This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.
With almost every change of team comes a change of bike supplier. For 2015 Nicolas Roche has switched from Specialized to Pinarello after leaving Tinkoff-Saxo for Team Sky.
The Irishman has been drafted in to provide cover and support for Chris Froome at this year’s Tour de France, but with a Grand Tour pedigree of his own, Roche will also be looking for his own successes on the road in 2015.
At the Team Sky’s recent training camp in Mallorca, team mechanics were busy putting the finishing touches to Roche's Pinarello Dogma F8, the team’s staple road machine for the new season. Thanks to our friends at Cyclingnews, we’ve got plenty of photos of the rider’s new bike.
The Dogma F8 is Pinarello's top-end, top-price road bike
Roche rides a 53cm frame, which introduced a selection of aero enhancements over Pinarello’s previous top-end Dogma 65.1 Think2. These included a less wobbly fork, similar to the Bolide TT bike, as well as concaved seatstays and truncated aerofoil FlatBack tubes – all thanks to the brand’s partnership with Jaguar Land Rover’s aerodynamics team.
Roche’s bike is equipped with a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain; the rear derailleur’s cable popping out the very back of the chainstay-seatstay junction. The front derailluer’s job is to hoik the chain over the Dura-Ace crankset – which is still utterly gorgeous – with Roche naturally going for a 53/39T chainring setup. The non-driveside crank arm also houses the Stages Cycling power meter.
Direct mount Dura-Ace brakes offer keen stopping power on the rims of the carbon Dura-Ace C50 wheels, which are wrapped in Veloflex tubs.
Shimano’s component arm Pro provides a fully alloy cockpit, which is nicely customised with Sky’s trademark blue line detailing. Keeping Roche’s backside happy will be the ever-popular Fizik Antares saddle.
Roche uses a Garmin Edge 810 for data tracking
A Garmin Edge 810 sits out front so there’ll be no getting lost on rides – or maybe to keep an eye on power. From the pic, it looks like Roche’s default screen includes riding time, three-second power, cadence, speed (km/h), heart rate and distance.
Roche spent several days riding with Chris Froome at the Team Sky’s training camp and will make his 2015 season debut along side his team leader at the Ruta del Sol in Southern Spain (18 to 22 February).
Check out all the pictures in the gallery above.
Complete bike specs
- Frame: Dogma F8 – Carbon 11001K Torayca
- Fork: Onda F8 Carbon 11001K Torayca 1in 1/8 - 1in 1/2 integral system
- Rear stay: Onda RS F8 Carbon 11001K Torayca
- Seatpost: Air 8
- Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C50
- Tyres: Veloflex tubs
- Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
- Derailleurs: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
- Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace
- Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace
- Power meter: Stages
- Cockpit: Pro
- Computer: Garmin Edge 810
- Saddle: Fizik Antares
- Sizes: 42, 44, 46.5, 47, 50, 51.5, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57.5, 59.5 and 62
- Frame weight: 860g
- Bottom bracket: Italian threaded
