Remco Evenepoel took a stunning win on stage 10 of the Vuelta a España, beating second place Primoz Roglic by 48 seconds – and he did it aboard Specialized’s speediest bike, the S-Works Shiv.
We managed to get some time with Evenpoel’s Shiv before the start of the Tour de France in Copenhagen, albeit where Evenepoel did not race, and since then the TT bike has boasted only two small modifications – an Aerocoach’s Aeox Titan front wheel, and a chain upgrade from Ultegra to Dura-Ace.
The S-Works Shiv is the top of the range, UCI legal version of the popular triathlon model, and was first unveiled back in 2019.
The Shiv treaded the line of UCI legality, borrowing the dramatic shaping of its triathlon sibling while also cutting 500g off the previous iteration of the bike.
Evenepoel has certainly made it his own, though, with a custom-made carbon extension bars provided by Dutch company Speedbar, while the base bar is the standard issue Specialized Shiv spec.
Many top time triallists have opted for custom carbon bars, conscious that as the first point of contact with the air, the aero bars play a disproportionate role in aerodynamics. The cost is significant, but comes with palpable benefits to CdA.
Rather than bar tape, which may also produce unwanted drag, Evenpoel has opted for a thin layer of sandpaper to offer some grip at the very furthest point of the extension bars.
A similar minor gain can be seen at the bottle cage, where Evenepoel has chosen an aero Tacx bottle cage.
In terms of spec, there’s no surprise that Evenpoel has opted for a rear disc wheel, and is specifically using Roval’s 321 disc clincher wheel equipped with CeramicSpeed bearings on the rear. Both front and rear wheels were shod with Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres.
Given the profile of stage 10 of La Vuelta, we weren’t surprised to see him riding the same gear ratio as seen here, a substantial 58-tooth front chainring, and a 46-tooth inner chainring.
Evenepoel’s setup is completed by a Sitero Pro saddle, Specialized’s top tier time trial orientated perch.
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