Jmdesignz2
Posts: 272
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 2:27 am

by Jmdesignz2

lower rotational weight is the best place to lose weight and gain efficiency

Pro road races are mostly pack riding with some break aways in small groups - not often are solo break aways successful. A statistical minority AFAIK

MikeyBE
Posts: 244
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:59 pm

by MikeyBE

Just wondering, anyone ridden both the Aircode and Xelius ? Any comment would be great as the Aircode is on my 'next bike' list. :)

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merlinxlm
Posts: 129
Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:44 pm

by merlinxlm

I currently ride the Xelius 400 2014. And I have to say, it's a lovely bike to ride. Super smooth, yet very stiff, bottom braket. No power loss at all, you stamp on the pedals, and you just keep accelerating. Comfort is very good, I've completed quite a few century rides on it. No complaints at all, plus I bought it for a very good price.

Geoff
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Location: Canada

by Geoff

Check-out the geometry...

defride
Posts: 142
Joined: Fri May 09, 2014 4:26 pm

by defride

Geoff wrote:Check-out the geometry...


Slightly shorter chainstay, sharper handling?

Hadn't noticed until you pointed out there's a difference.

Still would have thought if the aero bike is potentially 'faster' they'd ride it irrespective of whether it's a touch stiffer and stable rather than sharper handling, previous Aircode don't have a reputation as a frame that beats you up.

by Weenie


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MikeyBE
Posts: 244
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by MikeyBE

My impression of the Aircode is that it's a jack of all trades kinda race bike. Not full on aggressive aero, yet still pretty light. They bought out an SL version this year right? Aesthetically I think the Aircode ultimate in the bold red colour is bloody stunning.

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