It was not only Simoni’s awesome climbing which caught the heart of a nation when he took three stages and dominated the 86th Giro d’Italia. His famous “spider” bike captured the imagination of fans young and old, and his pink time trial bike was a joyous piece of theatre over a very serious machine. So which Italian specialist crafted these superb machines? Well - as we all know, they were all hand built in the USA by the Cannondale company based in Bedford, PA.

So what were the specifications and components used to built these famous push irons? Let's take a look at the bikes that won the Giro!

Climbing Bike (The Spider!)

Simoni's climbing bike was a stock CAAD7 frame manufactured in Cannondale's Bedford, PA factory, but it was annodized instead of painted. The annodized frame is lighter, particularly considering the extra paint used on the spider bike. Simoni was using an integrated Cannondale Hollowgram crankset (53/39) and bottom bracket, integrated Slice fork w/Campy Hiddenset bearings, prototype Fizik saddle, Cinelli Ram bars, and generally Campy Record stuff throughout. Wheels were Mavic Ksyrium, and the gearing in back was an 11-28.

Geometry

Seattube (c-to-c): 48.5 cm
Toptube: 54.0 cm)
Headtube: 12 cm
Seat Angle: 74 deg
Head Angle 73 deg
Chainstays: 40.5 cm
Wheelbase: 97.3 cm

Time Trial Bike

Simoni's time trial bike features an aero down tube and seat tube, and the same basic component spec as his other bikes (handlebars being an obvious exception). The time trial bike was also produced in Bedford, and it was painted pink the day before the final stage by the team mechanics, who then applied the appropriate decals on the paint after it had dried.

Geometry

Seattube (c-to-c): 48.5 cm
Toptube: 55 cm
Headtube: 10 cm
Seat Angle: 75.7 degrees
Head Angle: 73.7 degrees
Chainstays: 40 cm
Wheelbase: 98.6 cm

Thanks to Cannondale and Fabio for the images.