Giro101 Tech: Factor O2 and SLiCK TT bikes of AG2R La Mondiale

French pro cycling team AG2R La Mondiale showed up for the 2018 Giro D’Italia with their fleet of Factor SLiCK TT bikes and O2 race bikes, decked out with parts from team sponsors Mavic, SRM, Black Inc, Shimano and Continental, among others. Here’s how they’re using all that stuff…

The Factor O2 is their lightweight race bike with a traditional frame, not the split downtube design that put the bike brand on the map in 2013 with the wild Vis Vires concept. Since then, they’ve tamed that design into the UCI-legal The One, which then added a disc brake option with its latest update. This O2 model gained a disc brake version…they’re just not racing it here. This one is a ~740g frame designed to handle rough, cobbled courses and fly up the climbs equally well.

The cockpit is provided by Black Inc, which makes some interesting components. Here, they’re sticking with fairly standard carbon handlebars, stems and seatposts. They’re using CeramicSpeed bearings all around, which is a stock option in the Black Inc hubs if you’re going with their wheels. Here, though, it’s Mavic.

Fizik saddles.

Most of the drivetrain is Shimano Dura-Ace, but with the SRM powermeter cranks using the carbon arms from Look.

All of their bikes were running the CeramicSpeed derailleur pulley systems, with most of the team bikes riding the new limited edition Giro Pink ones. What’s interesting is that some were running the Shimano-specific 13/19 pairing, like this O2, and some were running something else…

The O2 bikes were equipped with the Mavic Cosmic Ultimate wheels, a 1,250g set of tubular wheels with carbon hubs, spokes and rims all built into a single piece. As for the “Special Service Course” stickers? Mostly, they’re on there so that we media types take a closer look, but the wheels provided to the teams are stock items. From there, though, Mavic’s rep told us that some teams decide to remove one or more of the bearing seals to reduce drag when coasting because…they can. On them are the pro-only Continental Competition ProLtd tubular tires.

K-Edge number plate holder.

The Factor SLiCK, like so many other brands’ TT bikes doubles as their triathlon model, just without the storage additions that would run afoul of the UCI’s rules. In the pic above, riders line up to have their saddle and bar positions checked.

The TT bikes get Mavic’s Comete Pro Carbon SL front wheel and Comete Road rear disc wheel.

The front cockpit comes from upstart 51 Speedshop, which seems to be supplying quite a few individual pro rides and triathletes, but doesn’t have their full website live yet.

No need for two bottles on a short individual time trial, which keeps the Factor’s split down tube completely unobstructed. The design requires an adapter to bridge the space for standard bottle cages.

Here’s the interesting mod. At least one of their TT bikes was equipped with the 17/17 pulley pair that’s on their SRAM set. No, it’s not a SRAM cage hacked onto a Shimano rear derailleur, here’s what’s happening. They took the carbon cage from their $1,700 3D-printed titanium pulley wheel upgrade, which does use a 17/17 combo for this generation Shimano Di2. Then they swapped the ti wheels for the pink alloy ones in a 17/17 combo. UPDATE: CeramicSpeed chimed in to clarify that it’s actually a difference in cage/pulley combos depending on which generation Shimano you have. Some use the 17/17 combo, and some the 13/19. Check out the full collection of pink-pulley options here.

Check out the AG2R La Mondiale team’s homepage here.

Check out every team’s bikes from the 2018 Giro here!

SaveSave

SaveSave