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TECH NEWS

Mark Cavendish to ride Cervélo in 2016?

Change of team means a change of bike and equipment for the Manxman next year

With the news confirmed this week that Mark Cavendish will be leaving the Etixx - Quick-Step team for Data Dimension (formerly MTN-Qubeka) for 2016, Cavendish won’t just be swapping team kit, he’ll also switch bikes, from his Specialized Venge to a Cervélo S5.

That is if Cervélo continues to be the bike sponsor of the team in 2016. With the Canadian company signing a multi-year deal with the south African team this year, it’s unlikely Specialized will be able to oust Cervélo as the bike and equipment supplier, despite Mark Cavendish having a long-standing relationship with Specialized.

- 2015 Pro Bikes: MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung’s Cervélo S5

There is no suggestion that Specialized will follow Cavendish to this new team, as there was back in 2012 when rumours circulated that Specialized would replace Pinarello as team sponsor of Team Sky when he moved from HTC-Highroad to Team Sky. The rumour never materialised, Sky continued with Pinarello, and Mark Cavendish spent a season racing a Dogma.

It's worth remembering that the Manxman has enjoyed a strong relationship with Specialized. The majority of his race wins throughout his career has been aboard a Specialized. This looks like being the end of that fruitful and close relationship, one which has even spawned a range of signature products. It’s easy to see why Specialized would be keen to keep Cavendish on a Specialized, he has a high marketing value.

So if we presume Cervélo continues to supply bikes to the Data Dimension team next year, we’ll see Cavendish riding a Cervélo. Cervélo, it shouldn't need reminding, is a company used to winning - its partnership with CSC (2003-2008) netting many race victories and its own Test Team (2009-2010) bringing much success, followed by the Garmin-Cervélo team.

What bike will he choose to ride? The Canadian brand has a few bikes its racers can choose from, with different frames to suit different conditions. Cavendish has long favoured the Specialized Venge aero road bike so he would naturally gravitate towards the S5, the most aerodynamic road bike in Cervélo’s range. There is also the S3 and R5 at his disposal. 

 

Cervélo to sponsor MTN-Qhubeka in 2015

It won’t be the first time Mark has had to get used to a different frame. He started off on a Scott Addict and Foil with Team Mobile before swapping to Specialized with HTC-Highroad. He has done a stint on a Pinarello as well, so it’s clear, as with most top level racers, that he is able to swap to a different bike with ease.

Mark Cavendish's Specialized Venge

Regardless of the change of frame, it’s likely he’ll still be using the same Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 he has been using this year with Etixx-Quick Step. The MTN team is sponsored by Rotor and uses its 3D+ chainsets. We know Mark Cavendish can be demanding of his kit - he doesn’t ride the same FSA chainsets that the rest of the Etixx team has been riding this season, instead preferring a Shimano Dura-Ace chainset.

- Review: Cervélo S5 - first ride review

MTN is currently sponsored by Enve for wheels and Schwalbe for tyres, so a bit of a change from Zipp and Roval wheel stock there for Cavendish to get used to. The bikes are fitted with 3T handlebars and stems and Selle Italia saddles.

- Tour de France 2015 Bikes: Steve Cummings' Cervélo S5

It’ll be a while before we see Cavendish donning his new Dimension Data team kit and Cervélo race bike, likely in the first training camp in January once his previous contract expires.

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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16 comments

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Yorky-M | 8 years ago
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anyone able to educate me and Cervelo on frames. Steve Cummings servile was at eurobike with a 15cm stem, slammed and 50mm, yes 50mm of layback. Real a yank winning the Giro on similar. Do servile frames not fit bike riders or just big american bike riders ?

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Vencel67 | 8 years ago
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First post on here after lurking for way too long. I think Cav was actually on a Giant TCR when he first signed with T-Mobile. IIRC, he used that through Team High Road then Columbia, switching to the Addict in 2009.

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RobD | 8 years ago
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Aren't Cervelo also supplying the British Olympic team? might be a slightly useful thing is he's as determined to ride the track in the Olympics as it seems.
They're also one of the best aero specialists (or so it would seem) of all the manufacturers so would probably be pretty ideal to help him find an little advantages that he could.
That being said, if he can get the form that he's capable of it probably wouldn't matter much what he was riding.

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fennesz | 8 years ago
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I'm guessing he'll do his job with the equipment that he's paid to use by his trade team.

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vonhelmet | 8 years ago
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If he's still got the goods, then I'm sure he can deliver then on any reasonably aero bike.

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Super Domestique | 8 years ago
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There were strong rumours that Cav was happier on the old Venge (brakes I think, possibly cured with the disc version) so maybe Spesh won't mind. They will have Kittel on a Venge most likely next year anyway.

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steviemarco | 8 years ago
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"It's not about the bike"

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trickydicky666 replied to steviemarco | 8 years ago
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steviemarco wrote:

"It's not about the bike"

stick him on a penny farthing and tell him that?

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vonhelmet replied to trickydicky666 | 8 years ago
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trickydicky666 wrote:
steviemarco wrote:

"It's not about the bike"

stick him on a penny farthing and tell him that?

Don't be facetious.

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Leviathan replied to steviemarco | 8 years ago
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steviemarco wrote:

"It's not about the bike"

Given the number of posts on this page compared to the number on the team transfer page, then yes it is about the bike.

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Poptart242 | 8 years ago
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Given that he and a few others have backed away from the new Venge, probably a good thing? Didn't he ride the previous model on the Champs this year?

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joules1975 replied to Poptart242 | 8 years ago
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Poptart242 wrote:

Given that he and a few others have backed away from the new Venge, probably a good thing? Didn't he ride the previous model on the Champs this year?

British Champs? he rode the newest version (google some images - the handlebars are a clear giveaway).

World champs? he wasn't there.

He was on the newest version at the Tour of Britain too.

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quiff replied to joules1975 | 8 years ago
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joules1975 wrote:
Poptart242 wrote:

Given that he and a few others have backed away from the new Venge, probably a good thing? Didn't he ride the previous model on the Champs this year?

British Champs? he rode the newest version (google some images - the handlebars are a clear giveaway).

World champs? he wasn't there.

He was on the newest version at the Tour of Britain too.

On the Champs (Elysées, in the TdF. Don't know what he was riding though).

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shifty27 replied to quiff | 8 years ago
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Yes he was riding on the old Venge as he said the brakes just aren't on par with the dura ace ones. Specialized have a unique brake for the new venge so he rode the old venge...

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Poptart242 replied to quiff | 8 years ago
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quiff wrote:
joules1975 wrote:
Poptart242 wrote:

Given that he and a few others have backed away from the new Venge, probably a good thing? Didn't he ride the previous model on the Champs this year?

British Champs? he rode the newest version (google some images - the handlebars are a clear giveaway).

World champs? he wasn't there.

He was on the newest version at the Tour of Britain too.

On the Champs (Elysées, in the TdF. Don't know what he was riding though).

Yup, that's what I meant. Would make sense if it was a brake issue given the weather.

Just found a shot here - old bike, you can see the brakes.

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/07/20155097-276968.jpg

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benclark88 replied to joules1975 | 8 years ago
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On the old one here > http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00971/Tour_of_Britain_2...

I read he wasn't happy to ride the new one on anything remotely mountainous as the brakes aren't up to scratch. Even if he does miss the Venge, there are worse bikes to be replacing it with than the S5...

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