The Crazy New Specialized S-Works Shiv Disc Arrives in Kona

The Crazy New Specialized S-Works Shiv Disc Arrives in Kona

This upcoming Saturday (10/13) marks the 40th anniversary of the original Ironman event. As the world’s best triathletes start arriving on the big island of Hawaii for the world championship race, a lot of cool new triathlon equipment will be coming along with them. Today,  Specialized unveiled the new S-Works Shiv Disc and it is absolutely bonkers.

Take a quick trip down memory lane and remember the last big triathlon bike reveal from Specialized, the Transition which launched in 2008. That bike (pictured below) was striking and different, but the new  Shiv Disc is something else altogether.

First off, storage needs, the new Shiv includes two Fuelcells;  one for hydration and one for bars, chews, or gels. The stated goal here was to allow athletes to carry enough hydration and food to bypass the aid stations for the first half of the bike leg. To allow that, the Shiv features a massive 1.5L/50oz storage tank that mounts behind the seat tube. From there, a hose routes up to the cockpit where it pokes out by the aero bars for fast, integrated hydration.

Of course, the Fuelcell also comes in the form of an almost comicly humongous aerofoil improve aerodynamics so you get your water and get a faster bike at the same time.

For nutrition, there is a  Fuelcell in the downtube which will fit 4-5 bars, 5-6 packs of chews, or 10-12 gels. The Fuelcell can also be removed so you can store a flat kit in the downtube, below the Fuelcell. On top of all that are bosses on the seat tube and top tube for additional storage.

Specialized says the bike was optimized for Kona, which they define as performing exceptionally well in the crosswinds the Island is known for. That design challenge led to the creation of a very interesting fork with legs that extend all the way up to the top of the head tube and a base bar that is integrated into the fork.

 

 

That base bar itself is pretty tricky, it offers three different positions without affecting aerodynamics. When traveling with the bike you simply loosen five bolts which then drops the basebars to the side of the fork legs for easy packing.

Specialized claims that the resulting bike is almost a minute faster than the fastest 2011 Shiv setup possible.