This is Dan Evan's current hill climb bike and first impressions show that this is not far from what you or I will call a standard road bike. There is bar tape; a padded saddle; brakes front and rear; the handlebar drops have not been taken to with a hacksaw and there is no visible drillium action going on. He even has Bottle cages! So what makes this a hill climb bike...?
The answer is the rider. After spending a lot of time in the past shaving of weight from the bike, Dan has learned that the best way to get up a hill is to train his a*** off. But that has not previously stopped him from taking a file to his brake pads...
Outside of his On The Drops Interview (read here) Dan told us of some horror story mechanicals which he has seen so we think it is wise that he is sticking to a relatively familiar set up. Consisting of a SRAM E-Tap groupset asides from the super light 'Dale Hollowgram Cranks. One section Dan is super picky about id his tyre set up. Mixing between the Vitoria Pista or Corsa Tubulars in 23mm, he adjusts the pressure between 100-160psi depending on the weather, surface and hill. He was very secretive when it came to tyre choice and reasons.
Taken from Dan's first reactions after riding the Hill Clim SL Tubulars, here is what he had to say:
"First ride on the new tubulars last night and they’re seriously impressive. Obviously, they’re lovely and light but the main thing that comes across is how stiff and solid they feel, nothing like other climbing wheelsets... Acceleration is off the scale with these things"
Dan Evans | On the Hill Climb SL Tubular
Dan Evans | On the Hill Climb SL Tubular