Team Astana Treks

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned the old Discovery Team Treks that are currently on eBay, so today I will follow up with a mention of the latest pro team bike from Trek. Team Astana will be riding SRAM Red equipped Madones next season. You can read more about the bike sponsorship here on Trek’s website.

I really like the graphic treatment on the Team Astana bikes. That probably comes as no surprise since I have previously mentioned how much I like the graphics on the Specialized Tarmac SL2. Not to say that the graphics are the same, but a few of the design elements are similar. The way the color flows from the frame to the fork is very nice in both cases ( I have also mentioned how I like that graphic detail on Ridley framesets). Also, the way the Trek logo is distorted to fit into the tapered frame graphic reminds me of what Specialized has been doing with their logo for a while. Another nice graphic element on the Trek is the continuation of the frame graphics onto the seatpost. That certainly makes sense considering the frame design and I think serves to further unify the frame with its integrated, yet adjustable, post.

I prefer the looks of this bike to the bikes that Discovery rode last year. Of course, aesthetics are subjective, so I am curious what you all think of the Astana graphics scheme. Any comments?

Photo from Trek’s newsletter

Posted

December 13, 2007

James

Tags:

Astana, Discovery, Madone, pro bikes, SRAM, trek

Comments

9 responses to “Team Astana Treks”

Ron

December 13, 2007

yes, the colors are certainly looking good. this years colors were boring, and so i’m sure there quite a lot of folks waiting to get their hands on project one on the website.

sram is a good company, however i cannot testify to how good the red group is. personally, i don’t like the decision to put sram on trek. the shimano DA group looked so much better, especially with their awesome crankset. this looks like a marketing ploy.

i wonder what shimano thinks of the move.

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James

December 13, 2007

“this looks like a marketing ploy” ??? Hey Ron, marketing is exactly what it is. That is the reason companies sponsor teams in the first place. I am sure Shimano had their chance, but I am glad to see that Astana will using the new Red group.

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bikesgonewild

December 14, 2007

…shaped carbon tubes, seat masts & integrated headsets do lend themselves to a different style of graphics compared to old school stuff, for sure…

…i think it’s GREAT that sram ‘red’ is the component choice…sram deserves to be outfitting a top tier team…

…while the trek graphics don’t knock me out, they’re nice…but similar to about five or six other companies…very ‘safe’…

…i guess i’m feeling reserved only because we go down this road every year & i usually do get excited w/ the upcoming season, the new opportunities, the new bikes & the new kits…
…BUT…
…it’s been emotionally disappointing (read : draining) to be a fan the last few years, when over & over we face ugly realities that we were assured were to be taken care of…

…astana could ride lime green & purple stingray bikes & i’ll cheer for ’em if i can be assured they & their competitors will race clean & honestly…

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patrick

December 14, 2007

quoting bikesgonewild:
“…astana could ride lime green & purple stingray bikes”

That would be awesome. Would have to have the metallic flake banana seats though.

Does anybody have the number of Schwinn’s PR dept?

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Anonymous

December 14, 2007

“this looks like a marketing ploy”

Unless I’m mistaken, Trek doesn’t choose the team component group. The team does. They just ask for framesets and Bontrager parts from Trek.

“Does anybody have the number of Schwinn’s PR dept?”

1-800-WAL-MART?

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Retro grouch

December 15, 2007

The look quite frankly looks just like stock graphics every CF manufacturers are using ( must be digging around in Giants HD)

Red is on par if not slightly ahead in quality to Record. DA is such crap in quality and function compared to the two it should be trashed by all pros.

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Anonymous

December 19, 2007

Pedestrian in every way.

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Anonymous

February 13, 2008

While I appreciate the aesthetics of a bike, who really cares about the graphics? I think that the current generation of bikes have the manufacturers name displayed in fat too many places. Isn’t the performance of the bike the real test?

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James

February 13, 2008

Anon 2:53, Yes, of course performance is the real test. The new Madones are no doubt good bikes as are high-end bikes from many other companies. Not too many people are going to buy an obviously poorly designed road bike just because it is aesthetically pleasing or has nice graphics, but if all other factors are perceived as equal, most people will go with the bike that they think looks the best. Like it or not, graphics, as well as color and form, are big factors in most people’s decision to choose one bike over another.

I think there are so many logos on the current crop of carbon fiber road bikes because many cyclists want to look like Pros. If simple understated color schemes and graphics sold on these types of bike, more companies would be using them. Then again, it is really nothing new. Count the number of logos on an old 1980s Tommasini or DeRosa and you will probably find about the same number that you see on carbon bikes today.

Reply