I ordered a STI groupset a few days later. This meant each time he shifted, I’d lose two bike lengths. Every time he changed gears I would have to sit down, shift and then stand up again. Going up a long and steep hill, both of us climbing out of the saddle for most of it, my opponent was constantly shifting gears and altering the pace. Like most of the rest of the peloton, I had downtube levers. On a hilly course I was in a two-man escape with the rider who was so equipped. I remember the first time I saw someone use STI levers. They allowed cyclists to shift under load and whilst riding out of the saddle or sprinting. The indexing innovation eventually led to the possibility of incorporating the gear controls into the brake levers, which the component manufacturer succeeded in doing in 1990.ĭual control – or STI, Shimano Total Integration – levers revolutionised road racing.
This came after a failed attempt with the Positron system in 1977. In 1985, following 30 years of relatively minor upgrades in equipment, Shimano successfully introduced indexed gears.
They might have been an optimistic choice but obviously passed what many consider to be the ultimate test.
#COLNAGO C40 REVIEW PRO#
On a machine built to last the distance on the roughest surfaces a road bike is ever likely to encounter, the ITM Pro 260 bars were superlight at the top (weighing just 260g). In the 1940s came the advent of two chainrings and four cogs on the rear, giving a total of eight gears. The 1930s saw the introduction of rudimentary three-speed derailleurs. Just before World War One were other developments including a choice of two gear ratios that required the rider to dismount and change the wheel around to effect a change. A few years later the stopping power of the first rim brakes was a sign of progress. The average speed for the first race was 30.16kph. In 1896 the riders made do with a sturdy bike with two wheels, two pedals and not much else.
If a part or groupset can survive Paris Roubaix, it provides a solid endorsement. If a vital part made by a major manufacturer fails en route to Roubaix, television viewers around the world witness it. I’m sure the designers of exotic parts will have considered that whatever they create – no matter how light, aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing – it must be able to stand up to the rigours of the world’s toughest race. This is probably a good thing for the development of equipment. As the decades passed by, other courses were cleaned up and modernised but Paris-Roubaix continued to be a reminder of how bad roads used to be. The attributes of successful riders hadn’t changed much during the 96 previous editions of the Hell of the North but the latest bikes bore absolutely no resemblance to the machines of the 1890s.įrom the very first edition good equipment and a bit of luck played a role in the result. Technology had been developing for 120 years when Tafi mounted his Colnago on 11 April 1999. This Spring Classic has sections of pavé that turn an otherwise normal point to point bike race into a spectacle of chaos, destruction and courage. Roubaix is a rough ride for competitors and exceptionally hard on their equipment. But this event is more than just another race, it is a lottery. After podium places in the previous two editions, he was one of the short priced favourites on the morning of the race. He stated after the race that he wanted to repeat his childhood idol’s feat and it had given him great satisfaction to have done so.Īndrea Tafi was determined to win Paris-Roubaix. When he won Paris-Roubaix for the third time, in 1980, he had done so wearing the jersey of the Italian champion. There is a connection to Moser but it has nothing to do with equipment. The fact that this Colnago, arguably the most successful of the Italian race frame manufacturers, was equipped with Dura-Ace did not even cause a ripple, with Shimano having infiltrated the peloton to such an extent that it was now the majority shareholder. Things changed a lot between the uproar of 1983 and the 1999 season. He caused a scandal in Italy for using anything other than parts made in his homeland, and returned to the Campagnolo fold to equip his namesake Moser bikes the following year.
#COLNAGO C40 REVIEW SERIES#
Regular readers of this series may recall the story about Francesco Moser’s 1983 bike ( RIDE #31) and the fact that he was the first Italian superstar to use Japanese components. The frame is the Colnago C40 of that year, equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace.
This is the Colnago that Andrea Tafi rode to victory in the 1999 edition of Paris-Roubaix.