The Lidl Trek staff is debuting SRAM’s new RED XPLR gravel-orientated groupset in these days’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The staff’s motorcycles, coated up outdoor the staff bus on Saturday morning and ready just for their riders, had been all fitted with the 13-speed unmarried ring workforce, which makes use of the UDH (common derailleur hanger).
It’s the first time that the gang has been utilized in a WorldTour highway race, having introduced final summer season, with Lidl-Trek’s riders having trialled it over iciness.
The obvious options of the Lidl-Trek set-up are the cast 54-tooth chainring – which is not a typical SRAM Crimson XPLR part – and the dinner-plate 46-tooth rear sprocket, which is the most important of a 10-46 13-speed cassette.
“The maximum and the minimum gear is the same as a 2-by set-up,” stated Lidl-Trek technical director Glen Leven, “although we always have the big chainring in the front.
“The ground of the cassette is equal to a 10-36,” he said, “after which the final two sprockets trade to 38 and 46.”
Leven said the feedback from the riders had been very positive, and hailed the stiff gravel-focused rear mech that meant gears did not jump around when riding on the cobbles.
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“We see a large merit at the cobbles,” he said. “It is means stiffer so the chain remains at the sprocket you select, and you’ll shift underneath load at the cobbles. We see a large merit within the Vintage races.”
The Lidl-Trek team was the only team running a UDH compatible frame at this point, Leven said, but added: “Within the close to long run each and every emblem will trade to UDH I believe.”
Because its advantage lay mainly over the cobbled roads, Leven said the team would only plan to use Red XPLR during the Classics, before reverting to double chainsets for the more standard road events. The riders would be able to choose XPLR if they wish, he said, and added that all those riding it in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad had opted to do so.
For extra on Omloop take a look at our 5 issues to seem out for within the race, and our Easy methods to watch information.
