Marcel Kittel's S-Works Venge has a whole new look for the 2016 Tour de France. The silver paint job is highlighted with bright colors and custom designs personal to Kittel. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Marcel Kittel’s S-Works Venge has a whole new look for the 2016 Tour de France. The silver paint job is highlighted with bright colors and custom designs personal to Kittel. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
His last training ride before stage 1 was a wet and chilly one, yet as Etixx riders came rolling in to the service course, they reported how well the revamped Venge brakes worked. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Check out that super-aggressive riding position. That comes in handy in the last kilometer. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
The Dura-Ace crank features a 53-39 chainring combo, while the bottom bracket gets the CeramicSpeed bearing treatment. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
The custom colors fill the S-Works logo and accent the frame throughout. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
The seat stays get in on the action too. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Custom accents abound. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
The top tube features even more custom artwork. Specialized reps say the colors are specific to Kittel and the design has special meaning to him, but they weren’t at will to explain the meaning behind the design. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Kittel prefers a more traditional round bar over the characteristic wing-shaped bar that comes stock on the Venge. He also runs a non-spec Zipp stem, presumably for the extra stiffness it offers in sprints. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
With all new internals, the Venge brakes are a significant improvement over the original iterations that were plagued by soft braking and a vague lever feel. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Even Kittel’s saddle gets the custom color treatment. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Kittel’s race bike has a Roval CLX64 rear wheel with a Shimano 11-25 cassette on it. He runs a Roval CLX40 wheel up front. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
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