Classic & Vintage - Fignon in 1984

Anyone have an idea why Fignon would have had used second-tier Campagnolo brakes on his Tour de France time trial bike? -

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q9OHLA5zjkU/TKBy-A8RpdI/AAAAAAAAIH0/PZGj1Y8HwGM/s1600/14.jpg

In addition to the tell-tale quick release, I've seen another photo of the same bike that quite clearly shows the winged-wheel logo on the brake levers.

So they dont accidently auto open like in Kurts video?

Because there'd be no need to use the brakes in a time trial?

Neal

because that is what the Sponsors gave him to ride. they only use a TT bike once or twice so they either saw no reason to adorn it with SR or maybe all the bikes had Victory that year. atleast they arn't shimano or Modolo

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q9OHLA5zjkU/TKBy-A8RpdI/AAAAAAAAIH0/PZGj1Y8HwGM/s1600/14.jpg

Which brake is lighter?

because that is what the Sponsors gave him to ride.
I will guaran-dang-tee you that a top pro, in the biggest race of the year, is more particular about equipment choices than this. Especially given the fact that the frame is pretty trick and certainly custom. A domestique, maybe.

they only use a TT bike once or twice so they either saw no reason to adorn it with SRYet that "once or twice" represents a disproportionate affect on the race, in terms of time gained or lost on GC. Why would they look for a "reason" when they surely have all the SR gruppos they need? Especially for their No. 1 rider?

or maybe all the bikes had Victory that year.
Seriously? A top pro team with a top rider would put Victory on all their bikes? Show me another example of this happening regarding "budget" components. Just one. I've seen later pro teams with riders using Chorus brakes, but we all know how some pros felt about Deltas. The Gitane mass start stage bikes that year were SR-equipped.

Which brake is lighter?

This is a good question! You would think, though, that the drilled SR levers were lighter than the Victory/Gran Sport ones.

...they couldn't afford flagship Campy? Story of my life.

This is a good question! You would think, though, that the drilled SR levers were lighter than the Victory/Gran Sport ones.

i remember reading once that NR levers are actually slightly lighter than the drilled SR's. that could, of course, be completely wrong.

Somebody have a photo of how that handle bar is attached to the bike?

The rear derailleur does not appear to be a Super Record, there is just a glint of it, C Record prototype? I have C Record cranks dated circle 4.

Somebody have a photo of how that handle bar is attached to the bike?

I think the head tube is cut away, and the steerer gets the "stem" directly.

i remember reading once that NR levers are actually slightly lighter than the drilled SR's. that could, of course, be completely wrong.

+1

I think he sold the expensive ones to buy amphetamines and pain killers.


Too soon?

......heh heh. I like a dark sense of humor.

i remember seeing pics of Hinault using nuovo record levers when super were available...so who knows. maybe they were lighter or maybe they were introducing them and wanted fignon to try them out or give them some public exposure? i do know that on alot of time trail bikes ive seen for sale...they mostly had second tier equipment

I'm pretty sure those brake levers have the Campagnolo shield logo on them; hence, he's using Victory brakes paired with Triomphe levers (that have been modified for aero routing, I might add). I'm suspicious of those hubs too - either someone pulled the dustcaps off of a C-Record set, or he's running Victory/Triomphe hubs as well.

I found one other photo of the same machine; not much to see here though:

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/TDFprologue84.jpg

-Kurt

I'm pretty sure those brake levers have the Campagnolo shield logo on them; hence, he's using Victory brakes paired with Triomphe levers (that have been modified for aero routing, I might add). I'm suspicious of those hubs too - either someone pulled the dustcaps off of a C-Record set, or he's running Victory/Triomphe hubs as well.

I found one other photo of the same machine; not much to see here though:

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/TDFprologue84.jpg

-Kurt

This might sound ridiculous, and it wouldn't explain the calipers, but maybe the Victory levers fit his hands better? He probably had to use Campagnolo and maybe that was the most comfortable option?

My guess was that he just didn't give a ****

I have not delved into the world of TT "funny bikes" that much but I have been surprised to come across many out there that have less than impressive component and frame tubing specs. I still remember a couple of Peugeot TT bikes being sold recently (quite unsuccessfully, I might add) at eBay for $3K+, with mediocre sounding components on them. I always thought that TT bikes were always decked out with the latest and greatest aero gruppos the teams could find so they can squeeze out the last milliseconds out of the bike. I was also surprised that you run across a lot of them that do not have top of the line tubing for their frames. Aren't TT bikes limited production items that they would use only the best tubing on for best lightness and stregnth ratio??

Chombi

This might sound ridiculous, and it wouldn't explain the calipers, but maybe the Victory levers fit his hands better? He probably had to use Campagnolo and maybe that was the most comfortable option?

A. They're Triomphe levers.
B. NR and SR levers were not all long-reach. Standard reach NR/SR's are identical to Triomphe/Victory/GS.


I always thought that TT bikes were always decked out with the latest and greatest aero gruppos the teams could find so they can squeeze out the last milliseconds out of the bike.

Fignon used full C-Record on his later TT machines (1985?):

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/Laurent-Fignon.jpg

-Kurt

P.S.: Near as I can figure it, the bars are bolted straight onto the steerer through a hole in the headtube (!)

Fignon used full C-Record on his later TT machines (1985?):

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/Laurent-Fignon.jpg

-Kurt

P.S.: Near as I can figure it, the bars are bolted straight onto the steerer through a hole in the headtube (!)

Dang Kurt, you're making me salivate for that Gitane he's riding! Surprised he did not have Delta calipers though, or were they not out yet??

Chombi

http://gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=347

heres a track version , the delta wing bolts to the steerer tube. gitane did alot of expierimenting with aluminum and fiberglass wings. these bikes r rare, there the holygrail of the gitanes. i photo'ed this bike

my guess as to why is these r early c record and because the cable routing went thru the bars ,these you could use in the aero position to route thru the wing

Dang Kurt, you're making me salivate for that Gitane he's riding! Surprised he did not have Delta calipers though, or were they not out yet??

Good catch - though I doubt a Delta caliper would fit under the handlebar in front, which is most likely why they used SR.

Is it just me, or are the nuts on the front of that SR caliper a bit rusty? They're not black-anodized OMAS parts either.


heres a track version , the delta wing bolts to the steerer tube.

As I thought.

That handlebar looks outstanding.


my guess as to why is these r early c record and because the cable routing went thru the bars ,these you could use in the aero position to route thru the wing

That argument has no validity, as they were obviously running the Triomphe levers with home-spun aero routing the previous year, negating the need for C-Record levers with Super Record calipers.

For that matter, with exception to the calipers, that TT bike is full C-Record - note the headset and curvature of the drive-side crankset.

-Kurt

im not arguing anything man , just trying to answer the op question.
http://www.campyonly.com/history/campy_timeline.html
the pic in the op is of fignon from a magazine dated july1984. what year did the triumph and victory come out ......86 . what year did first gen c- record show up .....85
hence my GUESS at first gen c record . again just guessing man;)

the pic in the op is of fignon from a magazine dated july1984. what year did the triumph and victory come out ......86 . what year did first gen c- record show up .....85
hence my GUESS at first gen c record . again just guessing man;)

Victory and Triomphe were already well in production by 1984 - most of the examples I've found are dated as such. Ditto for the introduction of C-Record, though it might have been distributed to the public a bit later.

Funny thing - I've found far fewer '85 Victory RD's than '84s, and precious few Victory S3 (1986+) RD's in the wild.

-Kurt

I still remember a couple of Peugeot TT bikes being sold recently (quite unsuccessfully, I might add) at eBay for $3K+, with mediocre sounding components on themChombi

I've ridden the blue fade Peugeot TT bike your referring to, its been many years but my memory tells me it has a full Mavic group....

im not arguing anything man , just trying to answer the op question.
http://www.campyonly.com/history/campy_timeline.html
the pic in the op is of fignon from a magazine dated july1984. what year did the triumph and victory come out ......86 . what year did first gen c- record show up .....85
hence my GUESS at first gen c record . again just guessing man;)

Victory and Triomphe were produced in 1984 - I think early C-Record was as well. At least there are some C-Record cranks with '84 date codes.

Edit: Oops, sorry - missed Kurt's post.

I've ridden the blue fade Peugeot TT bike your referring to, its been many years but my memory tells me it has a full Mavic group....
Hmmm....IIRC, the ones I saw recently had something like Shimano 600 groups on them..... We might be talking about different bikes.....unless they harvest the nicer groups off the TT bikes after the season? Which kinda makes sense too...

Chombi

I'm suspicious of those hubs too - either someone pulled the dustcaps off of a C-Record set, or he's running Victory/Triomphe hubs as well.


I have a pic where you can see the black clips on the hubs - they look like Record.
Bizarrely, the pedals on the bike are mismatched - the right pedal has the usual Campagnolo cage showing in the front, while the left had some kind of narrow-profile deal. Maybe there was a chainstay clearance issue using the aero pedal on the drive side.
When Fignon won the Tour the year prior, his bikes were apparently equipped with Modolo brakes.

I have a pic where you can see the black clips on the hubs - they look like Record.
Bizarrely, the pedals on the bike are mismatched - the right pedal has the usual Campagnolo cage showing in the front, while the left had some kind of narrow-profile deal. Maybe there was a chainstay clearance issue using the aero pedal on the drive side.
When Fignon won the Tour the year prior, his bikes were apparently equipped with Modolo brakes.

i know they used track pedals on their tour road bikes, so maybe they had a quill on one side and the track on the other . they used the track pedals because it gave them more clearence in the corners , so maybe the tt course had more turns going left than going right . kurt, i dug out my winning mags to look for a better pic of that delta bike and what did i find .... a ad for the triumphe group set.

Bizarrely, the pedals on the bike are mismatched - the right pedal has the usual Campagnolo cage showing in the front, while the left had some kind of narrow-profile deal. Maybe there was a chainstay clearance issue using the aero pedal on the drive side.

I just caught that in the second photo. It looks like a C-Record pedal on the left. Perhaps the larger platform surface of the C-Record pedal was used to combat a temporary foot discomfort?

EDIT: Lofter's explanation makes sense - though it still seems odd that the mechanics would change one pedal of the set.

I'd love to see that Triomphe ad if you can scan it in, Lofter.

-Kurt

anyone ever seen how they modified the standard Campagnolo levers for Aero routing? I've seen Fignon riding what looked to be standard SR levers with aero routing on a road course

anyone ever seen how they modified the standard Campagnolo levers for Aero routing? I've seen Fignon riding what looked to be standard SR levers with aero routing on a road course
IIRC, I thought there were levers from Campy (early C-Record?) that have the option to route the cable aero or non-aero style.

Chombi

i remember reading once that NR levers are actually slightly lighter than the drilled SR's. that could, of course, be completely wrong.

I just weighted a pair of each without hods and the NR were 1 gram lighter than the SR. The NR I weighed may have been pre-Nuovo and they appeared to have different blades than the SR levers.