2015 Pro Bikes: MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung’s Cervélo S5

South African professional continental team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung has switched from previous bike sponsor Trek to Cervélo for the 2015 season, and it has got off to a flying start with its new equipment suppliers as Brit Steve Cummings won the second stage of the recent Challenge Mallorca race.

The team tells us it’ll use the new S5 aero bikes as the go-to race bike for most stages and races, with the R5 designated as the training bike, and the P5  dragged out for time trials. Bikes will be equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets, 3T stems, bars and seatposts, Enve wheels and Rotor chainsets, such as this one belonging to Edvald Boasson Hagen, who has signed from Team Sky. The team was previously on Trek bikes, SRAM groupsets and Zipp wheels, so it's a complete change.

Canadian company Cervélo has been at the top table of professional cycle racing for quite some time (CSC, its own TestTeam and Garmin-Sharp) but with the Garmin-Sharp squad merging with Cannondale and riding its bikes this year, the company was left without a WorldTour team sponsor.

So during the off season it signed a deal with the popular and successful MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung team to supply it with bikes for 2015 and beyond.  More than just supplying bikes, Cervélo will  introduce team-replica bike models and donate a Qhubeka Foundation bicycle for every team-replica Cervélo sold.

“Cervélo has always been synonymous with the highest levels of racing performance, “said team Principal Douglas Ryder. “The new team will be competitive on the world stage, and Cervélo has already won everything from the world championships to cobbled classics like Paris-Roubaix and Grand Tours including the Tour de France. Who better to give Team MTN-Qhubeka’s riders the best opportunity to succeed?”

The team also welcomes on-board another previous Garmin-Sharp sponsor, Rotor Components. It’ll supply the team with its 3D+ chainset and, we presume, its Power Cranks for power measuring - the photos the team has sent us only show the bikes with the standard chainsets. It’s not clear how many team riders will opt for Rotor’s non-round chainrings, but Edvald Boasson Hagen is evidently steering clear, preferring a regular round dinner plate.

A closer look at the bike reveals CeramicSpeed jockey wheels in the rear mech. Marginal gains and all that. Enve steps forward as wheel sponsor so the team will have a large selection of carbon fibre wheels to choose from, with different depth rims to pick depending on rider preference, course conditions and other factors. Schwalbe One tubular tyres will be used, as will KMC chains.

Cervélo launched the revamped S5, it’s top-of-the-range aero road bike, at Eurobike last September. The new model introduces an updated frame design that is claims reduces drag by as much as 21.3 watts compared to the old S5. As well as improved aerodynamics, Cervélo has also increased frame stiffness to produce sharper handling and increased responsiveness. The frame and fork has also been designed to better accommodate the latest wide rims and tyres.

MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung has recieved a wildcard to compete in the 2015 Tour de France. 

Away from races, the team will rely on the R5 for training. We'd imagine it would be rolled out for certain races though, especially the cobbled Classics and any hilly races, but we'll have to see during the season.

And here is the P5, the time trial bike they'll use for, well, time trials. That's quite an aggressie seat angle, but who are we to judge.

Photo credit: MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung