15 March 2016 Tech

Bikes of the Epic: Fabian Rabensteiner’s Trek Top Fuel

By BikeHubCoreAdmin · 43 comments

Fabian Rabensteiner’s luminous orange Trek Top Fuel SL more than caught our eye at the Absa Cape Epic. He and his partner Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez sit 13th overall in their first Absa Cape Epic for Team Trek-Selle San Marco B.

It’s not just the paint job that is unique. Fabian’s Trek Top Fuel is fitted with an array of unusual components, most notably the Alchemist X-Sense wheelset. Aside from looking like a Batman accessory, the radical rim design serves a few purposes. With spoke nipples exposed maintenance is said to be easier and the clean rim surface ideal for tubeless. Alchemist also claim that the shape is engineered to provide some flex and forgiveness.

The Italian made PMP crankset was something new to us. These alloy cranks feature a titanium axle which helps them to a claimed weight of 563 grams (excluding bottom bracket).

Specification list:

FrameTrek Top Fuel SL
ForkFormula 33
ShockRockShox Monarch XX
RimsAlchemist X-Sense X9.26 (26mm internal width)
HubsAlchemist
Front TyreMaxxis Ikon 2.20
Rear TyreMaxxis Crossmark 2.1
HandlebarsDeda Cross
StemDeda Cross
HeadsetFSA
BrakesFormula T1 Racing
ShiftersSRAM X1
DerailleursSRAM X1
CassetteSRAM XX1
CranksetPMP XP-R1
ChainringPMP XP-R1
ChainSRAM X1 Shimano HG-X11
PedalsXpedo M-Force 8 TI
SeatpostDeda Cross
SaddleSelle San Marco
Bottle CageBontrager RL
BarendsSamurai Sword

Tags: absa cape epic, Bikes of the Epic, cape epic, Fabian Rabensteiner, trek

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Comments

43 comments · Page 2 of 2

Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Mar 16, 2016, 12:50 PM

Interesting! I thought you can't run a XT 11sp chain on the sram system because of shifting issues?

No, that's bollocks.

Jaco-fiets

Mar 16, 2016, 12:52 PM

No, that's bollocks.

Great! What about an ultegra 11sp chain

Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Mar 16, 2016, 12:58 PM

Great! What about an ultegra 11sp chain

fine. Any 11sp chain will work with any 11sp setup.

tubed

Mar 16, 2016, 12:59 PM

C'mon Nick, what do have for us today.....suspense is killing

DoubleJ

Mar 16, 2016, 1:00 PM

This is probably going to be the k@k question of the decade....but how do they get the bike to stand up like that unassisted? I don't see a rock or a stand holding it up?

Maybe they give the bike a treat after the pic to reward it for that neat trick?

Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Mar 16, 2016, 1:02 PM

This is probably going to be the k@k question of the decade....but how do they get the bike to stand up like that unassisted? I don't see a rock or a stand holding it up?

Maybe they give the bike a treat after the pic to reward it for that neat trick?

Normally a stick under the pedal, which is why the cranks are almost always in the 9-3 position. That, or a hand holding the front tyre and then edited out.

EDIT: With this one, I'm going with a stick / post under the non drive side pedal, and then removed with the clone stamp tool in photoshop / lightroom. You can see a faint darker section under the non drive side pedal where it looks as if a section of the stick was left intact in the photo, as they didn't want to get too close to the spoke for fear of "removing" it.

Grass is simple to clone stamp.

DoubleJ

Mar 16, 2016, 1:04 PM

Normally a stick under the pedal, which is why the cranks are almost always in the 9-3 position. That, or a hand holding the front tyre and then edited out.

That makes sense...I was thinking of asking if they use a guy dressed up like a 500L JoJo tank and a mountain to hold it up ..... but that just sounded stupid.

Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

Mar 16, 2016, 1:08 PM

Old school Crossmarks still popular.

With the 26mm internal rims, those 2.1 crossmarks would have had a very different profile to what you'd normally expect on, say, a Crest. More grip, due to lower possible pressures, less rolling resistance due to the same and more puncture protection.

Same for the Ikon. Wider rims do wonders for otherwise shaite tyres. Just ask Iwan about Racing Ralphs on his old Wide Lightnings.

Matt

Mar 16, 2016, 1:09 PM

This is probably going to be the k@k question of the decade....but how do they get the bike to stand up like that unassisted? I don't see a rock or a stand holding it up?

Maybe they give the bike a treat after the pic to reward it for that neat trick?

There's a neat trick to it. All I'll say is no Photoshop, sticks or JoJo tank look-a-likes were used in the making of these photos...

DoubleJ

Mar 16, 2016, 1:11 PM

There's a neat trick to it. All I'll say is no Photoshop, sticks or JoJo tank look-a-likes were used in the making of these photos...

I see,...no problem....I'll be Tweeting Ghandolf the Grey then tonight to find out ;-)

Hairy

Mar 16, 2016, 1:16 PM

There's a neat trick to it. All I'll say is no Photoshop, sticks or JoJo tank look-a-likes were used in the making of these photos...

Ah, you have two persons.

P1 pushes the bike to P2 hoping that there are no crashes.

P2 nearly drops the bike, P1 and P2 enjoy a nervous laugh

Irate Italian bike wrench grabs bikes and gives Nick a garbled spec on the bike whilst possessively pushing the bike back to the teams pits?

It all makes sense now.

Nick

Mar 16, 2016, 1:27 PM

C'mon Nick, what do have for us today.....suspense is killing

It will be out this evening. It's something a bit different.

rock

Mar 16, 2016, 1:47 PM

It will be out this evening. It's something a bit different.

better not be Sahm's e-bike :ph34r:

gummibear

Mar 16, 2016, 1:59 PM

Ah, you have two persons.

P1 pushes the bike to P2 hoping that there are no crashes.

P2 nearly drops the bike, P1 and P2 enjoy a nervous laugh

Irate Italian bike wrench grabs bikes and gives Nick a garbled spec on the bike whilst possessively pushing the bike back to the teams pits?

It all makes sense now.

Or a broomstick and fishing line :thumbup:

Nick

Mar 16, 2016, 4:49 PM

better not be Sahm's e-bike

Spying on us? Here it is: https://www.bikehub.co.za/features/_/gear/insight/bikes-of-the-epic-stefan-sahms-bulls-e-stream-evo-fs-3-29-e-bike-r4367

Bos

Mar 16, 2016, 8:07 PM

Sick looking bike. Nice to see something other than RS1 on the front too. Its just not growing on me..

Meezo

Mar 16, 2016, 8:21 PM

Sneaked this in today... Mechanics were wheeling it in

DoubleJ

Mar 17, 2016, 3:35 AM

Whats that puncture kit? Just a tube and CO2 taped around the toptube?

BSG

Mar 17, 2016, 3:54 AM

This is probably going to be the k@k question of the decade....but how do they get the bike to stand up like that unassisted? I don't see a rock or a stand holding it up?

Maybe they give the bike a treat after the pic to reward it for that neat trick?

Probably a well balanced bike[emoji23]

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