This article first appeared on Cyclingnews.
Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) begins his 2019 season at the UAE Tour later this month, and like all of his Bahrain-Merida teammates, will likely race on a disc-equipped Merida Reacto or Scultura.
Unlike Nibali's teammates, however, the Italian — along with Bahrain-Merida leaders Domenico Pozzovivo, Rohan Dennis and Damiano Caruso — has the option to opt out of racing discs for specific races.
The remainder of the squad will race with disc brakes throughout, joining the likes of Trek-Segafredo, Katusha-Alpecin, Bora-Hansgrohe and Deceuninck-QuickStep who have all committed to racing on discs for the entire season.
Nibali has a reputation for a racing style from a bygone era, attacking on impulse and feeling, rather than the more calculated approaches that focus on watts seen in recent years.
During Nibali's foray into the cobbled Classics early last season — and again during the Roubaix stage of the Tour de France — Nibali opted for mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 gearing on his bikes, likely preferring the mechanical feedback when changing gears on the rough cobbles.
Seen here, Nibali's Merida Reacto is running a Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 groupset, paired with an SRM Origin crankset.
FSA provides the cockpit components for Bahrain-Merida, while Prologo provides the contact points of handlebar tape and a Bahrain-Merida team-issue saddle.
Just how often, and for what types of races, we will see Nibali use his team privilege to opt for rim brakes over discs when racing remains to be seen.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for a closer look at Vincenzo Nibali's 2019 Merida Reacto.
Vincenzo Nibali's full bike specifications
- Frameset: Merida Reacto Disc
- Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 160mm rotor
- Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9120, 140mm rotor
- Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170
- Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
- Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150
- Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, 11-30
- Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100
- Crankset: SRM Origin with Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 chainrings, 172.5mm cranks
- Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing 55t
- Tyres: Continental Competition ALX, 25mm tubular
- Stem: FSA OS-99, 125mm
- Handlebars: FSA K-Force Light, 420mm
- Tape/grips: Prologo
- Saddle: Prologo Zero Nack Team Issue
- Seatpost: Merida Reacto Carbon
- Bottle cages: Elite Custom Race Plus
- Computer: SRM PC-8