Bikes of the Giro

If you have been following the Giro d’Italia this week, you have seen at least one of Lance Armstrong’s art bikes, which will be auctioned after the race to raise money for LIVESTRONG. Shepard Fairey, who is best known for his design of the Obama “Hope” poster, created the graphic scheme for the yellow and black road bike. Fairey’s intricate design was intended to pay homage to classic Italian architecture for Armstrong’s first appearance in the Giro. The time trail bike, with a paint scheme by Kenny Scharf, is based on an outerspace theme. See additional pictures of both bikes here.

I have talked to a few people who don’t really like the fact that Armstrong has been riding bikes with custom graphics since his return to racing. Yeah, I understand that some people don’t think he should stand out from the rest of the team, but personally I think the idea of auctioning these two bikes to raise money for cancer research is a really great one. I hope that Armstrong plans to continue with this idea and that we will see bikes decorated by other artist and designers throughout the rest of the season.

Of course, Armstrong’s ornate bikes are not the only ones that I have noticed this week. The tech section of CyclingNews points out several interesting bikes from the Giro including Fabian Cancellara’s Specialized S-Works TTR prototype. The article is interesting as it discusses the new design in regards to the UCI’s more stringent equipment rules, which will be effective July 1st. Another time trail bike that stands out is the new Scott Plasma 3. I particularly like the bike’s new integrated stem, which you can see in this shot.

While I am mentioning time trial machines, I will point out this gallery of TT bike shots, also on CyclingNews. Yeah, I know…I link to time trial bikes disproportionally when I get on the subject of racing bikes, but I just can’t help it. There are always interesting new design developments when aerodynamics are a major consideration…well, that and the fact that I just love the way those bikes look.


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7 responses to “Bikes of the Giro”

  1. kdawg Avatar
    kdawg

    I really like his regular bike design but the TT one is really dull in comparison.

  2. nicholas hardrath Avatar
    nicholas hardrath

    I think it’s great the sport is finally embracing major aesthetic changes, not just technologies in bikes. I’ve painted and created quite a few decal jobs for bikes, it’s amazing what it does for the bikes “persona”. I think the sport needs more of this, it’s not ostentatious or pretentious, but rather fun and well needed!

    There were also some very large billboard sized posters created for Armstrong’s Nike opening, I want to know where to find these!!

  3. Charlie Avatar
    Charlie

    Raising money for cancer is great. And I have no problem with Lance standing out by riding something that looks different. It’s not like all the other bikes are subtle muted colors designed to blend into the hillsides.

    But it seems like a waste to have these high-functioning machines end up merely as decorations somewhere.

  4. jimmythefly Avatar
    jimmythefly

    Seems like he’s taking a page out of Cipo’s book. Next up: skinsuits!

    I alsays like the tech sections on the mechanic’s tools and the team buses, too.

  5. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Keep in mind he is taking this “standing out” – livestrong awareness – in lieu of salary. That was the deal. Now that livestrong will somehow sponsor the team in a more major way starting in a week or two, this will only ramp up.

  6. Manuel Avatar
    Manuel

    Great great design..I like it.

  7. […] lately. Here, here, here, and here are just a few of the places that I saw it in recent days. As he did in the Giro, Lance Armstrong is continuing to ride bikes with graphics and paint schemes by famous designers […]

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