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Tour de France Pro Bike: Alexander Vinokourov’s Astana Tarmac SL4

He may be gone from the Tour, but Vino's Specialized Tarmac SL4 still deserves a look

July 12, 2011 Nick Legan

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Vino’s exit from his final Tour may have been welcomed by some (though not in the fashion he did so) but the Kazakh is one of the most exciting racers in the peloton.

His Astana team bike is Specialized’s newest edition of the Tarmac, the SL4. Only a few frames were available in time for the Tour’s start and Vino was the only rider on Astana to get one.

Tour — More and more pro teams are using chain catchers and why shouldn’t they? They add functional weight to bikes that are below the UCI minimum and they keep riders from unnecessary stops thanks to a dropped chain. They simply make sense.

Tour — The SRAM Red cassette and chain show some signs of the first week’s weather at the Tour. A bit of surface rust is nothing to worry about though.

Tour — Both Saxo Bank and Astana ride on Specialized branded tubulars. They are, in fact, made by Veloflex in Italy for the American brand.

Tour — Vino kept tabs on his energy expenditure with a Specialized BB30 SRM. Even with the added weight his Specialized Tarmac SL4 was at the UCI weight limit.

Tour — Vino was the only rider on Astana to receive Specialized’s Tarmac SL4. The bike was launched just before the Tour and only targeted riders were given frames.

Tour — Carbon Tao cages from Tacx work well and keep weight low.

Tour — Vino uses FSA’s Monolink seatpost for Selle Italia saddles. The carbon post offers an incredible amount of adjustability.

Tour — Vino isn’t a tall guy and that is reflected in his position numbers. Seat height is 70.6cm and reach is 56cm. He uses 172.5mm crank arms and his integrated bar/stem has an effective 12cm stem and 42cm bars.

Tour — Vino left the Tour after a scary crash that broke his femur. As number 61 he was the assigned team leader.

Tour — Vino’s saddle has his country’s flag, his name and The Thing from comic fame. Is Vino a collector?

Tour — FSA’s integrated bar and stem are starting to show up on more pro bikes. Very few of them are wrapped with tape on the tops. The SRM display is mounted using an FSA adapter.

Tour — The white hoods on Vino’s Double Tap shifters match the freshly scrubbed white bar tape on his Tarmac.

Tour — Like many SRAM teams, Astana has some black-anodized SRAM Red groups. The red brake pads are cork ones from Corima.

Tour — The front hub on Corima’s shallow carbon wheel is a thing of beauty. It’s light and aerodynamic. Astana is the only WorldTour team that the French wheel firm sponsors.

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