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Reigning Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali of Astana will start the 2015 edition of the greatest grand tour aboard his custom Specialized S-Works Tarmac. Blue and silver paint covers the carbon frame and features a great white shark motif at the top tube / head tube junction in recognition of Nibali's nickname – the Shark of Messina.
Trails of yellow, red and pink follow in the shark's wake, representing the Italian's victories in the Tour de France (2014), the Vuelta a España (2010) and the Giro d’Italia (2013). These trails of grand tour success flow along the top tube and down on to the seatstays, where they end in a fittingly nautical trident. Nibali’s shark logo also features on the handlebars, stem and seatpost – special editions from FSA following last year's Tour.
The shark design is certainly striking
“I really like the graphics and the colours of this new bike,” Nibali said. “Being able to participate in its creation, along with the graphics team at Specialized, makes it even more personal. I feel that it’s really mine. Before coming to the final design, we went through some proposals and we found an agreement very quickly. Having my logo on it, the shark, makes me even happier.”
Nibali runs a full mechanical Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed groupset aside from the Specialized S-Works crankset, which is fitted with 53-39t chainrings, an SRM power meter and runs smooth with Ceramicspeed bearings. Like many top pros, The Shark of Messina is using Look Keo Blade 2 pedals.
The Corima S+ tubular wheels are 47mm deep with 18-front, 20-rear spokes and feature a gorgeous carbon checkerboard weave. They have an astonishing claimed weight of just 1,230g.
Cockpit and seatpost are from FSA's limited edition Shark components range, which was launched last October. The K-Force SB25 seatpost, K-Force Compact bars and K-Force OS-99 CSI stem also feature the yellow, red and pink Grand Tour colours on the shark's fin. The seatpost is topped with an unmarked Fizik Antares saddle and Tacx Deva Carbon bottle cages hold the champ's drinks securely.
- Frame and fork: Specialized S-Works Tarmac (56cm)
- Stem: FSA K-Force OS-99 CSI Shark, 120mm
- Bars: FSA K-Force Compact Shark, 42mm
- Front brake: Campagnolo Super Record
- Rear brake: Campagnolo Super Record
- Levers: Campagnolo Super Record
- Front derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
- Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
- Cassette: Campagnolo Super Record
- Crankset: Specialized S-Works with SRM power meter, 172.5mm
- Bottom bracket: Ceramic Speed
- Pedals: Look Keo Blade 2
- Wheelset: Corima S+
- Tubulars: Specialized, 24mm
- Saddle: Fizik Antares
- Seatpost: FSA K-Force SB25 Shark
- Bottle cages: Tacx Deva Carbon
Critical measurements
- Rider's height: 1.80m (5ft 10in)
- Rider's weight: 64 kg (141lb)
- Saddle height from BB, c-t: 75.5cm
- Tip of saddle to center of bar: 60cm
- Saddle-to-bar drop: 8cm
Stay up to date with the latest Nibali news at Cyclingnews.