A very big bike for a very big man: An Post-Chainreaction team bike suppliers Vitus had to construct a special frame for new signing Conor Dunne.
When the An Post–Chainreaction squad announced that 2013 Rás stage winner Conor Dunne would be among their new signings for the 2014 season, team bike sponsor Vitus immediately sat up and took notice.
Standing at six feet nine inches tall, Dunne is one of the tallest riders in the pro peloton.
And it soon became apparent to Vitus that their biggest production bike, a 60cm frame, was going to be too small for the young giant.
Despite having worked on the team-issue Vitesse Evo frameset for over two years, Vitus set about finding a solution to cater for Dunne' stature and decided to create an XXL size 62cm frame especially for the then 22-year-old.
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“Having a professional road racing team is an important activity for us as a brand,” said Vitus bikes brand manager Simon Cordner.
“Vitus has been synonymous with the pro peloton for over 30 years and our support for the An Post–Chainreaction team continues this legacy.
"But it’s not every day that you get a call asking for a bike to suit a rider that’s six foot nine.
“Whilst it was going to be a challenge to produce a bike for Conor, we felt it was important to give him the best tool for the job.”
The Dimensions: How Conor Dunne's bike shapes up.
Dunne spent a lot of time with Vitus research and development manager Dale McMullen to establish his exact requirements before creating the new bike.
“We wanted to give Conor all the benefits of the new Vitesse Evo but there was a risk of losing the stiffness and responsiveness when going to this XXL size,” says McMullen.
“The second element to this was that we wanted the geometry and sizing to be proportional; in line with all other sizes of the Evo.
"Having ridden other bikes during his career, Conor had said that while some were tall enough, they still didn’t have the reach he needed.
"As such, we wanted to ensure that both the top tube and seat tube grew in proportion for this new size frameset.
“The ultimate goal for this project was to provide Conor with a bike that he could be both comfortable on and perform on.”
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Conor Dunne's 62cm Vitus Evo is believed to be the biggest bike in the pro peloton. Even Garmin-Sharp's Johan van Summeren only rides a 58cm. The difference in size and dimensions between Dunne's bike and his team mate Jack Wilson's is very clear to see in this shot.
On previous teams, Dunne has simply had to make do with what he was given. But despite adding a 35mm laid back seat post and a 140mm stem to a 61cm frameset, he still felt cramped.
“Being 6ft 9in presents many problems,” says Dunne, who has just been named on the Irish elite men's team for the road race at the World Championships in the US on Sunday week.
“Your clothes don’t fit, your shoes look ridiculous, doors are too small and everyone thinks you’re a basketball player.
"But the major issue for me is the fact that it's nearly impossible to find a decent bike big enough for me.
“In the past I've always had to make myself fit a bike instead of finding a bike to fit me. The reach was always too short and I felt cramped and limited in my position.
"The 62cm Vitus Evo has a longer top tube which allows me to gain that all-important extra reach on the bike.
“After putting it to the test in two hard European professional races, I can say it passed with flying colours.
“My position feels so much better. The bike handled fantastically and when the power really had to be applied it didn’t disappoint."
The smallest and tallest riders in the Etoile de Bessege French stage race; Sam Dumoulin (5′ 2″) and Conor Dunne (6′ 9″)
How Dunne’s mammoth machine was put together
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