Contador paid for his own wheels...

frenchfighter

...on his TT bike he rode at Annecy apparently. So say, the team’s best pair of wheels were reserved for Armstrong.

DaveyL

He's probably paid for a few things out of his own pocket, to improve his performance.

all show no go

If I remember correctly, Jan Ullrich paid for a few pairs of "Lightweight" wheels during his time at T-Mobile but scrubbed the branding off to keep the teams official wheel sponsors/suppliers (Shimano) happy.

Anonymous

I had to buy mine too.

Although they were heavily subsidised...

dennisn

NapoleonD wrote:

I had to buy mine too.

Although they were heavily subsidised...

moray_gub

DaveyL wrote:

He's probably paid for a few things out of his own pocket, to improve his performance.

I cant tell if you are alluding to something here or not here Dave , maybe not anyway yea a lot of pro cyclists supply gear they have purchased themselves at times especially for TTs.

dennisn

all show no go wrote:

If I remember correctly, Jan Ulrich paid for a few pairs of "Lightweight" wheels during his time at T-Mobile but scrubbed the branding off to keep the teams official wheel sponsors/suppliers happy.

Scrubbing off labels would seem to be somewhat common in the pro ranks. Although I can understand why a team would want to use the same "stuff". Keeps them from having to deal with any problems of something not working from one bike to the next.
I remember JB making a comment few years ago, saying, "you will use DA pedals or you won't ride for us". Not to any team member in particular, but describing how he wanted all the teams bikes to fit all the teams riders. As much as possible anyway.

mfin

Perhaps the officials thought it was so unfair he had to buy his own wheels that they gave him a couple of police motorbikes to draft to cheer him up a bit

( http://www.velonews.com/article/95744 ...in case anyone didn't get it. )

SpaceJunk

frenchfighter wrote:

...on his TT bike he rode at Annecy apparently. So say, the team’s best pair of wheels were reserved for Armstrong.

Gee, that LA is such a bastard.


FF, I also heard that AC would be made to sit under the team's dining table each night, and was only permitted to eat the crumbs that fell to the ground.

flanners1

DaveyL wrote:

He's probably paid for a few things out of his own pocket, to improve his performance.

Si! Si!

disgruntledgoat

And he still bought Bontragers? No taste some folk...

frenchfighter

disgruntledgoat wrote:

And he still bought Bontragers? No taste some folk...

Yes Bontragers are so ugly that on any photos I have with riders on them, I have greyed them out.

frenchfighter

Eg/. Check out the style here though.

mfin

frenchfighter wrote:

Eg/. Check out the style here though.

Thought you didn't like Treks? They're not my thing in particular but that one does look pretty good, I quite like it, like the fact there's no colours in it, loud though isn't it?

flattythehurdler

DaveyL wrote:

He's probably paid for a few things out of his own pocket, to improve his performance.

Sheptastic

frenchfighter wrote:

...on his TT bike he rode at Annecy apparently. So say, the team’s best pair of wheels were reserved for Armstrong.

WTF is happening to the bottom of his chain? Can torque do that or is it a Xwind?

sherer

even LA used to ride Litespeeds instead of Treks in his first few tours. Lots of top line pros don't use the sponsored stuff and use a custom bike htey have paid for themselves. I guess it is down to the contract with the team. I'm sure LA prob had a few custom bits on his bike too

aarw

sherer wrote:

even LA used to ride Litespeeds instead of Treks in his first few tours. Lots of top line pros don't use the sponsored stuff and use a custom bike htey have paid for themselves. I guess it is down to the contract with the team. I'm sure LA prob had a few custom bits on his bike too

his first few tours were in motorola colours, with merckx and caloi branded frames.

sherer

aarw wrote:

sherer wrote:

even LA used to ride Litespeeds instead of Treks in his first few tours. Lots of top line pros don't use the sponsored stuff and use a custom bike htey have paid for themselves. I guess it is down to the contract with the team. I'm sure LA prob had a few custom bits on his bike too

his first few tours were in motorola colours, with merckx and caloi branded frames.

I meant his first tour win. I read he used a litespeed for that and not a Trek

pat1cp

sherer wrote:

aarw wrote:

sherer wrote:

even LA used to ride Litespeeds instead of Treks in his first few tours. Lots of top line pros don't use the sponsored stuff and use a custom bike htey have paid for themselves. I guess it is down to the contract with the team. I'm sure LA prob had a few custom bits on his bike too

his first few tours were in motorola colours, with merckx and caloi branded frames.

I meant his first tour win. I read he used a litespeed for that and not a Trek

Only his TT machine was a Litespeed. The road frame was a Trek, once he was at USPS.

Garry H

sherer wrote:

aarw wrote:

sherer wrote:

even LA used to ride Litespeeds instead of Treks in his first few tours. Lots of top line pros don't use the sponsored stuff and use a custom bike htey have paid for themselves. I guess it is down to the contract with the team. I'm sure LA prob had a few custom bits on his bike too

his first few tours were in motorola colours, with merckx and caloi branded frames.

I meant his first tour win. I read he used a litespeed for that and not a Trek

He used a Litespeed TT bike, rebadged as Trek.

SpaceJunk

Sheptastic wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

...on his TT bike he rode at Annecy apparently. So say, the team’s best pair of wheels were reserved for Armstrong.

WTF is happening to the bottom of his chain? Can torque do that or is it a Xwind?

No, it's neither torque or crosswind. That's what happens to your chain when you are being towed in the vacuum of many, many motorbikes.

shinyhelmut

Garry H wrote:

He used a Litespeed TT bike, rebadged as Trek.

It was a Litespeed Saber, Trek at the time didn't make a TT bike.

As for Contador's wheels I suspect they're HEDs rebadged as bontrangers.

Kléber

Contador did not pay for his own wheels. He simply paid for the team Bontrager disc to be customised with his personal graphics, look closely and you'll spot the naff pistolero design, similar to the design featured on his hat.

SpaceJunk

Kléber wrote:

Contador did not pay for his own wheels. He simply paid for the team Bontrager disc to be customised with his personal graphics, look closely and you'll spot the naff pistolero design, similar to the design featured on his hat.

Kleber, don't let rationale and facts get in the way of another anti-AC conspiracy.

Le Commentateur

DaveyL wrote:

He's probably paid for a few things out of his own pocket, to improve his performance.

:twisted:

Gazzaputt

DaveyL wrote:

He's probably paid for a few things out of his own pocket, to improve his performance.

blazing_saddles

Having done the forum rounds for the past week, this story has now found it's way into L'Equipe.
So that makes it the truth or a fabrication, according to your chosen side of the fence. :roll:

gabriel959

He did actually pay for his wheels according to this interview of him in the Spanish newspaper Marca:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... l=es&tl=en

moray_gub

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Having done the forum rounds for the past week, this story has now found it's way into L'Equipe.
So that makes it the truth or a fabrication, according to your chosen side of the fence. :roll:

Is there is really fence to choose to sit on here here though bearing in mind top pros often pay for some extra specialist gear. Everybody here knows that................well almost everybody.

blazing_saddles

Moray Gub wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Having done the forum rounds for the past week, this story has now found it's way into L'Equipe.
So that makes it the truth or a fabrication, according to your chosen side of the fence. :roll:

Is there is really fence to choose to sit on here here though bearing in mind top pros often pay for some extra specialist gear. Everybody here knows that................well almost everybody.

I thought by making no comment upon it, I was balancing pretty well on the fence.
Then along you came and pushed me off. :P