Now on Sram Red.

Looking good.

Introducing team Liquigas Cannondale.

Maybe they'll drop their chain at the crucial moment and lose a Grand Tour now.

LOL...yeah, it's really good to know that Campy has never had a single failure in it's history. It's even more amusing to consider that one mechanical is responsible for the outcome in a 2,300 mile race.

But I know you are being sarcastic.

And Red is lighter.

SRAM picks up another team. Not bad considering they've been doing road components for, what, five years? It's a bunch better than 7900.

217.

I still like DA shifting better. That double-tap is just not my cup of tea.

The topic is gear-related, not racing-related. And nobody said anything about doping yet.

+1. I took the leap and leapt back.

RW - why does "light" mater in the pro ranks? I thought most teams had to add weight to make the minimum.

nah I'm pretty sure the OP is 100% about liquigas switching to sram.

my order of preference is campy>shimano>sram;

but no one cares what i prefer, and i doubt anyone cares what the liquigas squad prefers, i'm sure the move to sram was based on the almighty buck.

You know that it's all about the money. Pro teams will use products from the company that offers the sweetest deal. Nothing new there.

Someone on another site made a big deal out of an Italian team dropping Campy, but they didn't think it was odd to use an Asian made frame.

I love the Sram on my Cannondales, though if I won the lottery, I'd probably switch everything to Campy 11.

You can buy Campy groups for about the same price, but if you buy a prebuilt bike, that's not an option.

I imagine they'll be keen on avoiding any major mechnical issues during the big competitions this time around.

did they get rid of that loop on the back of the RD cage?

That's weird because the 2011 team bike is spec'd with Campy. I love Red on my 2010 and is the reason I built it myself.

SRAM is cleaning Shimano's clock. What is Shimano doing? Nothing.

Eff 'em. I hope SRAM keeps going that way. Maybe Shimano will wake up and realize nobody wants to pay FIVE GRAND for their electronic D.A. no matter how nifty it is. Idiots.

Maybe Campy will wake up and realize that 11 cogs is just silly.

I got to ride a Team Liquigas with Di2 and last year's ToC and it left quite an impression on me. I love the frame, and want to get one. The only thing I could think of that would be better on these bikes than Sram Red, would be Di2. Either way, I think it's awesome.

Huh. That's the last team that I figured Campy would let go over to a competitor.

If one really followed the money I expect that there suddenly being room for a third cleared was no coincidence. Shimano owns a lot of intellectual property and is doubtless less worried with a small loss of market share while it expands this further. The physical production of product when taking into account a growing population with a growing interest in cycling was bound to outstrip the balance of good business practices. No one company would invest in so deeply into the machining and outside contracts to source materials merely to fulfill current sales forcasts. Ten years from now the needs in their workforce could be changed significantly and thus their production environments. Realistically all three will share the popular market while retaining a strong hold on part of the others specialty. Sram appears to be a challenger to Shimano's tech market while Campagnolo is slower moving and beholden to their craftsmanship. They are also a major player in the mountain bike market with Shimano while Campagnolo is heavily enfolding cyclocross into its "heritage." Shimano and Campagnolo are losing nothing in the aftermarket parts market as well as in the rich brand marketing divisions. Perhaps next year I will change my mind when a SRAM coffee table book hits the best seller list. It is hard to speculate just how the global market will divide them but I think some separation is very well a defined plan.

SRAM wont come out with an electronic grouppo for a good 2 years....sad, but true

I would be little surprised if it used biometric sensors and a built in interface for the data it collects. I see this being a great training boon to us in the flats if our bike will simulate hill climbing. Youtube video fodder of people struggling to surpass the slight decline they are actually riding on.

It would be interesting to have the amount of feedback such a system could provide without being able to adjust resistance or anything too silly hobbling it needlessly.

wut...?^^

Having HR and the full complement of bike computer as well as power tap/Quarq functions as part of the architecture the electronic groupset is built around would be the logical next step. A 3" color screen with GPS data would not hurt the package or its usability. Using it to turn bikes equipped with it into a glorified stationary bike would at best make for some hilarious youtube compilations.