Here’s a close look at the machine being ridden by Node4-Giordana’s Mike Northey in the Tour of Britain.
The 26-year-old, in common with his team-mates, is racing on a Pinarello Dogma Think 2 65.1, provided by the Italian brand’s UK importer, Yellow.
Northey’s machine has a 56cm frame, which the six-foot sprinter rides with a 79cm saddle height, turning a set of 175mm Campagnolo Super Record cranks.
Up front, steering duties are handled by a 130mm stem and 44cm bar, a one-piece, carbon unit from Pinarello house brand, MOST.
More significantly, perhaps, Node4-Giordana are racing on the new tubular incarnation of the Schwalbe One tyre. We took a ‘first look’ at the clincher version in August and are due to report back soon on its performance.
The Tour of Britain will represent the first competitive outing on the German brand’s new rubber for the Malcolm Elliott-managed squad, which has previously used Schwalbe Ultremo HT 22mm and 25mm tubs, and Ultremo ZX tubeless – the latter another tyre recently tested on RCUK. Node4-Giordana’s batch of tubs are in a 22mm profile, but the Midlands squad are expecting the range to, errm, broaden to 25mm and 28mm.
Northey’s machine is pictured here with Corima Aero+ hoops in a 50mm profile, but he and his team-mates will also have the choice of the 32mm Corima Viva climbing wheel, equipped with a ‘27’ cassette in preparation for the gradients of Wales and Devon, and the super deep 80mm Corima UPS, which you can expect to see on today’s stage three time trial in Knowsley.
Why Northey’s bike, we hear you cry? Wouldn’t any of the steed of any of his team-mates served as an equally pertinent example? As well as an abundance of individual talent (he was the 2012 New Zealand Criterium champion), Northey can be accurately described as a team player.
He prepared most of the team’s ToB hoops: that’s 12 pairs of Corimas with the new Schwalbe One 22mm tubs, and six pairs with Schwalbe Ultremo tubeless. “All credit to him,” says team-mate, Andy Magnier. “He likes to lend our mechanics a hand whenever he can.”
Website: Node4 Pro Cycling
