Giro Tech 2013: The road bikes - part 1

The Giro d’Italia has already treated us to some enthralling racing, and we’re just as interested in the bikes the riders are on. Our man Simon was out at the start and he sent us back loads of pictures that we’ll be showing you over the next few days. Let’s start with Team Sky’s Pinarellos…

This is the Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Think 2 – quite a mouthful, that – belonging to Team Sky’s Rigoberto Uran. The Colombian rider finished seventh overall in last year’s Giro d’Italia and took the silver medal in the Olympic road race.

The frame is made from 65ton high modulus 1K Torayca carbon fibre – Pinarello claim a frame weight of 920g (54cm model) – and so is the wiggly fork.

Sky use Shimano components – in this case a Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset and DA C35 wheels. The stem and handlebar are from Pro, which is Shimano’s brand.

Uran uses Shimano’s Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals with a plate across the centre that is replaceable if it wears out. The saddles come from Italy’s Fizik. That looks like an Aliante on Uran’s bike.

Number 181 is the bike belonging to Sir Bradley Wiggins. The setup is very similar except that Wiggo goes for deeper section C50 wheels. The full carbon-fibre rims are 50mm deep for improved aerodynamics although they’re a little heavier than the C35s (1,396g versus 1,339g, according to Shimano’s own figures). The tubular tyres are from Veloflex.

Wiggo uses Speedplay pedals which offer loads of float, rather than Shimano SPD SL, and he’s back on round chainrings having ditched the Osymetrics this year. That saddle looks like a Fizik Arione CX with braided carbon rails.

We’re not sure of that stem length but it looks about 140mm to us, and he has it slammed right down on to the top of the head tube.

BMC Racing Team obviously ride bikes from Swiss brand BMC and this is Taylor Phinney’s Teammachine SLR01. Phinney got a stage win in last year’s Giro (individual time trial) and finished fourth in both the Olympic road race and time trial.

Like Wiggins, Phinney is using Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 groupset. Check out the spacing of the chainset’s spider arms. Shimano have moved from five arms to four arms now, figuring that the fifth arm was doing little other than adding weight.

Phinney is using DA pedals and Shimano C50 wheels but this time with Continental Competition tubs. They ‘re made with Conti’s grippy Black Chili compound with a layer of cut-resistant Vectran under the tread.

Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali has won the Vuelta a Espana in the past and has finished second and third in the Giro. Having been on Liquigas roster for several years, he’s on the Astana team these days and they ride Specialized bikes.

This is the S-Works Tarmac frame and forks and Astana use Campagnolo groupsets. This is Nibali’s spare bike with Record EPS electronic shifting.

Those are Specialized’s own S-Works cranks and Look Keo Blade carbon pedals. You get the choice of two different cleat retention blades: 12 or 16 Nm. We’ve never seen a pro’s bike without the 16.

The wheels are Corima Viva S, introduced into the lineup for 2013. The rims are 32mm deep and the hubs are Corima’s own S design. The complete wheels (not including the quick releases) are 480g (f) and 710g (r), according to Corima’s figures.

FSA have a really big presence in the pro peloton, providing the bars, stems and seatposts for Astana and many other teams.

Omega Pharma Quick Step are on Specialized too, although Mark Cavendish’s bike, pictured here, is a Venge – he had some input on the design a few years back. It’s designed to combine stiffness and efficient aerodynamics.

Those are Zipp 808 wheels on there – 82mm deep with go-faster dimples.

And that’s a Zipp SL145 all-carbon stem. It must be super-stiff to handle all the forces Cav puts out in a sprint.

The groupset is SRAM Red mechanical – SRAM and Zipp being part of the same group. This is the existing 10-speed version, by the way. None of the teams have yet taken delivery of SRAM’s new 11-speed kit. Cav is another rider who uses Look Keo Blade carbon pedals. 

Carlos Betancur of Colombia has joined the AG2R-La Mondiale team this year and they’ve switched from Kuota to Focus bikes. This is an Izalco.

They use Campagnolo groupsets, Betnacur’s bike being fitted with an SRM power meter. Campag’s support extends to the wheels – these are Fulcrum Racing Speed XLRs, Fulcrum being Campagnolo’s brand, with superlight Schwalbe Ultremo HT tyres fitted.

Check out the stem, by the way. Fizik, the saddle brand, is moving into bars, stems, and seatposts, and AG2R-La Mondiale are trialling them this year ahead of their release onto the market.

There’s one of the seatposts and that’s a Fizik Aliante saddle that Betancur has fitted on top.