Andrew Strauss' Specialized Shiv

Several people have asked me to write a quick article going over my setup for IM Boulder, and as my bike is one of my favorite subjects, I am happy to oblige.

In 2013, I purchased this Specialized Shiv Comp Rival Mid Compact and have been slowly upgrading it ever since. I have long legs and a short torso, so needed to find a frame that would allow me to get my saddle high enough while not causing me to have to reach too far to rest my arms on the pads. The Shiv is a great fit for me, and I love its internal hydration bladder (the Fuelselage).

The drivetrain has been upgraded to a combination of DURA-ACE and Ultegra Di2 components. Shifters and brake levers are DURA-ACE. Front and Rear derailleur are Ultegra. I went with Ultegra because I wanted to run an 11-32 cassette in the rear, and Shimano doesn't make a 32 tooth compatible rear derailleur in the DURA-ACE series. I will be publishing a separate detailed article about the 11-32 Ultegra cassette and the RD-6870-GS rear derailleur, but will tell you now that I absolutely love it. The Di2 battery is hidden in my seat post. I have a 5 port junction on my stem, which isn't the best location aerodynamically, but is convenient. There is a 4 port junction in the frame under the bottom bracket. I had to dremel out this cavity a little bit to fit the junction. Crank (FSA Gossamer) and chain rings came stock with the bike. Chain is a KMC X11SL. I have been happy with the KMC chain thus far, and like that it has a master link.

Wheels are FLO 60s front and rear. I like the FLO wheels a lot, and would not hesitate to buy them again. I went with 60s as I have had issues with crosswinds in the past and am a bit timid. After riding with the 60s for almost a year now, I think that I was a little too conservative, and regret not going with at least a 90 in the rear.

Brakes are TriRig Omega SVs front and rear. I hated the V-brakes that came with the Shiv. The Omega SVs are easier to adjust and provide plenty of stopping power. Brake housing is Jagwire Road Elite link segmented housing. I like this housing a lot as it is light, durable, and easy to adjust, but I hate the kits that Jagwire sells. They don't work very well for an internally cabled Tri bike. I had to get supplemental parts from Jagwire twice, and still didn't wind up with an ideal setup. If I had to do it over again, I would use a segmented product from a different manufacturer.

My saddle is a Specialized Sitero. I tried various saddles from ISM, Cobb, Specialized and Dash, and found that the Sitero fit my body best. Pedals are TriRig Mercury, which I have found to be simple, lightweight, and easy to use.

For hydration, I have a Glen Alden BTA mount with Garmin computer attachment. I like how stable and lightweight the mount is, and how I can position the Garmin as far forward as possible. Behind the saddle, I have an XLAB carbon wing with two bottles and a small bag for extra parts. I did IM Boulder on liquids only. I used the saddle bottles for a high calorie fuel mix, stored water in the Shiv's internal bladder (Fuelselage), and used the BTA mount for course bottles. This setup worked well, but was a little overkill. Next year, I will most likely just use a single saddle bottle. Cages were all XLAB Gorilla XTs, which is by far my favorite cage.

For storage, I have a bag attached to the XLAB carbon wing, a Dark Speed Works top tube bag, and a Specialized Fuel Cell. This was also overkill. I will most likely get rid of either the top tube bag or the Fuel Cell. I haven't decided which just yet. I don't like the look of the top tube bag, and it doesn't hold very much. I originally used it to hold gels, but have since changed to an all liquid nutrition plan. As far as the Fuel Cell goes, I hate how its cap keeps coming off on its own, and how it won't hold most of my flat kit.

I have a salt stick dispenser in both my extensions. I had to Dremel a notch out of the back to route the Di2 wires below the salt stick dispensers, but that was quite easy to do, and I really like having the salt sticks completely inside of the extensions.

I think that covers just about everything. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.