Welcome to the second of our bike reviews on Tri247. Just as with other triathlon product, we actually do get out there and use the things that we test and so we have a house test rider, affectionately known as “The Snake”, who will put all the bikes through their paces. Each bike we test will be reviewed on its own unless there is a very good reason for a one on one comparison. Our reviews will be split into two parts: a technical assessment of the components, geometry, etc by the editorial team which will tell you the physical facts about the bike and then a subjective review by the tester to see if it actually delivers on its promises.

This month we’re testing the Trek Equinox 9.5 TTX. We were loaned the £2,800 carbon fibre version, which is one step off the top of the ladder, but there are cheaper models based on alloy frames starting from £1,000 for an Equinox 5 and going up to the £1,500 for an Equinox 9 which is pretty much identically specced to the test bike. Trek also make a women’s specific (WSD) version of the £1,200 Equinox 7. One thing does need to be made quite clear at the outset, this is NOT the same Equinox that was derived from Lance Armstrong’s TTX time trial bike and was released back in 2005. That model was designed using what we might describe as the 'Lance geometry' which had a much slacker seat angle and a very different overall feel.

Back in 2005 it made sense because Lance was winning on it and so the reflected glory was there for all to share - what we have now is a machine that you can win on and keep all that glory for yourself.

Componentry

The price of the Equinox, and Trek’s in-house componentry supplier, Bontrager, mean that although the Equinox is built to a price-point, it’s a pretty generous build. The groupset is based on Shimano’s 10-speed Ultegra with Dura-Ace bar-end shifters and a Bontrager Race Lite chainset. Good, solid, long-lasting stuff that will take pretty much anything your throw at it. This is a race bike, not a training bike, so the components won’t have to take the sustained battering that a winter of riding the lanes in all weathers might dish out - you’ll not need to upgrade anything here. Well, you might want to change the cassette - an 11-23 ratio may be a little on the excessive side for triathlon use where you want some function left in your legs after the bike, perhaps a 12-25 might be more sensible for variable terrain and keep the stock one for courses like Dorney Lake!

The wheels are Bontrager’s Race Lite Aeros, perfectly serviceable and possibly the only component you might wish to invest in an upgrade for - a set of deep-sections would be very much in keeping with the bike’s overall look. The rest of the components are stock Bontrager; the saddle is the extra-padded tri version, the alloy brake levers are very neat, the seatpin is a custom aero job - the only other piece in the jigsaw are the Profile Carbon Stryke clip-on tribars. You could argue that the bike should have a set of all-in-ones; Bontrager make a lovely set in carbon, but their cost would shift the price point and clip-ons mean that you can change the bars to drops or switch the clip-ones with major work. Drops on an aero-framed triathlon bike, I hear you scream... Well, if Andrew Johns thought it was a good idea to use them on his Cervélo P3 at the National Championships and picked up second place as a result it’s probably not that silly an idea if the course you’re riding means that you’ll be spending more time controlling the bike through twists and turns than tucked in on the aeros...

Geometry

Every "off the peg" bike design is based on a set of assumptions; what the bike will be used for, how it will be ridden, what the 'normal' body sizes are for the expected population of riders, etc, etc. A triathlon or time trial bike has a different set of assumptions than, say, a conventional road bike or a tourer. We expect to see a steeper seat angle and a shorter wheelbase because we want to have the rider driving down through the bottom bracket -- possibly even slightly in front of it -- yet we don’t want to push all the weight onto the front end because that will affect the handling.

The original Equinox design really didn’t meet these criteria and that’s basically because it was influenced by what’s often called the 'Lance effect'. In other words, if it worked for Lance while he was winning Tour after Tour then it had to be right. That philosophy has now changed and the 2007 Equinox really does fit into the triathlon and time trial pantheon. The changes to the bike for 2007 are marked: the seat angle is now up to 76° across all sizes with a consistent 73 ° head tube angle (the 2005 model had seat angles of around 73 to 73.6° and head angles of 72 to 73°) which makes it a proper triathlon/time trial machine rather than, basically, a sexed-up road bike.

The Snake’s Report

Initial impressions and set up

I unboxed the bike in a car park 30 minutes prior to my riding it in a 3½ mile prologue for a four-day road race. It was a baptism of fire for the Equinox. Of course, there wasn’t really time to make sure the set-up was perfect, but I got the saddle height and aerobar length done and then rolled out for a five minute warm-up…

“3, 2, 1, off” - the prologue starter released the back of my saddle and I heaved off up the road, conscious that 3½ miles of time trial was not a lot, and there was no time to waste. Which is is where the Equinox came in handy. Although I had only the standard wheels on the bike, once I got it rolling, it felt like it didn’t want to stop. It was eerie. It felt as though I was riding with a disk wheel, such was the impression of momentum and inertia.

As I clicked through the gears, the carbon frame gave a satisfying ‘clunk’ as the chain jumped down and down to the 12 tooth. I got myself nicely tucked into the aerobars and gave it everything. Before I knew it, the dead turn roundabout was upon me and it was a quick change of gear, out of the saddle, round and then back. The whole thing was over in under eight minutes and I was coughing and wheezing all the way home, such was the stress on my throat and lungs.

As I drove back, I looked in the back of the car and saw the Equinox and reflected “you were perfect for that – I couldn’t have asked for more out of a box”. I looked next to me at the passenger seat and smiled - the yellow jersey was there, mine for the next day’s opening stage.

About the bike

The bright red frame just looks so fast! There is a reason why Ferraris are red, there is a reason Red Rum was not called Blue Rum, there is a reason too that it’s the Red Arrows rather than the Green Darts. Red is the fastest colour. Everyone knows that red is scientifically proven to be faster than any other colour! The white graphics contrast really nicely and help show the incredible profile of the carbon ‘tubes’.

It is obvious that this bike has been perfected and honed on the back of extensive wind-tunnel testing – the top tube has incredible scoops running its length and the seat stays are almost razor sharp, such is the shaping. Due to the nature of seat tube, the seat post is a proprietary aero profile one that’s designed to fit the frame. It’s really easy to adjust and looks the business.

The bike was kitted out with trusty Ultegra drive chain components, other than the Bontrager branded chainset. The skinny little (continuing the aero theme) brake levels are also Bontrager’s own (Tri247 is currently testing these on Bob Holloway's new bike), and they work just fine - and work surprisingly well, given their size. CarbonStryke aerobars from Profile are becoming pretty standard fare, but that is far from a criticism. They are easily adjusted, comfortable and have great cable routing.

One thing that does catch the eye on the bike is the saddle. This is one of Bontrager’s own which is designed especially for triathlon. The nose of the saddle is extremely padded, allowing riders to ride comfortably on the front of the saddle for extended periods of time. It’s like an armchair compared to the Selle Italia SLR on my road bike, but I can’t help wondering why you would want to sit on the nose of a saddle rather than slide it forward on the rails and sit in the middle. Suffice it to say that enough people are riding and buying this saddle as an aftermarket addition to more than justify its inclusion on the bike. Maybe I’m missing the point. [Ed: it’s all about angles and position over the bottom bracket ... and just how much you want to retain the capability to reproduce ...]

Wheels are pretty standard mid-section aero-spoked jobs and are again provided by Bontrager. Not the lightest they do (XXX Lite), nor the most aero (Aeolus), but it keeps the overall price of the bike down and serious buyers are certain to replace these with a faster, more expensive wheel at a later date anyway.

So what’s it like to ride?

The components on this frame are largely irrelevant. They all work fine and you don’t notice them. This bike is all about the frameset. I’ve resisted reference to Lance Armstrong up until now, but feel it’s worth reminding people that this frame is descended from one he rode to countless time trial victories in the Tour de France. That should be enough in itself to persuade you that it’s pretty special, but why take Lance’s word for it?

From my perspective, I have never ridden a faster feeling road or time trial frame. In terms of straight line speed, I was astonished to see that I was consistently riding in one gear higher than normal. It’s stiff and fast, and designed for racing against the clock.

The last aspect of my test was to take it to Richmond Park and perform the benchmark test. I was nervous as I rode up as I really wanted confirmation to my thoughts – I was expecting it to be fast. It was. 16:05 (the Specialized Transiton did the loop in 16:27). And I know I could have gone faster (I was held up by some traffic!). It climbed well, and just raced along on the flats.

Tri247 says…

If you are in the market for a time trial bike, then you would struggle to find anything better than the Trek Equinox. The frame is one of the best thought out (excellent cable routing, seat clamp, tube profiling) we have come across and the componentry that is hung on it is largely irrelevant. As long as the gears work and the wheels are straight, this bike will go fast. As it happens, all the components on the bike were great. Other than the wheels, there would be nothing that would need changing to race this bike at the very highest levels in either cycling or triathlon.

We couldn’t fault this bike. Neither could Lance.

It’s red.

Surely that’s reason enough believe it’s fast and buy one?