New Trek Time Trial Bike - Monday 3rd July, 2006.

First seen at the 2005 Tour de France when Lance Armstrong rode a pre-production model to victory in the final time trial stage, the Trek TTX returned to the podium at the Giro d’Italia when Paolo Savoldelli unleashed a ferocious effort to win the opening TT prologue by 11 seconds. Less than a month later, George Hincapie returned to action and placed second in the Dauphine Libere TT prologue on the latest incarnation of the bike – the Trek Equinox TTX. In between those two races the Trek TTX also found its way to podium at the IronMan Japan with Chris Lieto aboard. Like all Trek OCLV Carbon bikes, the Equinox TTX was born and bred for ultimate performance.

Besides the aero advantage of the design, Trek engineers worked to ensure the bikes ride quality was also improved. After his first ride on the bike last year, Lance Armstrong summarized all that the Trek engineers had hoped to attain with the bike when he said, "It rolls like a Rolls Royce!" Mission accomplished!

The Trek Equinox TTX is manufactured at the Trek factory in Waterloo, Wisconsin using Trek’s proprietary OCLV 110 Carbon. Maintaining the Trek legacy that helped provide thousands of cyclists around the globe with Tour winning performance, the same Equinox TTX used by the Discovery Channel team will be made available to the public. Two production models (Equinox TTX 6.5 & 6.9) will be sold.

Trek Equinox TTX Tech FAQ’s:

What was the evolution from the Equinox 11?

With Tour de France, Kona IronMan and Olympic success already to its credit, the Trek Equinox 11 has proven itself one of the slipperiest bikes currently on the market. The goal with the TTX was to make a bike that was not only lighter, but with even better aerodynamics. The ride quality and handling characteristics were also important goals. The top tube and head tube design borrow from the proven Trek Madone design which maximizes frame and lateral stiffness for improved handling and out-of-the-saddle acceleration. The new longer top tube moves the front wheel forward to provide better front to rear balance while in a typical aero riding position.

What are the improvements?

Better aerodynamics and reduced weight
50% increase in lateral stiffness at the headtube for improved handling
52% increase in lateral bottom bracket stiffness
29% increase in lateral stiffness at rear wheel
Longer top tube for better handling in aero position.

The new frame shape creates a dramatically stiffer chassis. Weight reduction occurs because the previously used OCLV Honeycomb Carbon material is no longer used. A virtual seat tube angle of 73 to 79 degrees is possible due to the reversible Bontrager aero seat mast which also has infinite adjustability for saddle tilt.

What’s special about the Bontrager fork design?

The trailing edge of the fork crown and the frame down tube are integrated to present a virtual "continuous surface" to the wind, which reduces aerodynamic drag at zero yaw and improves the sail effect in crosswinds. This is a detail Trek learned in the wind tunnel while researching Lance Armstrongs' TTX, but Trek didn't have time to implement it for his bike.

What other changes were made?

The headset on the TTX Equinox has been changed to a 1 1/8” from 1”. The steerer tube is also now aluminum. This change saves weight and increases the front end stiffness of the bike. Lance Armstrong always said “light and stiff” is what Trek should focus on - that’s what Trek did with the Equinox TTX.