Lance left STI lever - or the lack of it.

Lance used normal brake and downtube levers for the front shifting in special mountain stages. Some say this is for weight saving. Since his bike is already tipping the UCI weight limit even with an standard STI lever, I say it's for some other reason like force of habit or psychological. I remember reading an article on the net about this...

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I'm pretty sure it was just weight savings...cause when the new dura ace grouppo came out he quit with the down tube shifter this is also when the 1st generation madone came out and thats when the weight was at UCI legal

I think I remember him using it though even when DA10 came out, so I would think it is most likely weight savings.

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Scott CR-1 Pro
-Garmin Edge 705
-Shimano Ultegra 10
-Mavic Ksyrium Elite
-Fulcrum Racing 3

Weight savings was the original intent coz of lack of weight limit. But wasnt he still using it as recently as 2004 when his bike was already around 6.8kgs. (UCI limit). Besides, a normal brake lever + DT lever versus an STI has very little difference in weight. And I seem to have read somewhere it was just a matter of prefence later on as he seldom shifted the the FD on mountain passess anyway.

Anyways, thanks for the replies.

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Story I heard is that it was for simplicity more than weight. Just one less thing to go wrong.

That sort of meticulous attention to detail paid off - LA had almost no equipment failures.

Bruyneel told a reporter that the only reason was weight.

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Harry

I have seen this on other pros bikes as well.

IIRC it saved 25g, or 125 g, one or the other. Sorry to say it, but down tube shifting feels better, and works better, than STIs. Though I would rather ride brifters for many, many reasons, the shorter length of cable, simpler mechanism, less housing etc. etc. make down tubes work better. STI for at least the right lever is more functional in competition though.

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BMC SL01
SRAM Force


thank you crank n' cycles...If you are ever in SW WA, take a trip to Crank N' Cycles.

mmmm .. infinite trim!!

that too.

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BMC SL01
SRAM Force


thank you crank n' cycles...If you are ever in SW WA, take a trip to Crank N' Cycles.

I know that this is the official explanation, but when the bike already is at the UCI weight limit, I doubt that it would be for weight alone--otherwise, why would he use a downtube shifter to save weight, but still use a Shimano aluminum seatpost, when lighter carbon varieties were available. I have always suspected that it was for better FD shifting control since a friction shifter shifts better and more controlled than an STI shifter. I believe the Bruyneel line was as not to badmouth a product made by their components sponsor.