Astana to ride Specialized?

iainf72

According to a report on Cyclingnews it's being looked at.

With the rumours that they were prepared to throw some money at Quick.Step to help hire Bertie they clearly want him astride a Spesh.

LorneC

I'm sure they had signed with Merckz for the upcoming season

frenchfighter

I read recently that they had signed with Look.

It just goes to show how annoying these sites are, putting out articles as fact.

frenchfighter

Along with rumours that Cervelo will ride Campagnolo, the rumours say Saxo will too. Apparently with Lance and RS, SRAM are pulling some sponsorship as they are putting a fair amount into the Whack Shack.

frenchfighter

Apparently Astana would have ridden Merckx bikes if Wagtmans had been in the picture - that fell through so the deal didn't work.

Supposedly a top team will be on his bikes though...

blackrockracer

Spesh are trying to get Contador on board their machines in order to get one over on Trek and the old geezers at retirement shack! Their PR machine would be working overtime after that.

With the possibility of a full Spesh team for 2011 onwards , that would be a good move for them if they wanted him to head up the team as a GC man.
Another great rumour that was being played out was the Contador was going to Quickstep , funded by Spesh and Boonen was heading out the door to Astana and would be riding Merckx!!

Never let the truth get in the way of a good tale....

Pokerface

Apparently Spesh and Bertie have signed a deal so that Bertie will ride Spesh in 2010. But it's an individual contract!

But looking likely now that Bertie will stay with Astana and Astana will all ride Spesh.

Same story reports Bertie is trying to get Baso on the team too?

frenchfighter

Pokerface wrote:

Apparently Spesh and Bertie have signed a deal so that Bertie will ride Spesh in 2010. But it's an individual contract!

But looking likely now that Bertie will stay with Astana and Astana will all ride Spesh.

Same story reports Bertie is trying to get Baso on the team too?

Worth €700,000 :shock:

Although likely Astana will ride Specialized, imgaine if he rode a different make of bike to the whole team. I cannot remember this happening before although I am sure it has? I know some riders have different bikes with team bike sponsor's logos on there. Axel Merckx may have ridden a different bike to the team openly...

frenchfighter

Forgot to say I'm pretty disappointed he is riding another boring and unattractive bike although they are miles better than Trek.

moray_gub

frenchfighter wrote:

Forgot to say I'm pretty disappointed he is riding another boring and unattractive bike although they are miles better than Trek.

Of course

DaveyL

I'd love to see some of these bike snobs take the Pepsi Challenge with a few unbranded frames.

moray_gub

DaveyL wrote:

I'd love to see some of these bike snobs take the Pepsi Challenge with a few unbranded frames.

Cant recall who it was but didn't somebody once say "its not about the bike "

frenchfighter

DaveyL wrote:

I'd love to see some of these bike snobs take the Pepsi Challenge with a few unbranded frames.

Do you not have opinions about whether something is more attractive than something else?

Is it wrong to give this opinion?

Are you equally happy wearing a multi-coloured knitted jumper with smily faces then you are wearing an all black cashmere jumper?

I made no comment about how it rode.

greasedscotsman

frenchfighter wrote:

Are you equally happy wearing a multi-coloured knitted jumper with smily faces then you are wearing an all black cashmere jumper?

If someone is going to pay me 700,000 euros to do so then yes!

frenchfighter

Well obviously but that is not the point in question.

Echo et les Boniments

Well, I really think Contador will be equally happy riding a Specialized than any other state-of-the-art pro thing.
The guy's a pro, he'll ride any bike, people pay him good money to ride any bike, as long as it does the job. Of course Contador may have personal preferences but at the end of the day, in this kind of business, the bike they give you is always going to be your best bike ever. So I'm pretty sure that at this point, Contador believes Specializeds are the most beautiful bikes in the world.

You know when I was young there was a pro coming from my neck of the woods. I'd sometimes meet him on the road and we'd chat. At the beginning of 1990 I saw him with the brand new Castorama kit and everybody thought it looked ghastly and the said pro also thought it was ghastly but well, he'd be wearing it all year long, that was just part of his job: "I love this kit... it pays my house."
So we'd gently make fun of him but then the following year, Castorama started sponsoring my amateur team, as well, so I had to wear the same kit. Then we got Maitre Coq (roast chicken) as a subsponsor so I ended up wearing the castorama outfit with a giant red chicken printed in the middle of it . So there I was leaving Uni between noon and 2 to go training with a couple of guys wearing a castorama-red chicken uniform, and of course we'd come across all those high-class West Lyons girls we were trying to pull... Oh dear. And then I'd think of the pro again: well at least he could claim he had a house to pay off...

frenchfighter

I never said a pro would be sniffy with what they had to ride, but I am allowed to have an opinion on what bikes I like and those I don't. That is ALL I was saying, nothing more, nothing less. I find it quite bizzare that people have to jump on me for it.

Echo, nice story - I have noticed that almost every post you make is quality and has a good depth of understanding. It would be nice to see you post more. Pour les filles a Lyon, je suis absolument d'accord!

DaveyL

frenchfighter wrote:

DaveyL wrote:

I'd love to see some of these bike snobs take the Pepsi Challenge with a few unbranded frames.

Do you not have opinions about whether something is more attractive than something else?

Is it wrong to give this opinion?

Are you equally happy wearing a multi-coloured knitted jumper with smily faces then you are wearing an all black cashmere jumper?

I made no comment about how it rode.

I do have opinions, thank you. I know very well what I like and why I like it.

Some Spesh paint jobs are nice, some aren't Some Colnago paint jobs are nice, some aren't.

I know you made no comment about how it rode.

redddraggon

I bought a Spesh 18months ago, still haven't ridden it yet

DaveyL

frenchfighter wrote:

Forgot to say I'm pretty disappointed he is riding another boring and unattractive bike although they are miles better than Trek.

I guess the generality of this statement makes me believe you have it in for them as bikes - or do you think all the colour schemes Spesh use are boring and unattractive?

You never know, they might surprise you with a custom design for young Bertrand!

frenchfighter

They don't all look like this:

frenchfighter

DaveyL wrote:

I guess the generality of this statement makes me believe you have it in for them as bikes - or do you think all the colour schemes Spesh use are boring and unattractive?

I find most of them boring yes, but then the black/red/white Pinarello I also find boring. I guess seeing them everywhere doesn't help either.

Pokerface

frenchfighter wrote:

Forgot to say I'm pretty disappointed he is riding another boring and unattractive bike although they are miles better than Trek.

Based on what? They are incredibly similar in geometry and shape. What makes Spesh "miles better" than Trek?

frenchfighter

Pokerface wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Forgot to say I'm pretty disappointed he is riding another boring and unattractive bike although they are miles better than Trek.

Based on what? They are incredibly similar in geometry and shape. What makes Spesh "miles better" than Trek?

Post two photos so I can see how they are similar - my eyes tell a different story and that is not to mention the colour schemes and standard compnents.

blazing_saddles

Pokerface wrote:

Based on what? They are incredibly similar in geometry and shape. What makes Spesh "miles better" than Trek?

The buttocks that will be adorning the respective brands, next season, of course. :P

Maybe this thread could now merge with the Trek/Lemond thread....

Pokerface

frenchfighter wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Forgot to say I'm pretty disappointed he is riding another boring and unattractive bike although they are miles better than Trek.

Based on what? They are incredibly similar in geometry and shape. What makes Spesh "miles better" than Trek?

Post two photos so I can see how they are similar - my eyes tell a different story and that is not to mention the colour schemes and standard compnents.

I'm sure you can post two photos side by side.

Both bikes use Sram Red with the exception of the Spesh crankset (which can be swapped). In fact, you can spec out a Trek in any colour scheme and with any parts you one via Project One. Spesh come in standard colours (either red and black or blue and white).

I suppose it's the extra Bontrager parts on the Trek you object to?

Similar sloping top tubes, etc. In fact, I think Trek came up with this idea?


And - as you would like to say - you didn't answer my question! Why is Spesh miles better than Trek?

frenchfighter

Becasue my eyes tell me so.

As I previously said, I make no comment about how they ride/perform.

Because a bike uses the same groupset as another make, it doesn't mean it is similar. Likewise with saying a top tube is sloping.

mfin

...as some consolation then he will most likely be TTing on the same Shiv bike that Cancellara just won the worlds on, that seemed like another highly developed bit of kit.

I get where FF is coming from, all the top bikes are good, some you aspire to owning more than others just on looks, loads of us do that, in fact, anyone who gets excited about kit ...he's just got a slightly funny way of putting it.

Im not sure which Id rather own out of the two myself... hmmm... v close... in fact, can't decide, neither do too much for me aesthetically ...bet all the tour bikes will be great though of either make, better than anything I could afford (or do justice by riding well enough)

redddraggon

mfin wrote:

...as some consolation then he will most likely be TTing on the same Shiv bike that Cancellara just won the worlds on, that seemed like another highly developed bit of kit.

Doubt it, The UCI are probably going to ban it.

moray_gub

frenchfighter wrote:

Becasue my eyes tell me so.

As I previously said, I make no comment about how they ride/perform.

type:epyt

3 protour teams riding Specialized bikes would seem a bit excessive to me ... unless Spain is a market that Spesh don't sell alot of bikes in and think they can ...

While Armstrong is affiliated with Trek and still riding then Spezialized are never gonna do the same numbers in the US, current Tour champ or not ... and their top end bikes are never gonna get close to Cannondale for design or desirablity ...