Tour de France Bikes - Ballan's 11 speed Le Roi

Alessandro Ballan's Campag 11 Speed Wilier

Classics' star Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) like Cadel Evans has been using the latest 11 Speed Campagnolo Record in the Tour de France.

Campag 11 speed - Pic Chris Wallis

The bike featured is Ballan's Wilier Le Roi, which he prefers for the mountains, and not the prototype Cento Uno.Le Roi he had at race start or the production Uno. (More pictures)

The 2009 Campagnolo Record 11 speed group -
- 11 cogs - 11/23 with a new 18 toothed cog, 11/25, 12/25, 12/27 (The later two looking attractive for sportif riders).
- Narrower chain, now being 5.5mm wide and not the previous 5.9 (Dura Ace is 6.1).
- Narrower cogs
- Front chain rings are also narrower and have a new heavy duty coating.
- The new 11 speed cogs are compatible with 10 Campag wheels.
- 11 speed will not work with 10 speed cogs, gears or levers

Other new features that go through the 2009 Campag range -
- A new wedge can be fitted to the lever body pushing the levers out from the bars by 8%.
- The surface area of the new shaped levers has been increased by 15%.
- There is a new bracket pivot in the lever that allow some 13 to 18% lighter action.

To sum up Campganolo have taken the opportunity to work on the action of all the groups, but whether 11 speed trickles down to other groups is another question.

Huge thanks to Graeme Freestone King for the Campagnolo info (www.multimit.com/..)