After months of hypothesis, XDS Astana has revealed its new look and new X-Lab race bike for the 2025 season, marking the arrival of a Chinese model within the males’s WorldTour.
The Astana staff has secured main funding from the Chinese model XDS Carbon Tech, who’ve historically produced carbon frames and parts for different manufacturers and targeted on the Chinese market. within the 2025 XDS will go international and the XDS Astana staff will race on the model’s X-Lab bikes.
We bought a primary concept about what the brand new bikes would appear like again in early November after seeing some promotional materials on-line, however the precise body, element and even color of the staff bikes have been unknown till now.
A video was posted of the brand new staff bike on the staff’s Instagram web page in addition to a information merchandise on the Astana web site after an official presentation of the deal and the staff’s new id and jersey in Shenzhen, China.
Alongside the brand new X-Lab bike, the staff is retaining nearly all of its present gear companions and lightweight blue colors.
The X-Lab body within the staff video is fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets, Vision Metron wheels, Continental tyres and Vision-integrated handlebars. This ought to imply the staff’s riders will not need to get used to too many gear modifications suddenly.
The X-Lab AD9
We do not know an excessive amount of in regards to the X-Lab AD9 bike for now. There are not any aero testing claims, no carbon fibre grade and on info on the way to purchase one.
The XDS website shows the AD highway vary, however solely as much as the AD7 sequence mannequin, no AD9 is presently listed. (that we are able to discover) Perhaps the AD9 is a brand-new mannequin for the staff.
We additionally surprise if the AD9 body is ready to change into probably the most inexpensive bike within the WorldTour, the AD7 bike listed on the XDS web site has an inventory value of ¥22980 or £2,498.87 / $3,156.81. That is for what seems to be a carbon fibre body, wheels and Sram Rival AXS. We will embody AD9 body pricing as quickly as we obtain it.
Another mannequin additionally options within the staff’s press launch picture which appears to be like like extra of a normal non-aero highway body. This could also be an possibility for staff riders, however we assume they’ll race for probably the most half on the aero AD9.
The body silhouette appears to be like unsurprising and has a number of acquainted design options. Dropped seat stays, aero fork legs, a deep and aero head and down tube, an aero seatpost, a seat tube cutout and a skinnier prime tube all function. This means the AD9 ought to look proper at residence subsequent to its different WorldTour counterparts.
It has been reported that the staff’s new efficiency engineer Alex Dowsett has examined the brand new bike on the Silverstone Sports Engineering Wind Tunnel. The identical place we carried out our World Superbike aero take a look at.
Cyclingews has contacted XDS for extra info on the X-Lab vary.
