What you see below is my new S-WORKS SHIV courtesy of Specialized Australia. The new triathlon specific SHIV is an amazing machine to say the very least and I have often been lost for words in describing just how good it is. I have been riding the bike for a little while now and wanted to get some good km's in on it before posting about it here so I can describe the bike the best that I can. Here is my rundown on the SHIV.
First things first, THE FIT!
The amount of different positions/adjustments you can work with is really second to none. Without going into too much detail this basically means that you can really dial in your perfect setup. Recently I did a 200km training ride on the SHIV and it felt as comfortable if not more comfortable as my S-Works Venge road bike.
This is FAST!!!
Throwing all the UCI limitations out the door (which don't apply to triathletes anyway) Specialized have designed what is arguably the fastest TT bike on the market. Simply put, crazy fast!
Fuel-selage
The integrated water bladder is like nothing else ever developed. It fits into the down tube and means that you can hydrate while still being on the aerobars. What I have found as well is that being that it is right in front of you you are more likely to stay hydrated than if you are having to always reach for a drink bottle. For 70.3 races I will only being running 1 extra water bottle cage as I have found that the bladder can hold a full drink bottles worth of fluid.
A massive thanks to Specialized Australia for providing me with this amazing bike to ride. Hopefully I get to rack up some more wins on this machine soon enough.
*last 2 photos property of QUEST Newspapers*
