Traditionally, aerodynamic optimisation and weight savings don't make for natural bedfellows. Drag-reducing tube shapes favour longer profiles that require more carbon fibre to construct, equalling more weight. The lightest designs meanwhile are spherical like the framesets of old, which weren't renowned for their wind-cheating prowess.
The constant shifts in WorldTour and Women's WorldTour racing mean that bike manufacturers are no longer able to develop a specialist platform in a silo. Aero alone is no longer enough – not even on a time trial machine.
Gone are the days of pan flat, arrow straight races against the clock. Today's pro peloton face TT stages that include notable elevation gain and technical sections with varying changes in directions that require a rider to dismount from their TT extensions and accelerate out of corners on the hoods. Also, it's no longer enough to minimise your losses on TT day to win a Grand Tour; you need to be in contention against the out-and-out specialists and use it as a way of putting time into your GC rivals.
(Image credit: Colnago)
A lighter approach
This evolution in racing requirements is why UAE Team Emirates-XRG and UAE Team ADQ tasked Colnago with making its TT1 time trial platform lighter and improving its handling without reducing its category-leading aerodynamic capabilities.
First unveiled in 2022, the bike had already proven itself on the world stage – most notably when Pogačar clinched the stage and his third Tour de France title in the 2024 edition's finale – but its weight left room for improvement that could make a significant difference, particularly on parcours like that of stage 16 of the 2026 Tour de France, where riders have to tackle the second-category Côte de Larringes as part of the 500m elevation gain between Évian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains.
"The aerodynamic improvement is not the core of the development of this bicycle, but to significantly reduce the weight and improve the handling of the bicycle itself," explains Filippo Galli, R&D Project Leader and Engineer at Colnago. "Usually, aerodynamics and weight are a trade off, so the goal wasn't easy."
While he adds that the TT2 does have some minor aerodynamic improvements on its predecessor (2 watts at 54km/h at 0° yaw angle in the wind tunnel with a mannequin), it's the scales that tell the true story.
"The frame kit is about 550g lighter with respect to the TT1 frame kit," he says. In size small, the frame kit (ready-to-paint frame and fork, seatpost with clamp and cockpit) comes in at a reported 2.24kg. "With this weight, you can assemble a time trial bicycle with disc wheels that are 6.8kg. That was not possible with TT1 without compromising or super high-end components."
Getting in shape
The biggest saving came via the frame, which saw a complete rethink of its shapes and the carbon lamination process.
"From a pure design point of view, TT1 was more disruptive, but if you look at the details, especially the bottom bracket, head tube, seat stays, they were full of very sharp corners that aren't beneficial in terms of weight. When you have sharp corners, usually you have stress concentration, which must be solved by adding more carbon in order to maintain the stiffness and the strength of the frame itself," he says.
To solve this, Colnago simplified the structural junctions, favouring smoother profiles – most notably on the completely reconfigured seat stays – and shaving almost 300g in the process.
The other big shift is the move away from the bayonet fork in favour of a conventional set up, which not only helped cut a further 137g from its predecessor, but also enabled a redesign of the head tube – shaving bulk from the frame's front end while retaining a frontal area comparable to that of the TT1.
Galli admits that the new head tube profile, which has a more hourglass-type shape, is at the boundary of what is possible.
"The overall width of the narrow section of the head tube is around 32mm and we are very close to the limit; we are using a 25mm steering tube, 1mm per side of clearance plus 2.5mm of carbon thickness."
Other weight savings extended to the seat post, which has a shorter profile and a conventional, rather than a Ritchey, saddle clamp system, trimming 90g, while 10g have been shaved off of a reconfigured cockpit.
Plus sizes
The other task facing the Colnago R&D team was improving the TT1's handling – the idea being that increased stability when holding an aerodynamic position means fewer drops in power or shifts in positioning that could be the difference in the marginal gains-obsessed world of time trialling.
The Italian manufacturer's big change was the move from three to four sizes – an extra small added with the UAE Team ADQ and smaller riders in mind, while the medium and large sizes have been given a boost when it comes to stack, with Galli conceding that the TT1 had a very low front end.
The result is a geometry that offers a better fit – and therefore handling – to more riders, with the steering tube angle and seat tube angles also refined.
The cockpit has also been updated, favouring a flat bar rather than one with a negative stack. "This was done first to offer the possibility to increase the stack when adding the extension – many riders now are quite high to be very tucked but still able to push some watts – and second for handling. The reach of the hoods is also shorter, so it's easier for a taller rider with a very high saddle to ride the bicycle, improving manoeuvrability."
Sticky bottle
The TT2 is still at heart an aero weapon, and Colnago had some tricks up its ribbed sleeves to overcome any of the disadvantages that come when chasing what the scales say.
It took a lot of learnings from its Grand Tour-winning Y1Rs and its influence can be seen in the aerodynamic profiles of the downtube, fork blade and the bottle area – albeit optimised for a time trial where riders aren't in a group, and therefore don't have to contend with the turbulent air generated by other riders.
Colnago also took integration to the extreme – an approach highlighted best by its proprietary water bottle and magnetic cage system developed in collaboration with German brand FidLock. Optimised in terms of shape and surface to improve aerodynamic efficiency, the 405ml bottle also has a smart twist magnetic attachment technique, speeding up access to hydration and minimising time losses from a compromise of aerodynamic position or control.
(Image credit: Colnago)
"The bike is faster with the bottle – at 50km/h, it's two watts difference between the configuration with the bottle and without the bottle," he says. "The bottle itself creates a kind of fairing within the bike that is beneficial from an aerodynamic point of view."
The system however won't be used by UAE Team Emirates-XRG or UAE Team ADQ due to sponsorship commitments with Elite. Instead, they will use an Elite aero bottle that is integrated with the frame with a custom Colnago bottle cage system.
One TT bike to rule them all?
By removing the barrier of weight from the equation and boosting its time trial platform's handling, Colnago has left its WorldTour and Women's WorldTour outfits with an aero bullet that could, in theory, climb like a mountain goat.
Galli says that there will still be occasions where the Y1Rs is preferred for time trials – as was the case with the uphill ascent from Loudenvielle to Peyragudes in the 2025 Tour – but now it's a question of rider efficiency rather than any limitations of the TT2.
"The team is still doing tests on this and there is a threshold that can make the decision to go to the Y1Rs or the TT2, but it's mainly about the aerodynamics and efficiency – the weight is starting to get less important."
The cost – £6,499 for the frame kit – is another threshold that riders will have to overcome, but a small price to pay if it leads to a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey in Paris.
For all the details and pricing visit the Colnago website.
