Luke Plapp was spotted riding Giant's new disc-equipped time trial bike at the Tour de Romandie today. The Trinity time trial bike has been Giant's weapon against the clock for the past few years.

Luke Plapp started strong in Romandie. The Australian started the stage 3 time trial in third place overall, behind stage 2 winner Tibau Nys.

This Trinity update came shortly after Giant updated its top-class TCR road in early March. We don't know for sure yet, but we assume that this new bike will retain the Trinity name.

The frame, designed around disc brakes, is the first and biggest topic of discussion regarding the new bike. Not only does it increase overall stopping power, but it is especially advantageous in wet time trials. The change to disc brakes means that the Jayco-AlUla team can use wider wheels and tires, which should contribute to a faster overall frame and wheel package.

As for the frame design, there are some fairly significant changes in several areas. The following photos of Simon Yates and Plapp serve as a side-by-side comparison. Looking at the bikes from the front, the new disc brake-equipped bikes have deeper fork legs compared to the relatively shallow units of the rim brake models. The fork legs themselves are quite wide, with plenty of room for Plup's Vittoria Corsa Speed tires.

The head tube joints were also different, perhaps updated to meet newer UCI rules than the current Trinity frame design.

The downtube of the frame is slightly thinner, possibly a visual effect of the large Giant logo. The front tire clearance on the downtube also appears to have been slightly widened.

Moving backward, a more slender-looking top tube leads to a new seatstay/seat tube junction. This is no doubt the result of the change in chainstay and dropout placement, as rim brakes are no longer used. The seatpost on this bike also appears to use a thinner cross section than on the previous bike.

Also, Plapp appeared to be using an unfamiliar time trial helmet. Jayco Alura uses Giant's "Rivet" TT helmet, but this new all-white model appears to have squared-off side and rear sections that Rivet does not use, as well as a large front visor.

The Tour of Italy and Criterium du Dauphiné are just around the corner, and the Tour de France and Paris Olympics are coming up later in the summer. We will update this article as information on new time trial bikes becomes available.