Tour Tech 2016: Vincenzo Nibali's 'shark' Specialized Tarmac

Vincenzo Nibali has become used to riding a custom painted bike  - I can't remember the last time he rode a stock bike - and at the Tour de France he's spinning this specially painted Specialized Tarmac with a design based on his Shark of Messina nickname.

Underneath the paint, the frame is essentially the same as the Specialized Tarmac that Alberto Contador is riding.  It's Specialized's current flagship race bike, the go-to all-round race bike that suits general classification contenders.

The shark motif on the down tube...

...and on the top tube, a reminder of the years in which he claimed victories in each of the three Grand Tours.

Nibali’s bike is built on with very different components to Contador's bike, and the build is centred around a Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed groupset which, like Contador, is mechanical rather than electronic.

The preference for mechanical seems to be based on the idea that it’s more reliable than an electronic groupset, even though Shimano’s Di2 and Campagnolo’s EPS have proven to be very reliable over the past few years.

AN SRM crank-based power meter tracks his power and energy output and the numbers are displayed on a computer mounted to the handlebar. 

The overall bike weight is kept low thanks to the Corima S+ wheels which weigh a claimed 1,130g thanks to a shallow 32mm rim profile and carbon fibre construction, and the use of just 18/20 spokes in each wheel. The rims are fitted with Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres in a 24mm width.

Nibali, of course, uses his own signature FSA K-Force seatpost, stem and handlebar, each component made from carbon fibre and decorated with the shark motif.

White bar tape wraps the handlebars and there are FSA stickers on the front of the bars, something that has become a lot more common in recent years as brands look for even more exposure.

Nibali should be riding a Specialized saddle, like the rest of the team, but he's not. Instead, he uses a Fizik Antares that is blacked out with any identifying logos removed. We’d imagine Fizik has produced a special saddle with the plain black upper.

Review: Fizik Antares

CeramicSpeed bearings are a common upgrade in the peloton.