Team DSM confirmed today that the automatic tire pressure adjustment system they helped develop will not be used by the riders in today's Tour de France stage 5, despite suggestions to the contrary earlier this year.

The system, called Scope Atmoz, was brought to attention by Cycling News when the UCI (Union Cyclistique Internationale, cycling's governing body) quietly announced a few days before the cobbled classic Paris-Roubaix in April that it would become legal for use in UCI-sanctioned events The move was noticed by Cycling News.

Priced at about 4,000 euros and weighing 300 grams, the device claims that riders can adjust tire pressure using a pair of remote switches mounted on the handlebars. It features a hub-mounted compressed air reservoir, connected to a mechanical valve and a hose that reaches the rim.

One switch on each wheel allows the rider to send air from the reservoir to the tire to inflate the tire or to deflate it by removing air from the tire. At the same time, the rider can check the exact air pressure in each tire with a compatible cycle computer.

The appeal of such a system is that on rough surfaces such as cobblestones, lower tire pressures allow the tires to absorb more of the vertical vibrations that occur when the wheels hit obstacles and roll. By absorbing more of these impacts, the entire bike is less likely to be pushed upward, maintaining more of the rider's forward momentum. Therefore, less power is required to travel at a constant speed.

However, if the rider leaves the cobblestones and continues to ride on smoother surfaces, too little tire pressure has the negative effect of increasing friction and slowing the rider down.

Do teams inflate their tires higher to go faster on smooth surfaces? Or do they lower the air pressure to gain an advantage on cobblestones? Team DSM wanted to take advantage of the best of both worlds, so they partnered with Dutch wheel brand Scope to develop the Atmoz.

Prior to Paris-Roubaix, the team confirmed to Cycling News that it would use this technology in the race. However, a last-minute decision was made not to use it, and its debut on stage 5 of the Tour de France was postponed. The cobblestones over the past week have confirmed my confidence in the system and the overall setup," he said. He decided to make his debut in the TDF, which is raced on cobblestone stages."

Nonetheless, a team representative confirmed to Cycling News that the product will not be featured on today's stage, nor on the remaining stages of this year's Tour.

"This is a great project and we have made great development progress with our partner Scope. We've tested the system in races over the past few months and learned a lot." Of course, we intend to go into the race at 100%. We have already made good steps during this time and will continue to fine-tune the system. I look forward to racing in the near future and am confident that it will allow for better performance and improved safety."

In any case, Scope Atmos and its supposed advantages will have to wait a little longer for its World Tour debut.