Matthias Brändle’s Hour record breaking Scott Plasma 5

Austrian rider Matthias Brändle yesterday broke the Hour Record previously held by Jens Voigt, and we’ve been having a look at the Scott Plasma bike the 24-year-used to do it. 

Matthias Brändle races for the IAM Cycling professional team sponsored by Scott Bikes, and rode a track version of the new Plasma 5 time trial bike. Scott launched the new Plasma 5 back in the summer, replacing the current Plasma 3 with a bike claimed to offer a 7% drag reduction over the previous bike. They’ve also increased the frame stiffness by a whopping 47%, so they claim, along with shedding some 130g of frame weight.

Scott managed to find those claimed aerodynamic increases by enlisting the services of Simon Smart, a highly regarded aerodynamic expert (he was also involved with the Foil aero road bike a few years ago). One of the key areas they focused on was the interaction of the rider and the bike, with the bike offering much better fit adjustability. As far as we know, Scott don't offer a track version of the Plasma 5 so it has been specially modified for the attempt at the Hour Record.

The new integrated stem - a common trend on time trial bikes - is offered in two version, high or low, and there are different base bases and new Profile Designs aero extensions. That should help Brändle get a fit that balances the demands of comfort and aerodynamic performance for his Hour Record.

Brändle’s Plasma 5 is built up with DT Swiss RRC 2.0 DISC DICUT tubular wheels with Schwalbe tubular tyres. These wheels were developed with German company Lightweight, which is why the owe their appearance to the disc wheels from Lightweight. They weigh a claimed 780g each.

There’s a Shimano crankset with an SRM Powermeter, with the head unit mounted behind the saddle - that’s to keep it out  of the airflow, and because he won’t be needing to look at such distractions if it was mounted to his handlebars. The aero bars are the same as on the road version of the Plasma 5. The saddle looks to be Prologo Zero TT. And that's about it, the rest is down to Brändle and his legs.

There has been a renewed interest in the Hour Record, once the blue riband event in cycling, since the UCI relaxed their rules about the bike and equipment that could be used. Previously a bike echoing that of the one Eddy Merckx used in his 1972 record had to be used, but now the UCI are allowing bikes resembling modern track pursuit bikes to be used. That means aero frames, aero extensions, disc wheels and aero helmets. Lots of aero.

Above is how the Plasma 5 looks in triathlon mode, with the integrated brakes and optional water bottle in front of the forks and gel box on the top tube. All that has been stripped away for the Hour Record obviously.

To beat Jens Voigt’s Hour Record, Brändle will need to ride more than 51.115km, the current mark, to go into the history books. You can have a look at the Trek Speed Concept Voigt used for his Hour Record here. Good luck to him we say.