Seth, the God of Chaos, Storms and Destruction is our unrepentant Time Trial prototype - he is not Mr Nice Guy. Built for a job, Seth does it with purpose and is simply the most aggressive titanium time trial bike you will ever see.

The Request
Our time trialist wanted a machine built to race hard and fast over distances from ten to fifty miles. He wanted to get as aerodynamic as possible without affecting his physiological performance or the bike's front end handling. He is a very powerful rider so a rigid rear end was essential. He specifically wanted a frame which was as slippery as possible, with the potential to carry fuel in an accessible spot.

The Task
In order to satisfy these demands, we needed a frame which tipped the rider forward and over the bottom bracket. We needed a bike with an aerodynamic front triangle and a rigid rear triangle which wasted no power transmission.

The Solution
We sourced Oval concept TT forks - with F1 aerodynamics engineering input- and corrected the steering for a stable but responsive ride. The headtube angle has been shallowed to accommodate the forward centre of gravity caused by our rider’s aggressive riding position, and to lengthen the wheelbase for stable high-speed tracking.

USE Tula Bars have been spec'd for the cockpit for optimal front-end aerodynamics. These bars feature internal cable routing and an simple but exceptionally well designed adjustment system termed 'rock and roll'. The most striking feature is the horizontal brake levers. Extra fuel capacity without aerodynamic compromise has been achieved by placing bottle bosses behind the upper headset to accommodate side-entry bottle cage or ATUM22 bespoke tri-pack.

The toptube has been ovalised laterally to increase torsional strength and decrease edge to wind along the exposed surface - contrary to the senselessly oversized toptubes on the market. A light slope to this improves mainframe rigidity and bottlecage access, whilst lowering the frame's centre of gravity for out-of-saddle bursts of performance.

The downtube represents one of the larger aerodynamic obstacles for a frame so it was oversized for rigidity and ovalised to 66mm deep by 34wide. The underside of the downtube creates most of the drag so the cables were routed internally with our bespoke Atum22 Lo-Vis Cable Routing.
 
The debaucherously unique seattube is formed, part-ovalised, tapered, and bent to offer best aerodynamics, strength, and to accommodate the tucked-in rear wheel. This means that there no room behind the bottom bracket for the traditional chainstay bridge that gives this area its essential rigidity. What is not at all traditional is the rear triangle. Wide circular chainstays taper to the custom Atum22 dropouts over a very short 380mm, leaving only 8mm rear tyre clearance. This tucks the rear wheel in, repositioning the rider's centre of gravity towards the rear end, and optimizing power transfer.

One of the jewels in the crown of this rear-end configuration, however, is the bespoke chainstay fillets-; crafted to join the seat-tube and seat-stays through the bottom bracket with minimal weight penalty. They guarantee an intolerant rear end which will do just what one wants - deliver power straight to the rear wheel.

There is a braze-on front derailleur for cleanliness and weight reduction and dual rear-facing seatslots to improve secure clamping surface on the seatpin.

In order to facilitate continued pedaling around tighter corners, the bottom bracket drop has been kept to a traditional 70mm and low-clearance speedplay pedals and 172.5mm cranks have been fitted.

The bespoke seatstays are sinfully ovalised to lessen drag, and subtlely curved to shore up the rear end.

This design of unadultered purpose is thoughtfully complemented with top-end componentry such as Dura-ace 10spd groupset and HED-3 trispokes.

The Result
Just as planned, Seth delivers a stormy exhibition of unrepentant speed - a machine built to be aerodynamic and deliver power on the road. A machine built to do nothing other than go fast, that does nothing other than go faster.