Markus Storck has been working in the wind tunnel apparently. We just got wind of this new time trial bike from the German bike maker. A few details accompanied the photos, here are some of the more interesting points…

• Most aerodynamic Storck frame ever.
• THM Scapula F Fork Equipped
• Carbon front and rear brake fully integrated (preset carbon spring system / easy change brake-pad cartridge system)
• New ergonomic and aerodynamic multi-adjustable STORCK carbon time trial bar system (perfect for newly announced DI2 TT double-shifters)
• Fixed seat dome with multi adjustable seat-angle (73-80°)
• Fully integrated cable routings
• Adjustable rear-dropouts
• Shimano DI2 compatible only
• Estimated frame weight 1200g
• Estimated fork weight 350g
• Estimated seat dome weight 220g
• Estimated US retail $10,000 for fuselage (frameset, bars, stem, headset, seat dome, brakes)

We’re not sure when this will be available for public consumption, but Markus will be on hand at the Interbike Show in Las Vegas next month (so will we!), to hand deliver the Aero 2 to Faris Al Sultan to be raced at Kona.

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Ritchey Design shares the bicycle industry’s concerns about UCI regulations that could limit future innovation in bicycle equipment design

SAN CARLOS, Calif. - Ritchey Design announced today that its time trial handlebars, the WCS Carbon Hammerhead and WCS Carbon Interval, comply with the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) “3:1″ bicycle design regulation that the governing body will begin enforcing on all competitive bicycle equipment starting July 1, 2009.

“Ritchey time trial handlebars were designed with the UCI three-to-one ratio in mind, as are all of our products. We have used this design guideline to make great time trial products that are verified by elite teams on both the USA and European circuits,” said Steve Parke, Ritchey Design general manager. “Still, Ritchey is concerned about the impact UCI’s design regulations will have on the future of bicycle design innovation, and we’re committed to working with UCI and manufactures to ensure that competitive cycling develops in a way that is positive for the sport and the industries that support it.” Cadel

The 3:1 rule, a series of UCI cycling regulations, stipulates that all bicycle parts and components must be built with measurements that do not exceed a three-to-one ratio. Created in 2000 but not actively enforced until the beginning of the 2009 season, bicycle teams, riders and manufacturers had widely interpreted the rule to apply only to bicycle frame tubes.

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Pedal Force TT2 Time Trial Bike First Impression - By Steve Cooper

• Full carbon monocoque frameset
• Triathlon/Time Trial specific geometry for 700C wheels
• 515, 525, 545 mm (c-t)
• Aerodynamic chain stay profiles for fatter disc wheels
• Ultra-slim/low head tube
• Head tube for 1-1/8” Campagnolo compatible integrated headset
• Aerodynamic tear-drop profiled seat tube and seat post
• Horizontal adjustable rear dropouts (to minimize rear tire to seat tube clearance)
• Replaceable rear hanger
• Internal cable routing (no outer cable housing needed)
• English threaded 68mm bottom bracket
• Carbon monocoque fork and steerer 1-1/8″.
• Frame/Fork/Seat post MSRP: $900.00
• Invoiced total for bike as reviewed: $2189

13. That’s how many coworkers came over to check out the fully built TT2 parked outside my office. Whether they were a cyclist or just interested in the knife edged profile, their first impressions were universal. Hyperboles, peppered with wows, oohs and aahhs. My coworkers are used to seeing test bikes, but the TT2 stood out even to those that know nothing about bikes. But when it comes to the cyclists who get what a TT or Tri bike is for, the reactions were grounded, yet dramatic approvals.

Then I’d drop the bomb and tell them how little it cost.

Lest I risk slipping into metaphors, let me cover a few working details. The TT2 is an aerodynamically sculpted, steep seated time trial/triathlon carbon weave frame with an equally slippery fork, teardrop seat tube and seat post. The 54.5 cm frame as furnished by Pedal Force weighed in at 1420 grams, the fork with full length carbon steerer weighed in at 460 grams and seat post at 260 grams. Out test frame’s geometry is time trial steep and the wheelbase short, with a 75.5 degree seat tube, a 73.0 degree head tube, spanning a crisp 980 millimeters axle to axle. Top tube lengths match seat tube heights across the size range.

Check out some of the bikes the teams of the Tour of California are riding this week.

Some highlights-

More can be found on our Tour of California site…