Cavendish's Venge... new headset spacer

[MuppetMower]

Before Cav crashed out of the tour, the Venge he was riding had a headset spacer I hadn't seen before.

Anyone know if it is custom or if it will be on the 2015 Venges? I'd like to get something like this for mine.

[swiftvelo]

It's not new. They offer them in stock 8mm,15mm and 35mm. I've got one. Makes it look clean.

[dunbar42]

Mark should know better than to run that spacer above the stem on a Specialized.

[PoorCyclist]

^^^ I concur.. how did it went from this to the above which seems not too well thought out..

[tinozee]

Yeah I don't dig those weird frame specific spacers on the aero frames. That must be the 35mm one, it's a bit of a knob. What a hell of a slam dude took the other day. He fully deserved that outcome though.

[mitchgixer6]

I can only imagine he's having to run that spacer because he's now on a 49cm frame.

Just out of interest what's the issue with running a spacer above the stem on a Specialized?

[MuppetMower]

Swiftvelo, where are they available from? Specialized? I looked on their website but didnt see anything.

[Geoff]

I'm guessing that the way that Zipp stem clamps, in order to get the steerer tube safetly through the clamping zone, you need to have a bit of steerer poking through, necessitating the spacer.

[dwaharvey]

I don't get this setup either. Why run a 49cm frame with a 140mm stem and a fat spacer under it? Why not stick with the 52, use a smaller spacer, and a more reasonable stem length?

What's the big deal about the spacer above the stem? Having said that, I don't think it's needed with that stem because the upper bolt is quite a long way below the top of the stem.

[aaric]

Perhaps its because larger frames bang on your thighs more when you are rocking the bike hard back and forth in a sprint?

[mitchgixer6]

I'm sure I read somewhere he was on the smaller frame because he has a small torso relative to his legs.

I always thought it was better to have a spacer above the stem with a carbon fork rather than it having the top of the steerer slightly under the top of the stem?

[PoorCyclist]

Here is Tom Boonen's stem, I guess it is standard to install it like that from the OPQS mechanic.

"http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2014/01/20140109_©BrakeThrough-Media_AX7O6197-659x440.jpg"

[dwaharvey]

More likely small legs relative to his torso - he's on a 140mm stem after all, and his seat height looks pretty low.

[KWalker]

Specialized mandates the spacer above the stem for fork warranty purposes for the aforementioned clamping issues. I know this because I didn't have one above there and had a steerer tube crack and they wouldn't cover it.

His setup is kinda dumb. He should be on a 52 with no spacers and a 12-13cm stem. Even with a "short torso" he would fit on it just fine.

[eric]

I find it amusing that a bunch of internet experts are criticizing the fit of one of the winningest riders in the peloton.... based on just looking at his bike.

Admittedly if I saw a bike set up like that I'd wonder why the small frame and long stem. And if it was on some beginner's bike I'd think the frame was the wrong size. But in this case, given the knowledge and resources that's behind a big pro like Cavendish there could actually be a good reason for it. It would be interesting to find out.