Colnago's TT2: a staggering 550 grams lighter for Pogačar
Colnago has unveiled the TT2, a new time trial bike for Tadej Pogačar that sheds a huge amount of weight. But while half a kilo is a real advantage, the accompanying aero claims need a closer look.
In the world of time trialling, gains are measured in single-digit watts and slivers of seconds. When a brand announces a new bike, the claims are usually incremental. Not this time.
Colnago has rolled out the new TT2 for Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), replacing the TT1 with a headline figure that is anything but incremental: a claimed 550-gram weight saving in the frameset.
Yes, you read that right: over half a kilogram. In a sport where engineers fight for 50 grams, that’s a number that demands attention. According to GCN Tech, that figure is for the frame, fork, and seatpost combined. As they put it, the saving is “pretty staggering.”
What's new?
Beyond the name change, Colnago makes two key performance claims for the TT2. The first is the massive weight reduction. The second is a claimed aerodynamic improvement, saving a purported 2 watts of drag at 50 km/h compared to the outgoing TT1.
While the aero claim is familiar territory, it’s the weight that defines the TT2. For years, time trial bikes have carried a weight penalty from their deep tube shapes and extensive surface area. Getting a TT bike near the UCI’s 6.8 kg minimum weight limit has been a challenge, especially with a heavier, but aerodynamically essential, disc wheel.
This 550 g saving reportedly allows Pogačar’s mechanics to build his bike “right on the UCI weight limit at 6.8 kilograms, including a disc wheel, which for time trial bikes is absolutely ridiculous.”
Does it matter?
For a rider like Pogačar, in a Grand Tour, it matters enormously. It is especially relevant for the final time trial of the Tour de France 2024, which features a 9.7 km climb. On a flat course, weight is secondary to aerodynamics, but when the road points up, shaving over half a kilo from the frameset is a direct, physics-based advantage.
The 2-watt aero claim might sound trivial, but at the elite level, it’s significant. GCN pointed to the recent Tour de Suisse 2024 time trial, where Pogačar’s winning margin over Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was less than a second. In that context, a couple of watts is a gulf.
Every watt saved is time in the bank. When victory is decided by fractions of a second, a gain of even a couple of watts is something any team would take.
The catch
For now, these are just claims. The 550-gram figure and the 2-watt saving are from the manufacturer. We haven't weighed the bike ourselves, nor have we seen a white paper detailing the aerodynamic test protocol. A claim of saving watts at 50 km/h is almost meaningless without knowing the yaw angles, components, and whether a rider was on board.
The weight saving feels like the more concrete story. It's a big, bold number, and its benefit on a hilly course is undeniable. The aero claim, while plausible, is standard marketing fare until proven otherwise.
This bike is a highly specialised tool for a very specific job: helping one of the world's best cyclists win the biggest bike race. For the rest of us, the direct relevance is minimal, but the engineering is fascinating.
Details on pricing, public availability, or the specific design changes that yielded such a dramatic weight loss are not yet clear. For now, the TT2 is a Tour-winning weapon in development, and this is just the first glimpse.
In a sport where engineers fight for 50 grams, that’s a number that demands attention.
On a flat course, weight is secondary to aerodynamics, but when the road points up, shaving over half a kilo from the frameset is a direct, physics-based advantage.
The weight saving feels like the more concrete story. The aero claim, while plausible, is standard marketing fare until proven otherwise.