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The Fastest Bike Now Also One of the Lightest

With the introduction of the new 2008 Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 SSL, the fastest bike ever tested at the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel* is now also one of the lightest triathlon bikes on the market. Utilizing a combination of highly machined frame forgings that have been drilled-out or slimmed down to shave weight and Trek's proprietary OCLV Red carbon -- Trek's most sophisticated carbon material -- the new Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 SSL shaves a substantial 300g off last year's TTX 9.9 frameset.

"Athletes like Chris Lieto and Levi Leipheimer have shown us -- both through their performances and with their feedback -- that the TTX is fast," notes Trek's Road Bike Brand Manager Scott Daubert. "Now with our new OCLV Red TTX 9.9 SSL frame, we have a triathlon bike that's not only faster than the competition, it's also lighter."

To back up the TTX's speed claims, Trek recently paid a visit to the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel, bringing along a TTX, a "standard" road bike, and two competitors' aero bikes. Some competitors base their speed claims on naked frame tests (i.e., no drivetrain installed, no cables routed, and no rider on the bike). But this "naked" approach doesn't necessarily translate into meaningful aerodynamic performance, so Trek's engineers set out to determine how each bike would perform in real-world conditions -- that is, with the drivetrain, wheels, and cables installed, and with a rider seated on the bike. Once in the tunnel, Trek engineers used live digital image profiling to ensure a consistent rider position from bike to bike to bike. The same rider rode each bike using predetermined hard contact points to maintain an identical bike fit, and each bike was fully assembled with identical wheels, drivetrain, and handlebars. Based on repeated runs performed at different times throughout the testing session, the TTX proved itself faster than the competition in these real-world, "rider-on" conditions.

"Based on our CFD [Computational Fluid Dynamics] analysis -- which acts like a digital wind tunnel -- we knew the front of our bike was extremely fast," noted Tyler Pilger, Trek's Road Bike Product Manager. "Now, based on the results of our real-world simulations at the San Diego Wind Tunnel, we've got the data to support what we've long suspected and what our sponsored athletes have demonstrated: the TTX is faster than the competition."

What makes the TTX faster than the competition?

Wider Fork Blade Spacing: The fork blades of the Equinox TTX are spaced relatively wide apart to permit the air pulled along by the tire, rim, and spokes to pass through the fork freely. This wide spacing reduces aerodynamic drag by a tenth of a pound compared to narrower forks. The extra room for the churning air is evident in the wide fork crown and in the fork ends, where the dropouts are designed to carry the fork blades slightly behind the hub end of the spokes.

An Integrated Fork Crown: The trailing edge of the TTX fork crown has been designed to integrate smoothly with the lowered down tube for improved aerodynamic efficiency.

A Lowered Down Tube: The gap between the TTX's down tube and the front wheel has been minimized, presenting a virtual continuous surface to the wind and providing superior aerodynamics.

Internal Cable Routing: By routing the shifter and brake cables behind stem and inside the frame, the TTX's frame surface remains "clean" in order to maximize aero efficiency.

Pricing & Availability

For 2008, the Equinox TTX is available in four models: the top-of-the-line TTX 9.9 SSL, which features a feathery OCLV Red carbon frame trimmed with SRAM's Red drivetrain and Bontrager's Aeolus wheels and retails for $8249.99; the TTX 9.9, which features a lightweight OCLV Black frame outfitted with a Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain and Bontrager Race X Lite Aero wheels and retails for $5279.99; the TTX 9.5, which uses the same OCLV Black frame as the 9.9, but utilizes Shimano's high-performance, high-value Ultegra componentry and retails for $3849.99; and the budget-oriented TTX 9.0, which uses an OCLV White frame and Shimano's race-ready 105 components to provide TTX performance at an incredible price point of $3079.99.

About Trek Bicycles:

Headquartered in Waterloo, Wisconsin, Trek Bicycle Corporation is a global leader in bicycle design and manufacturing. From the original hand-built steel touring frames introduced in 1976 to the revolutionary OCLV carbon fiber first introduced in 1992, Trek's passion for innovation, quality, and performance leads the industry with next-generation technology and thinking. With a record seven consecutive Tour de France titles, six straight 24-hour World Solo Mountain Bike Championships, and countless other professional wins, Trek enjoys a rich tradition of victory in the world's premier cycling events. Today, with a broad range of bicycles and cycling products under the Trek, Gary Fisher, LeMond, Bontrager, and Klein brand names, Trek continues to pursue new ways to bring the joy of cycling to all people.

* Based on Levi Leipheimer’s February 26, 2007 wind tunnel run, which scored the lowest drag numbers ever recorded at the SDLSWT by a male athlete.