Alex Ballinger's Giant Trinity Advanced

CW digital news writer Alex learns how to build a bike the hard way

- Alex Ballinger

VITTORIA CORSA SPEED TUBULARS

Vittoria’s fastest tubs are also beautiful to ride – they are wonderfully supple. Modern carbon bikes are a bit rumbly to make out the sound of a time trial tubular singing, as they traditionally do, but I’ve no doubt they are hitting the high notes

CADEX AERO WHEELSET

The Cadex Aero Disc and 4-Spoke were designed for the CCC Team. They are aerodynamic, stiff and lightweight.

MECHANICAL ULTEGRA

Electronic gears might save a few watts with the wires taped out of the way, but the Giant frame is actually pretty good for concealing cables, and if you’re running a front mech, the mechanical version is less bulky than the Di2

My Giant Trinity is newer than the other longtermers that have appeared on these pages so far. The product of a lockdown project, I raced it throughout the summer months last year, including to a time of 20.34 at the national 10-mile time trial champs. I’ll race it throughout 2021 too, and I have a few spec changes in mind.

I spent several months foraging for the ingredients I needed to cook up my dream time trial bike, all based around the familiar curves of the Giant Trinity Advanced frame and the allegedly rapid Cadex aero wheelset.

Owing to coronavirus lockdown restrictions and the fairly hefty price of asking a trained mechanic to build up my bike, I realised I was going to have to go all Blue Peter and knock something together at home.