Katerina Nash’s Orbea/Ibis cyclocross bike she rode to second place. CrossVegas 2014. © Cyclocross Magazine
Katerina Nash’s Orbea rebranded Ibis Hakkalugi carbon disc cyclocross bike was one of the more interesting builds we saw at the 2014 CrossVegas race. From the rebranded frame to the makeshift 1X drivetrain, Nash’s bike certainly isn’t an off-the-shelf ride.
You don’t have to be a bike geek to notice that single chainring drivetrains, especially the SRAM CX1 cyclocross drivetrain we reviewed and are still testing, have taken the racing scene by storm, including both wins at the season’s first UCI race in China.
But not everyone is sponsored by SRAM, and yet many want to shed the extra chainring and shifter and enjoy less (or zero) dropped chains. Nash and her Luna team are sponsored by Orbea and Shimano, and within those sponsorship agreements, the team got creative in adapting existing products to adopt cyclocross tech trends. Sure, Orbea still offers the cantilever-equipped Terra cyclocross frames (see our profile of Nash’s previous Orbea Terra cyclocross bike), but the Luna team wanted to make the move to disc brakes.
To ride one chainring, Nash simply used a Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 chainring (38t) with an E13 XCX chainrguard we previewed here and are testing now. No wide/narrow chainrings, no clutch rear derailleur. This way, she was able to still use the Dura-Ace 9000 (crank, ring, chain) and 9070 Di2 (rear and front derailleur) and R785 (STI levers and brakes).
Katerina Nash paired a standard Shimano 9000 Dura-Ace 38t chainring with an E13 chainguard and a 11-28t cassette. CrossVegas 2014. © Cyclocross Magazine
Nash’s prototype Shimano wheels are also interesting, as the both rims are asymmetrical carbon tubular disc rims designed for disc brakes, with an offset rim shape to accommodate the rotor’s impact on dish as well as braking forces. One side of the rim (left side on front, rear driveside) almost look like they have a brake track.
Asymmetrical carbon tubular rims. On the front, the right side is flat, while the left side is offset – almost looking like a brake track. CrossVegas 2014. © Cyclocross Magazine
Both are paired to CX75 hubs and IceTech rotors with Clement MXP tubeless tubular tires. More Shimano components abound in the form of PRO cockpit pieces and XTR M980 pedals.
To measure all the power she was putting into her second place ride, Nash used a Stages Cycling power meter integrated into her Dura-Ace 9000 left crankarm.
Clement MXP tubulars on Shimano prototype carbon tubular wheels – Katerina Nash’s Orbea/Ibis cyclocross bike. CrossVegas 2014. © Cyclocross Magazine
See more details in the slideshow below, and stay tuned for many more bike profiles from CrossVegas.
Katerina Nash’s Orbea / Ibis Hakkalugi Di2 Single Ring Cyclocross Bike Photo Gallery:
