Bike Build: Specialized Shiv Elite A1... with some mods.

While waiting to get back on a stealthy Shiv TT rig again after my ''van Summeren" moment on Richmond Boulevard, I pulled the trigger on a budget TT bike, a Specialized Shiv Elite A1 Apex.

The budget-minded Shiv Elite features a lightweight alloy frame with UCI-legal airfoil tubing, a stiff carbon fork, and our Hydroformed Alloy Aerobar for wind-cheating speed and solid handling. The SRAM Apex 10-speed drivetrain adds reliability and efficiency.

Out-of-the-box pretty.... A good starting canvas.

These bikes hit the market somewhere around the $1500 mark, then dropped to $999, and if you're lucky you'll find one lower than that. I've pointed a few people towards these rigs in the past and they've been happily TTing away on them.

Everything comes in one massive box, wheels and all, partially assembled. Thanks to the guys at The Ride Cycles, the first thing I did in the workshop was to disassemble everything to start the build from scratch with my own parts. I had a plan to squeeze more speed from the budget-beast.

I'm very happy with the result. I was able to set this up with the exact measurements from the Shiv. The basebar is a little higher, but the arm pads are spot on for height.

Done!

Swapped out parts:

Groupset: SRAM Apex -> Shimano Dura-Ace 7800/7900 mix.
Cranks: SRAM S150 -> SRM Wireless Ant+ 175mm.
Brakes: Tektro -> Shimano Ultegra Rear, TRP T925 Front.
Brake Levers: TRP TL720 Aero lever -> Shimano Dura-Ace BL-TT79 Carbon.
Saddle: Romin Evo Comp -> Specialized Sitero.
Stem: Specialized EliteSet -> 3T -17degree 110mm.
Headset: 20mm spacer cone -> Replaced with low profile spacer.

Modifications:

Basebar: Kicks removed from outside/brake levers to flatten the front end.
TT bars:  Shortened to meet 2014 UCI regulations (80cm from tip of lever to center BB). Mounted underneath the basebar. 
TT pads: Slammed on top of base bar. Secured with longer bolt into the TT bars on the underside.

RIP Shiv 2012-2013 :(

After a few days in the carbon ICU at Luescher Teknik, we made the executive decision to switch off life support to the Shiv. The fall that should have been a standard 'brush yourself off son and get on with it' scenario. It wasn't that at all. I'd pretty much WWF slammed the frame sideways into the ground at 47km/h. Not exactly what it was designed for. Neither was my clavicle, that is another story. I'm just lucky the finish line on the day was only 200m up the road, one small bump and I'd have been riding it into the ground rodeo style!

After 1000s of training k's, 1000s more on the ergo, and chasing TTs all over the place - I'm a bit down about parting ways with my trusty friend. Yeah, it is only bike. I'm sure all riders will relate with the statement - "but we've been through so much".

I thought I'd trawl though my race logs for some stats for a tribute to the Shiv..... a TTribute.... for lack of a better word. I know it isn't all about the bike, but this is hands down the one I've had the most success on. If the next rig I'm on is 1/2 as successful as this one was, it'll have a pretty hard good life too. :)

Stats from the last 14 months:
 
- 32 TT events raced.
- 28 wins.
- 31 podiums.
- 10th at the Elite Nationals.
- 700km race kms on the rivet!
- Championship wins across three states.
- Numerous course records.
- A few sneaky Strava KOMs.
- One on course lay down.... :(
- Not one DNF! Rock solid equipment!

2012:
June 6 Wangaratta Tour 2012 - Stage 2 TT A Grade 1st Place
June 10 Blackburn CC Kew ITT - A Grade 1st Place.
June 16 Coburg CC ITT Wildwood - A Grade 1st Palace
June 23 Northern Combine ITT Champs - 1st Place
June 30 Cycling Victoria Paraparap ITT Open Elite - 1st Place
July 14 Cycling Victoria Phillip Island ITT Open Elite - 1st Place
August 8 Cycling Victoria Masters State ITT Champs - 1st Place MMAS1/Fastest Time.
August 11 Ballarat-Sebas CC ITT 1st Place A Grade.
Sept 8 NSW State Masters ITT Champs - 1st Place MMAS1/Fastest Time.
Sept 15 Geelong CC ITT - 1st Place A Grade
Oct 3 Cycling Australia Masters Nationals ITT Champs - 1st Place MMAS1/Fastest Time.
Nov 17 Coburg CC ITT in Bright - 1st Place
Nov 19 Alpine CC ITT - 1st Place
Dec 1 Tour of Bright. Stage 2 ITT. 1st Place MMAS1/2/3
Dec 18 Seymour Broadford CC Tuesday Night TT - 1st Place
2013:
Jan 9 Cycling Australia National TT Championships. 10th place Elite.
Jan 23 SA Vets Woodchsester - 1st Place MMAS2/Fastest Time.
Feb 16 Horsham Tri - Fastest TT leg.
March 3 Northen Cycling ITT Champs - 1st Place/Fastest Time.
March 30 South Pacific and Vic State Vets ITT Championships - 1st Place MMAS2/Fastest Time.
April 21 Blackburn CC Kew ITT - 1st Place A Grade
April 27 Tour of the Southwest. Stage 2 ITT. 1st Place Masters A.
May 5 Cycling South Australia Masters State ITT Champs. 1st Place MMAS2/Fastest Time.
May 19 Blackburn CC Kew ITT - 1st Place A Grade
May 25 Cycling Victoria Paraparap ITT Open Elite - 1st Place
June 6 Wangaratta Tour 2013 - Stage 2 TT A Grade 1st Place
June 16 Blackburn CC Kew ITT - 2nd Place A Grade
June 23 Cycling Victoria Castlemaine Elite Open ITT - 1st Place.
June 29 Geelong CC ITT - 1st Place A Grade
July 13 Cycling Victoria Phillip Island ITT Open Elite - 1st Place
July 28 Cycling Victoria State Clubs Teams TTT Champs - 2nd place Elite.
Aug 3 Cycling Victoria Wangaratta ITT Open Elite - 3rd place.... including a crash... and RIP Shiv.

Specialized Australia HQ - A Quick Tour

Von and I had the opportunity this week to drop past Specialized Australia HQ in Port Melbourne. I've seen snippets of what they do behind the scenes on Le Tour Prologue, seeing it all in person was something else!

Specialized are unique in the industry as they not only sell bikes across all ranges, they also cover gear (helmets, shoes, clothes), equipment (saddles, tyres, etc), and offer professional bike fit services (Body Geometry) - and on top of this they run Specialized Bicycles Component University (SBCU) to train the masses who'll be selling and servicing their gear. I had to explain that to put the photos in context - They do A LOT!

Best smile I could crack while freshly broken.

Training area - Retail shop and workshop fit out. Very impressive!

Lunch with bikes. My kind of lunch room.

Training session on hold... they were all out riding.

Body Geometry Sunbeds. (A good tan is a MUST when it comes to correct bike fit)

Dual fridge configuration. The one on the left is for UCI certified 3:1 food.

Mmmmmm S-Works McLaren TT lid. I drooled like Tony Martin over this.

Behind glass - Police line up. This bike looked like the culprit.

Melburn Roobaix corporate infiltration! It is the new Fight Club!

One thing that stood out for me today was that everyone I met was truly passionate about cycling. The staff bike parking area was FULL! A little birdy even tells me their Sports Marketing Specialist has just entered the Noosa Triathlon in November. (Good luck Emily!)

If you're not on a Specialized bike then maybe their shoes, helmets, or butt-measured-for-perfect-fit saddle is the item on your shopping list to make your bike time more enjoyable. (I have to confess, when Skinny Luke at Total Rush loaned me a Romin saddle a few years back he was unable to pry it from underneath me.... and I'm still riding it!)

I could have taken a billion more photos of everyone involved behind the scenes - It was a busy operation keeping one of the world's biggest bike brands ticking along in Australia. So next time you're in at Total Rush, Bike Gallery, Bike'n'Bean, or any Specialized dealer in Australia, you'll know the people you're dealing with are skilled up, well fed, and have had a blast ripping around on the latest Specialized bikes between training sessions. They know the gear inside out.

Huge thanks to Dave and the crew at Specialized for their ongoing support and offering to show us their HQ.