Pro Bike: Rutger Beke’s Ridley Dean
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Triathlon is no longer on the fringe of the cycling community. As our numbers have grown, the major brands in the cycling industry have started to fight for a share of the tri market and they are snatching up the biggest names in the sport to promote their bikes. This trend is undeniably good for the sport but it leaves the pro transition rack looking a little homogenous. Rutger Beke is keeping things diverse by riding a Ridley Dean this year as he tries to climb the final step of the Kona podium.
Written by: Aaron Hersh
His Dean is equipped with a Zipp 900 disc, Zipp 808 front wheel, Zipp Tangente tires tubular, an SRM power meter and a mysterious Easton aerobar. Easton’s current Attack TT aerobar has no extension length adjustment. You chose a length when you buy the bar and you are stuck with it. This version has a collet system attaching the extensions to the base bar, which allows for the extension length adjustment. This is an excellent upgrade to an already appealing bar but we will have to wait and see if this version becomes available to the public.
Beke rides the pinnacle of shifting technology, Shimano Dura Ace Di2, and his Dean has a hole drilled in the frame to internally route the wire connecting the shifters and derailleurs. His battery is creatively positioned underneath the downtube, just above the rear brake. Although his bike is spec’d with a $5,000 component set, he is riding outdated Shimano Dura Ace 7800 pedals. He carries his hydration with both a Beaker Concepts Hydrotail behind-the-saddle drink system and a Profile Design Aquadrink between the aerobars.
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