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Mark Cavendish To run SRAM Hydro Road Rim Brakes for Tour

Written by Zach Overholt
19 Comments
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Apparently after riding SRAM’s hydraulic road rim brakes, Mark Cavendish couldn’t wait to get them on his bike. According to SRAM, “He test rode it, he loved it, he insisted on racing it.”

As part of a Blackbox initiative, the hydraulic stoppers will be integrated into Omega Pharma Quick Step’s current 10 speed Red drivetrain. SRAM’s Red 22 Hydraulic shift/brake lever is not compatible with 10 speed components so it’s either a custom set up, or Cavendish will be running 11 speed while the rest of the team is on 10. The announcement also comes as a bit of a surprise as SRAM didn’t expect any pros to be on HRRs this season due to pending UCI approval.

Expect to see his bike equipped from the very first stage. More to come.

 
Zach Overholt
5,722 articles

Zach Overholt is the Editor in Chief of Bikerumor. He has been writing about what’s new in the bicycle world for 12+ years. Prior to that, Zach spent many years in the back of a bicycle shop building and repairing nearly every type of bike, while figuring out how to (occasionally) ride them.

Based in Ohio, Zach is now slowly introducing a new generation to cycling and still trying to figure out how to fit the most rides into a busy schedule as a new dad.

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19 Comments
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endurobob
endurobob
11 years ago

pretty sure pull ratio is the same for 10 and 11…as long as the limits on the derailleurs are set properly a 11sp shifter should shift through the 10sp cassette just fine…

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ChrisW
ChrisW
11 years ago

I believe I read a quote from the head equipment guy at the UCI last month who said that they had no restrictions concerning hydraulic rim brakes – anyone can use them whenever they want, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

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Ventruck
Ventruck
11 years ago

dumb question: With the levers on already, what’s the point in skimping on the rest of it?

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Alb
Alb
11 years ago

Big name rider in riding sponsors’ new product shocker!

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Jeb
Jeb
11 years ago

@Ventruck. Pro road teams go to great pains to use consistent equipment through the team, particularly wheelsets as road racing can involve many wheels changes during the course of a race. Cav running 11 speed would mean the mechanics would have to bring special wheels just for his bike, particularly in the follow vehicles. In a race like the Tour De France that’s just not logistically feasible. Also, it’s not uncommon for a team leader like Cav to take a teammates wheel when the follow vehicles aren’t in close proximity and mixing cassettes is not good.

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Aaron Long
Aaron Long
11 years ago

Is there a reason why they are still riding the 10 speed?

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Mindless
Mindless
11 years ago

Needs disk brakes.

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harro
harro
11 years ago

needs correct spelling of disc

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Nacho
Nacho
11 years ago

Those green decals are sweet. Good tool for the job!

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Mindless
Mindless
11 years ago

“Disk and disc are used interchangeably except where trademarks preclude one usage, e.g. the Compact Disc logo.”

Needs to know what you are talking about before correcting others.

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tom
tom
11 years ago

well, maybe we’ll get a report on how these handle crashes?

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DG
DG
11 years ago

@tom, you’re in luck after todays stage.

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Confuzzled
Confuzzled
11 years ago

@Mindless, needs subject/verb agreement.

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Devin
Devin
11 years ago

@all-of-you: shut it with the grammatical sniping. It’s pedantic and childish.

Nice bike Cav, shit luck today, yeah?

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ChrisC
ChrisC
11 years ago

A bit presumptuous to have the green accents before the first stage, no? Especially when he’s not even the defending points champion…

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Psi Squared
Psi Squared
11 years ago

@ChrisC, the green highlights represent his newly unveiled brand: http://www.cvndsh.com/

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bin judgin
bin judgin
11 years ago

that bike is hideous

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Brattercakes
Brattercakes
11 years ago

I don’t know why, but something about the color scheme and the line weight of the green lines is bothering me.

The green line around the headtube throws me off a bit.

The bold graphics on the crankset and chain rings draws my attention to it more than the rest of the bike.

However, I bet up close, it’s nice looking. I’m a big fan of metal flakes in paint, like that of a bass boat.

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patrik
patrik
11 years ago

@Brattercakes: That’s why integrated bikes are best, when all the design work is handled under one roof. I doubt BMW passes off trunk and hood styling off to Hipster Graphix in San Francisco, for example.

Shimano, for example, is famous for not doing too much custom colorways for bike companies, no matter how big the brand. SRAM, however, is a little more flexible, which is surprising given how hideous the rings are in the bike shown above.

But I don’t know why others, myself included, are demanding understated graphics on bikes when we wear hideous kits that are louder than bombs.

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