A bike with a steel frame in the “peloton” of the Tour de France in 2019? We assure you that it has not been a mirage. In an era in which each gram counts, in which the weight and the aerodynamic of each component is measured, in which the cyclists face the hardest climbs ascents without bottle to gain some watts, we have seen a steel bike on the Tour.
It has been in the last stage of this edition of 2019 and it is the Eddy Merckx Corsa Road Rim. Taken to the Champs Elysées of Paris by Oliver Naesen of the AG2R team. After 20 stages, Naesen rolled in the peloton at an average speed of 42 km / h, without any big difference with the carbon bicycles.
The steel bicycle is part of an advertising campaign to present a new bicycle customization program of the Eddy Merckx brand, called MyCorsa. It’s possible to choose the geometry, the color of the frame, internal/external wiring, and to select each of the components of the bicycle.
The objective of the brand is to re-introduce steel as a common material in high-level bicycle frames, something that we have been seeing on bicycles at a more recreational level. As for the technical specifications of the AG2R bike, it is mounted on a very light steel Columbus frame, and is equipped with: Shimano Dura-Ace group, Rotor cranks, Mavic Cosmic Pro carbon wheels, Vredestein Fortezza Senso tubular tyres, DEDA SuperZero handlebar, Zero100 seatpost and steam, Fizik Antares R1 saddle and Look Keo Blade carbon pedals. Not bad at all.
