Pro Bike: Michael Raelert’s Trek Speed Concept

Michael Raelert is on a tear and the world’s fastest 70.3 athletes can’t seem to slow him down.  He won the Ironman 70.3 world championship in Clearwater last November.  He won Ironman 70.3 Oceanside.  He won the Wildflower long course. Raelert is best known for his run but he has cemented his 70.3 dominance this year by pulling away from the field atop this Trek Speed Concept.

Written by Triathlete Magazine Tech Editor Aaron Hersh

Raelert’s Speed Concept uses a traditional steerer tube and stem to clamp the aerobars, rather than the fully integrated front-end system that Chris Lieto, Julie Dibens and Lance Armstrong have on their Speed Concepts.  Raelert’s SRAM Red kit is built with a 53 tooth TT Chainring and SRAM R2C shifters.   He uses a steel cage front derailleur instead of the lighter titanium version and clips his Bontrager RXL Hilo shoes into Shimano Dura Ace 7900 pedals.  Rather than adding spacers to his steerer tube, Raelert increases his stack height by using the tall Bontrager Race XXX Lite Carbon aerobars with S-bend extension.

Raelert uses a Bontrager Aeolus 9.0 front wheel wrapped with a Bontrager Race X Lite tire and a prototype HED Disc in the rear.  The unidentified disc has a carbon brake track like HED’s current disc, the Stinger, but this version is a clincher.  This is HED’s first carbon clincher and might foreshadow a sweeping change through their wheels.  The prototype has a toroidal and lenticular profile similar to the current HED discs.

Photos and captions by Aaron Hersh.

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