Spotted: New Giant disc brake TT bike and helmet debuted by Luke Plapp

Giant looks to have some new time trialling equipment in the works, with Luke Plapp riding a new time trial bike and wearing a new TT helmet at the Tour de Romandie on Friday.

Until now, Giant’s Trinity line of time trial bikes have all been rim brake models, with their sponsored team Jacyo-AlUla forming a last stand in the pro peloton amid the widespread takeover of disc brakes.

The new bike ridden by Plapp does, however, come equipped with disc brakes, meaning Arkea-Samsic’s Bianchi Aquilas could be left as the final remaining rim brake bike in the men’s pro peloton. The women’s Liv Jacyo-AlUla squad are supplied by Giant’s women’s specific arm, Liv, although nothing new has been spotted from that particular brand.

Giant also supplies helmets to Jayco-AlUla and there also appears to be a significant step forward in that department. While not as radical as some of the controversial designs seen this year, the new lid does offer a wider profile and enlarged visor.

The new TT bike

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A closer look at the new TT bike

There has been no official information from Giant regarding the new bike, so it’s unclear whether this new model represents a new line or the next iteration of the Trinity frameset.

The key details of the design are therefore unclear but visually there are some clear departures from the previous model used by the Jayco-AlUla team, the Trinity Advanced Pro 2.

Up front, the forks are much deeper in profile and wider in terms of the distance between them. This is no doubt with aerodynamics in mind and follows the recent time trial bike trend, which has increasingly borrowed from the world of track cycling. The absence of the rim brake behind the fork has allowed this area to be opened up, and will let the team to use wider tyres and rims.

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For comparison, Simon Yates rides the old Trinity TT bike in the same time trial

At the rear, there has been an overhaul to the junction between the top tube, seat tube, and seat stays. This has been pared back with a much-reduced surface area and where the seat stays used to jut out from the side of the seat post before extending down, there’s now a smoother system that. Effectively extends back from the seat tube.

The chainstays are also notably more angled than the near horizontal stays of the previous Trinity, suggesting a lower bottom bracket. Elsewhere, there’s a small change to the head tube junctions, with the frame eating further into the fork.

It remains to be seen when Giant releases any details surrounding the bike and indeed when it will be availible to the public. All equipment registered with the UCI must be available for public purchase, but teams are permitted to ride approved prototype gear before brands launch their products.

The new helmet

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The new helmet features a large wide visor

The bike wasn’t the only thing different about Plapp’s appearance at the Tour de Romandie TT. He was also sporting what looks to be a new TT helmet from Giant.

Giant’s current TT helmet is the Rivet, and once again Jayco-AlUla have been something of an outlier, using glasses with the helmets instead of dedicated visors.

That looks set to change, too, with Plapp sporting a large clear visor that wraps around the face. The previous helmet was tucked tightly to the face over the ears, but this new model follows the trend of taking a wider profile. This is aimed at reducing the air that hits the rider’s shoulders, instead encouraging it to sort to wrap around the visor and flow back from there.

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Plapp in the Tour de Romandie TT

The new Giant helmet is nowhere near as radical as the new helmets produced by Giro and Rudy Project this season, and previously Specialized, but it’s nevertheless a step in that direction. The UCI recently announced a review of time trial helmet design after those new models sparked a wave of controversy over aesthetics, although this new helmet from Giant doesn’t seem quite so divisive when it comes to crimes against fashion.

The helmet still has a rounded profile, but notably features a dipped middle that is presumably an effort to create a dedicated channel for airflow.