Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Trek Speed Concept
- By Aaron Hersh
- Published Mar 2, 2012
- Updated Mar 6, 2012 at 2:59 PM UTC
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Chris Lieto's Trek Speed Concept 9-Series. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto mounts a Bontrager aerobottle between his S-bend aerobar extensions. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto's aerobottle bolts to the aluminum integrated stem through drilled holes and rivet nuts. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto drilled several holes in the lid. One to refill the bottle, which is plugged with a sink drain cover. The second is for a straw and the final opening for the zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto zip ties a FuelBelt mini squeeze bottle on top of the stem to hold his gels. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto zip ties a carbon Bontrager bottle cage to the underside of this Fizik Arione saddle. To keep the bottle secure, Lieto uses an electrical tape bridge because the cage alone doesn't secure the bottle strongly enough. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
He drilled holes through the plastic underside of his saddle to zip tie the cage. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto's Fizik Arione and home made bottle mount. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto uses a CycleOps Joule 2.0 to read his power data. It's zip tied to the aerobar extensions. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Bontrager Aeolus D3 5 aero front wheel. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto's rear wheel is a Bontrager-branded disc that is constructed from a Hed Cycling-designed cover bonded to a Bontrager carbon rim. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto recently switched to Speedplay Zero pedals. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Still the Captain America of long-course triathletes. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto raced this frame in Kona last year. He is retiring it after this race in favor of a 2012 paint job. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Bontrager RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto's Giro Selector is equipped with the lower tail extension cover. Photo: Nils Nilsen
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto rolled the bike under his weight to fix the freshly glued tire to the wheel.
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
Lieto installed his unique hydration system on his hotel room balcony.
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
Chris Lieto’s Uniquely Equipped Speed Concept
His aero bottle is fixed to a solid mount drilled through his integrated stem.
Not only is Chris Lieto the fastest cyclist in triathlon, he’s also one of the most detail-oriented when it comes to his bike setup. His Trek Speed Concept 9-Series is full of modifications and, unlike most pros who shudder at the thought of tuning their bike before a big race, Lieto finished gluing a new tubular tire to the disc in his hotel room just before these photos were shot. After gluing the Bontrager Race X Lite Pro to his disc, Lieto proceeded to swap his standard training hydration and nutrition equipment—round bottles on the frame—for his race setup.
Lieto is racing his 2011 Kona bike, painted in honor of his charity More Than Sport. It is still equipped with the SRAM Red components he raced last year, but those will be stripped off after this race in favor of parts from Campagnolo, Lieto’s new sponsor for 2012. Those new parts will be installed to a new all-black frame.
Lieto rides a Fizik Arione road saddle, not the Arione Tri 2 triathlon-specific version. Although he uses a rear offset saddle clamp, the saddle is actually further forward than he used to ride. He moved it forward last summer and elected to keep this new position. The frame was spotlessly clean, but Lieto was a bit perturbed by the sticker remnants left on the seatpost from Ironman Hawaii. Not sufficiently bothered, however, to spend an hour cleaning the post rather than surfing, he said.
After calculating his fluid and caloric needs for this unique race distance, Lieto attached his home-cooked hydration systems. He replaced his round frame bottle cages with a Bontrager aero bottle on the seat tube and installed another aero bottle between his aerobar extensions. Using two rivet nuts mounted to his integrated aluminum stem, Lieto, who designed the modifications himself, attached the vertical bottle between his extensions. The bottle comes with a standard nipple to drink from, but Lieto leaves this bottle fixed to his bike so he created a straw system. He drilled several holes in the lid so he can drink from it without removing the bottle from the stem-mounted cage. One hole is used for refills. Lieto uses a sink drain plug to keep this opening sealed between fill-ups. The second hole is for the straw he drinks from. A zip tie used to leash the sink plug to the bottle threads through the final hole. A small FuelBelt gel flask is also mounted above the stem.
His other unique hydration piece is attached to the Arione saddle. Lieto drilled two holes in the saddle’s plastic underside. A zip tie passes through each hole and through the arms of the Bontrager carbon bottle cage. Two more ties fix the bottom of the cage to his saddle. Lieto found that the cage itself didn’t secure the bottle sufficiently, so he created a bridge connecting both sides of the cage to keep the bottle firmly in place.
Bontrager’s new Aeolus D3 5 tubular front wheel is on Lieto’s bike, but Bontrager didn’t create a disc as part of their new race wheel line. Instead, Lieto is racing a disc that is a collaboration between Hed Cycling and Bontrager. Hed has produced disc wheels for years by bonding a cover to a standard spoked wheel instead of creating a solid foam-core disc, and this wheel follows that model. Hed’s Stinger disc uses a cover bonded to a deep-rim Stinger 9, but Lieto’s disc uses a cover from the brake tracks mimicking that shape—bulbous below the rim then lenticular to the hub. The structural wheel under the cover is a Bontrager Race XXX Lite tubular. Hed designed a special cover for this wheel that Lieto says is thinner than the ones used on Hed wheels.
Instead of racing in Bontrager’s Hilo triathlon shoes, Lieto opts for the RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoes. These shoes have a three-strap Velcro closure system.
FILED UNDER: Gear & Tech / Photos TAGS: Abu Dhabi International Triathlon / ADIT 2012 / Chris Lieto
Aaron Hersh
Aaron Hersh is the Senior Tech Editor of Triathlete magazine. To submit a question, write Aaron at Ahersh@competitorgroup.com.
