Pro Bike Gallery: Michele Scarponi on a new Specialized at the Giro

Specialized-sponsored teams showed up in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the start of the Giro d’Italia on something new. Astana’s Michele Scarponi is on a 52cm version of the new frame. Official information on the bike is still being held under wraps, but a few changes are obvious. The seatpost clamp is now entirely internal, for example. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

With teammate Vincenzo Nibali aiming for the Tour de France, Michele Scarponi will make a run at the GC for Astana. Note how clean the seatpost/frame interface is on the new frame. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The Super Record RS rear derailleur. Scarponi rides with a mechanical drivetrain, just like Nibali. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The old Tarmac’s seat tube extended above the top tube by a few centimeters to make room for the seatpost collar. But the seatpost clamp mechanism is now internal, so there’s no need for the extra bit of tube. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The new frame retains an oversized head tube, just like the old one. Those FSA stickers on the bar tape were a major point of contention when Nibali won the Giro last year — sponsors all want the primo spots. Apparently FSA won in the end. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

Scarponi is using Campagnolo’s Super Record RS group, which has a few racing-oriented tweaks like a alloy cage front derailleur and modified shifter internals. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

Astana’s Corima wheels take a bright red cork brake pad. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The seat tube is tapered, and squared off as it nears the bottom bracket. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The new frames showed up just before the Giro. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The seatpost clamp is very clean. Zip-ties on the brake housing was a temporary fix, mechanics set the bike up with the proper frame plug a few minutes after this photo was taken. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The bottom bracket area doesn’t appear to have changed much. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

Complete, official information on the new bike is expected soon. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

Scarponi rides a 52cm frame with a 130mm stem. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

A 130mm FSA OS99 carbon stem on Scarponi’s Giro race bike. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

The new RS front derailleur uses a stiffer one-piece alloy cage to improve front shifting. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

42cm wide SL-K carbon bars for the former Giro winner. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com