UAE Team Emirates’ time trial bike: Up close with the new Colnago TT1

Ahead of the Giro d’Italia this year, Colnago launched the TT1, an all-new time trial bike that features some seriously outside-the-box design ideas. It’s currently a prototype, so it’s not available to buy, but when it finally reaches the market it will replace the K. One.

The K. One is one of the bikes that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) used to overhaul a fast-fading Primož Roglič on La Planches des Belles Filles at the 2020 Tour de France. That time trial was a tale of two halves, with a flat opening half aboard the K.

One before a quick bike change and a dart up the mountain top finish on his road bike – notably on which he’d ditched the power meter. He also used the K. One for both of the time trials at the 2021 Tour, winning the first (stage 5) by 19 seconds.

Interestingly, as he looks to capture the yellow jersey for the third time, Pogacar will be aboard a totally new stable of bikes. This newly launched TT1 will be his weapon of choice for the two time trial stages, while elsewhere, even his road bike will be a Colnago prototype; the officially titled Prototipo, which we suspect will eventually come to market as a replacement for the V3Rs. Ahead of the Grand Départ, we spent some time at the UAE Team Emirates hotel, where we spent some time with the new bike, this one belonging to Pogačar’s teammate Marc Soler.

Scroll down to check out the details of the bike. The design of the bike centres around this line, which travels horizontally from the downtube toward the chainstays. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) To facilitate that straight line design, the bottle cage and bottle are unlike anything we’ve seen (outside of triathlon) before.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) The bottle is a specially designed shape, designed to fit into a specially designed cage that fills the gap at the bottom of the frame and creates a ridge that widens and transitions into the seatstays. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) Those seat stays connect to the down tube considerably lower down than most time trial bikes, while higher up, the seat tube wraps around the tyre. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) Elsewhere, the fork legs are as deep as any we’ve seen on a UCI-legal bike, while the fork uses a G-clamp style attachment that sees the steerer tube positioned in front of the head tube, rather than through it, to increase the depth of this area.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) Up top, like any rider concerned with time losses in time trials, Soler is using a custom moulded carbon fibre cockpit. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) It is designed to work specifically with the Colnago frame, and is covered with a rubberised removable cover (Image credit: Josh Croxton) It’s a clean-looking setup, with a lot of spacers helping Soler to find the right position. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) Within the arm rests, the UAE Team Emirates bikes had foam padding across the entire length of the extensions, rather than just in the forearm cups.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) Moulded into the end of the extensions are rounded handles that are seemingly easier to hold, and on the underside are some Campagnolo satellite shifters. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) We were hoping they’d be wireless, but there is a wire hidden in behind, which snakes into the rear of the rounded handle, as seen here. The SRM PC8 mount is moulded into the extension too.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) Similar satellite shifters are moulded into these new Campagnolo hydraulic disc brake levers (Image credit: Josh Croxton) “Do not mount on hookless rims” – good job Campagnolo’s wheels come with a ‘mini hook’ then! (Image credit: Josh Croxton) They are fitted with Pirelli P Zero Race tyres. These are clincher tyres, so have to be used with inner tubes. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) We checked with mechanics who confirmed that the tubes inside are the lightweight TPU inner tubes that also come from Pirelli.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) Nothing but the best: All of the UAE Team Emirates team bikes are fitted with Campagnolo’s top-tier Super Record EPS groupset. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) An SRM power meter is wrapped in 56t and 44t chainrings. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) A chain keeper is also fitted, but we’d be very surprised if Soler (or anyone for that matter) will need to use their front shifter for the pan-flat stage 1 prologue in Copenhagen.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) Sneaking out from behind the fork is a UCI sticker proving its compliance. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) Frame and forks need to be separately approved by the UCI, and as such, another sticker is found on the seat tube of the frame. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) The TT1’s seatpost is fitted with a strip of grippy tape from the factory, and adjustment is accessed using an angled bolt found drilled through the top tube.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton) The Prologo Dimension Tri is Soler’s saddle of choice for time trials. It’s fitted with a roughened surface across the top to help riders stay planted on the saddle, rather than slip back and forth. (Image credit: Josh Croxton) The deep seatpost provides plenty of room for fore and aft adjustment.

(Image credit: Josh Croxton).