Quintana's big gears and wide bars on XS Canyon frame

Quintana's big gears and wide bars on XS Canyon frame

Colombian climber's bike has some surprising measurements

Nairo Quintana's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX, size XS

Ben Delaney / Immediate Media

Ben Delaney

Published: July 15, 2017 at 5:00 am
Nairo Quintana's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX, size XS - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Quintana might not keep these rings on for the whole Tour, but he was certainly using them early on in the race - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
You can't follow him on the bike, but you can follow him on social media - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
House brand stems have become more common in the pro peloton in recent years - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Quintana runs 42cm bars and a (mostly) blacked-out K-Edge Garmin mount. Note the team's custom Lizard Skins finishing tape - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Campagnolo Super Record 11 EPS. Not a shabby place to rest your hands - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Continental is the dominant player in the pro peloton, and 25mm is the de facto width - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Power2Max has provided wattage data for Movistar since 2014 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Canyon has its own tidy chain catcher that attaches at the lower bottle-cage bolt - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Ultimate's tidy EPS cable port - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some teams mark bottles by drink type; others mark by rider name - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Quintana has long favored the Antares - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media

Nairo Quintana (Movistar) stands 167cm high, just under 5'6", but you wouldn't know that by looking at certain parts of his bike.

Okay, so his size XS Canyon Ultimate CF SLX frame shows that the Colombian climber isn't nose-to-nose with Marcel Kittel.

But his 54t big ring, for at least some of the Tour de France stages, is bigger than that of German sprinter André 'the gorilla' Greipel, who uses a standard 53 these days.

Similarly, Quintana's 42cm bars are wider than the 40cm bars Greipel is using to squeeze out that last bit of aerodynamic advantage.

Quintana runs 42cm bars and a (mostly) blacked-out K-Edge Garmin mount. Note the team's custom Lizard Skins finishing tape - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media

For a climber, you could make the argument that an open chest for unrestricted breathing is more important than a small aero advantage. Greipel's bike is set up for the final 150 meters of flat stages; Quintana's is set up for the steep mountains. In any event, most of the Movistar team uses 42cm bars.

On stage 13, Quintana went on the attack, finishing second on the day and gaining back some time on overall leader Fabio Aru. Quintana now sits in eighth overall, 2:07 behind Aru.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Quintana's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX bike, and be sure to visit Cyclingnews.com for complete coverage of the 2017 Tour de France.

Quintana might not keep these rings on for the whole Tour, but he was certainly using them early on in the race - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media

Complete bike specifications

  • Frame: Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
  • Fork: Canyon One One Four SLX
  • Stem: Canyon alloy – 110mm
  • Handlebar: Canyon H32 Ergo CF – 42cm
  • Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record 11
  • Brake / shift levers: Campagnolo Super Record 11 EPS
  • Front derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record 11 EPS
  • Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record 11 EPS
  • Cassette: Campagnolo Super Record 11, 11-27t
  • Chain: Campagnolo Super Record 11
  • Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record 11, 54/42t
  • Power meter: Power2Max
  • Pedals: Look Keo Blade
  • Wheelset: Campagnolo Bora Ultra 35 front and 50 rear
  • Tubulars: Continental Competition Pro LTD, 25mm
  • Saddle: Fizik Antares
  • Bottle cages: Elite Cannibal

Critical measurements

  • Rider's height: 167cm / 5ft 6in
  • Rider's weight: 58kg / 128lb)
  • Saddle height: 69cm
  • Tip of saddle to bar: 53cm
  • Saddle-to-bar drop: 8cm

Ben Delaney

Contributor

Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
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