UCI non legal

In 2010 Specialized unveiled the Sworks Shiv TT and it was quickly adopted by some of the biggest names in the pro peloton, Fabian Cancellara, and Alberto Contador among them.

Not long after its release the UCI made a ruling that the nosecone under the stem was in breach of the 3:1 aerofoil rule and it was banned for use in UCI cycling events.

Specialized revised the design to a more conventional stem and exposed front brake for 2012 but the general shape of the frameset still remains unchanged now in the 2016 version.

Specialized also since decided to develop their intentional UCI non legal framesets specifically for triathlon use.

My love of the Specialized Shiv TT started in the 2013 winter off season.  I had signed up for my first Ironman 70.3 and was on the lookout for a TT bike.

I read all the magazines and was envious of the range of top end bikes with the integrated cockpits and accessories.  The Trek Speed Concept, Shiv Tri, Felt DA and IA models were all beyond my budget.

I then stumbled across a 2011 Shiv TT module at my local Specialized dealer.  It had been on display for two years and was for sale at a bargain price.  I went away and did some research and determined the the large size geometry was perfect for me.

With my intended use in Triathlon the UCI rules didn't apply although the Shiv TT version really was designed with outright speed in mind and far from optimized for long course triathlon use:

• Limited adjustments of elbow pad width and fore / aft position
• Fixed stem length and height
• Very low base bar position
• Aerofoil shaped stem clamp so base bars were not interchangeable
• S-bend Pursuit bars fixed to their mounting brackets
• No provision for Di2 electronic shift
• No provision for typical Tri accessories, e.g. integrated food, drink and storage 

A bit more researched revealed that Chris McCormack had ridden this exact bike to victory at the 2010 ironman world championships in Kona so I fugred I could make this thing more than fast enough for my aspirations of being a competitive age group triathlete.

So the decision was made and I became the proud owner of one of the fastest TT bikes ever made!

The bike came as a module with the frameset, carbon cranks, cockpit and aerobar fitment kit.

The Shiv TT was never designed for electric Di2 shifting so this appealed to my love of a technical challenge to create something unique.  Within a couple of weeks I had everything I needed start my build.