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VIDEO - Mirinda Carfrae's 2012 Felt DA   Bookmark and Share
images by Nick Salazar   •   Oct 9, 2012   •   hits 27,054

These snazzy Zipp logos look like they're on an OLD aluminum clincher, but these are actually brand new prototypes. The inner diameter of the wheel is a bit wider than the old type, more like a Firecrest type of shape. Yet these aren't Rinny's race wheels. She will be on something different on Saturday. We'll keep our eyes peeled.
 
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Mirinda Carfrae is the 2010 Ironman Hawaii World Champion. In 2011, she came in second place behind Chrissie Wellington, who has not come back to defend this year. So for 2012, we think it's fair to say that Rinny is the defending champ. She sat down with TriRig for an exclusive interview about her year, her form, and her new Felt DA bicycle. Check out the video interview in the article, and our gallery of her stunning bike below. Her sponsors, especially Felt, Zipp, and SRAM, have demonstrated a commitment to helping her achieve her optimal position aboard the uncommonly-small 650c size. There are some special bits on the bike related directly to this goal, as well as some prototype parts that may reflect the future of the components on her rig. Make sure to check out the captions for all the inside info.


Mirinda Carfrae's 2012 Felt DA. It's a beautiful rig, and it's great to see Felt supporting the 650c size for those like Rinny who really need it.

The cable job on Rinny's bike is super tidy, and about as clean as can be. She's riding one of the fixed-position stems that are now available for all DA riders.

One of the big changes since last year is the new Profile Design Aeria front end. It's a great bar that allows some easy adjustment. Rinny is running a Speedfil A2 between the bars for easily-refillabe hydration on the go.

Rinny's Garmin 500 is strapped right on top of the Speedfil A2, which is itself wrapped in a coozy to keep the liquid cold out in the Hawaii heat.

One of the very cool prototype bits on Rinny's bike are these SRAM R2C shifters, which feature a different blade shape. The blade is slightly wider than the original version, but just as thin. This might be a way to give people more surface area with which to grip the blades, without resorting to the big bulb shape used on the Zipp version of the shifters.

Heres a front-on shot of the prototype R2C shifters. No official word from SRAM about these.

Okay, you didn't hear it from me, but there are only 10 teeth on that small cog. This cassette is labeled as SRAM Red, but I doubt this thing will ever see production. 10-teeth cogs aren't typically used because they come with their own fitment and compatibility issues, but this may have been the only way to give Rinny the gearing she needs on a 650c bike, without resorting to the 58-tooth chainring we saw her on a couple years back. Using standard chainrings gives her more reliable shifting up front, and allows her to use a complete YAW-compatible setup with her new SRAM Red drivetrain.

These snazzy Zipp logos look like they're on an OLD aluminum clincher, but these are actually brand new prototypes. The inner diameter of the wheel is a bit wider than the old type, more like a Firecrest type of shape. Yet these aren't Rinny's race wheels. She will be on something different on Saturday. We'll keep our eyes peeled.

The SRAM Red Quarq power meter. Lovely.

The 165mm Red Quarq was one piece I wanted to rip right off Rinny's bike and take home with me. I am a huge proponent of short cranks, and really like the Quarq as a power meter.

Rear hydration has been slimmed down to a single bottle cage, tucked right under the saddle. Nice job, Rinny.

Mirinda Carfrae's 2012 Felt DA. It's a thing of beauty, and looks perfectly at home in the Hawaii sun.

Felt bikes, Hawaiian waves. This is triathlon equipment at its most beautiful.

Rinny is using a complete 2012 SRAM Red drivetrain, with all the new bits including the YAW-specific chainrings.

The Red rear derailleur is as snappy as it is gorgeous. Check out our full review of the new Red group, published earlier this week.

The Profile Design Aeria bar is much leaner than Profile's past offerings. It's a modern bar that is the perfect match for the Felt DA front end. Now if they could only swap out that sidepull brake for an Omega ... Good luck, Rinny! We will be rooting for you!





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