Shiv 3.0 - Now UCI Legal, soon to be seen under "Spartacus"!

[mythical]

Apparently there was a press release on May 22nd with video. I saw it mentioned only once here and nobody responded...and perhaps it's light was obscured by the introduction of the Trek Speed Concept... I thought it deserved its own thread.


Where most of the changes have been made:

[Craigagogo]

"All that engineering effort, gone into making a fast bike slower. Sad." Thank-you UCI

[kouzman]

what a pitty!

i really liked to original shiv! Not it like like the transition front.

Nevertheless the bike has KILLER looks and hopefully performance!

[SEQUIPA]

what breaks are those? looks like some breaks i used long long time ago.

[SEQUIPA]

http://www.tektro.com/02products/12qb.php Tektros

[Murphs]

They are the same brakes that the Transition uses IIRC.

[scooter916]

isn't that just a pic with the "Nose Cone" removed so the front brake could be adjusted and cables ran?
we just got out 2011 pre-season catalog form Specialized and it shows the Shiv with the "Nose cone"

[Murphs]

No, the pro version has no nose cone.

Bike Radar article

Specialized's original Shiv time trial bike has a world championship to its name, yet in 2010, it's been deemed illegal in competition by the UCI. That Shiv frameset module (frame, fork, brakes, seatpost and aero bars) is still for sale for US$5,500, but Astana and Saxo Bank's Shiv time trial bikes have been modified twice to comply with the UCI's rules.

...

"The production Shiv that's still in stores is one of the few bikes that consumer can buy that's aerodynamically faster than the team's bikes," said Sims. "The biggest market for us with this bike is triathlon and they don't have the same rules so they can be all about maximum aerodynamics."

[Tapeworm]

Before I would buy this bike I'd want it in writing from the UCI, signed, stamped and sealed, that it is legal. Given that the last two were "legal" if only for a couple of races.

[Murphs]

The retail version is not UCI legal

[CarlosFerreiro]

isn't that just a pic with the "Nose Cone" removed so the front brake could be adjusted and cables ran?

On the Shiv v1 nose cone version the brake mounts are reveresed from this photos and fix on the nosecone, not the fork - part of the justification for claiming the nosecone as legal was making it "structural".
These photos also show the new v3 frame/fork design - Shiv v2 that got declared illegal at the Volta ao Algarve didn't have the nosecone, but the frame still had fillets behind the fork to smooth the airflow. Those didn't fit the UCI geometry envelope, so now the fillets are on the fork instead, and that passes
As Murphs says the retail version at the moment is v1 - the fastest one - but it's only UCI legal for this year in womens/masters events. Not sure what Specialized will do for 2011 - they'll presumably need to sell a UCI legal version to meet the regs, but maybe will choose to have a design that lets you bolt on a nosecone for Tri or other non-UCI events. Or maybe it's not worth the hassle for the sales....

[mitre_tester]

Triathlon and domestic time trials are a bigger market than UCI-legal, so the original one with the nose come will surely be the one to keep in the retail range. A very small number of people are good enough to need a dedicated TT bike for UCI-sanctioned racing.

[Dalai]

Triathlon and domestic time trials are a bigger market than UCI-legal, so the original one with the nose come will surely be the one to keep in the retail range. A very small number of people are good enough to need a dedicated TT bike for UCI-sanctioned racing.

Not neccessarily... Some countries like Australia follow the UCI rules to the letter regardless of ability...

[mitre_tester]

There are only 21 million Australians, compared with 300 million US citizens, and Aussie triathletes are bound by ITU regulations, not UCI. Even allowing that Aussies are far more likely to engage in sport than Merkins, that's still a small market for a US company to worry about. Our local (West London) Specialized sponsored team are on Transitions this year, it will be interested to see whether the sponsor thinks it worthwhile to upgrade them to the Shiv when they become available.

[Dalai]

Although bikes are outselling cars now in Australia for at least the last couple of years, you are correct we are not a market that will direct global bike company decisions.

My point was more along the UCI rule changes. Other countries are more liberal with following the UCI directives and have taken a more sensible approach to not enforce the latest handlebar aspect ratio rulings for example. Here in Australia, even amateur road racers (as you say, Triathletes can still use the latest and greatest equipment ) have to be constantly aware of the latest rule updates. This is a pain and is an added expense...