Professional Cycling - what frame materials are used in the tour?

is it all CF these days, or is there still steel, alum, and maybe some Ti frames out there?

mostly carbon

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=119250&highlight=t-mobile+giant+carbon


DISCOVERY CHANNEL TEAM - Trek carbon
T-MOBILE TEAM - Giant carbon
TEAM CSC - Cervello mostly aluminum, some carbon
ILLES BALEARS-CAISSE D'EPARGNE - Opera aluminum
DAVITAMON - LOTTO - Ridley carbom
RABOBANK - Colnago carbon
PHONAK HEARING SYSTEMS - BMC carbon
FASSA BORTOLO - Pinarello magnesium and aluminum
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR - Scott carbon
LIBERTY SEGUROS - WÜRTH TEAM - BH [actually giant] carbon
CREDIT AGRICOLE - Look carbon
LIQUIGAS - BIANCHI - Bianchi aluminum
COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE - Wilier Triestina carbon and some aluminum
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC - Time carbon
BOUYGUES TELECOM - Time carbon
LAMPRE - CAFFITA -Cannondale carbon/aluminum
GEROLSTEINER - Specialized carbon
FRANCAISE DES JEUX - Lapierre carbon, some aluminum
DOMINA VACANZE - Colnago carbon
EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI - Orbea aluminum and some carbon
AG2R PREVOYANCE - Decathalon [actually cyfac] aluminum

Jeez... I'm surprised there's no Ti whatsoever... interesting.

Jeez... I'm surprised there's no Ti whatsoever... interesting.Yeah, I thought so too. But someone posted in another forum that Robbie McEwen was riding a Ti bike. Here's the link: http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=1338481&postcount=4

But it's still really surprising to me that more teams don't use Ti.

edit: The Ti bike shown in the link was from the 2002 Tour.

Yeah, I thought so too. But someone posted in another forum that Robbie McEwen was riding a Ti bike. Here's the link: http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=1338481&postcount=4

But it's still really surprising to me that more teams don't use Ti.

edit: The Ti bike shown in the link was from the 2002 Tour.

For the Tour light weight and performance is where it's at. Al and CF deliver this in spades. Durability, ride comfort etc, which are allegedly less important to the teams racing in the biggest bike race in the world, seem to be the domain of steel and Ti.

I've seen a photos of riders (Simon Gerrans and one other) from Ag2R in the 2005 Roubaix and Flanders on what appeared to be Ti frames with CF seat stays. They were unpainted and unlabeled but that dull Ti grey is pretty distinctive. Last year some CSC riders were riding steel (Super Prodigy) in the spring classics. That was apparently the last time steel bikes were ridden in the top level pro peloton.

The riders really like the feel of CF. Last year when there was no CF Soloist, many CSC riders would ride the R2.5 rather than the Soloist on some of the flat stages. Even if it did sacrafice some aerodynamics, it was a lot less punishing.

A rider such as Lance can tell the team what he wants to ride. But 90% of the riders in the Tour are gonna ride what the sponsor tells them to ride. If the Ti specialists companies were "rich" enough to sponsor a team, that team would be riding Ti. If a bamboo furniture maker sponsored a team, the team would be riding bamboo frames.

Jeez... I'm surprised there's no Ti whatsoever... interesting.

MAgnus Backstedt's bike is Custom Bianchi Ti.

A rider such as Lance can tell the team what he wants to ride. But 90% of the riders in the Tour are gonna ride what the sponsor tells them to ride. If the Ti specialists companies were "rich" enough to sponsor a team, that team would be riding Ti. If a bamboo furniture maker sponsored a team, the team would be riding bamboo frames.

And in fact two or three years ago one of the Euro teams, can't remember which, were on Ti Litespeeds.

And in fact two or three years ago one of the Euro teams, can't remember which, were on Ti Litespeeds.

2002. Lotto-ABX.

The pick of Robbie's bike someone posted above is from that year. He was 2nd on it at the Worlds in Zolder.