This post focus on Nils Politt’s 2023 Bike Size. On this page, I analyze his fitting on the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7.
Nils Politt races the UCI World Tour for Team Bora-hansgrohe, with a contract from 2021 to 2023 included.
But first, a quick introduction of Nils Politt in case you don’t know how big is this tall rider.
Intro to Nils Politt
Politt is Germany Road Race National Champion 2022 and third in the National Individual Time-Trial.
It means Nils is a fast rider of course, not only in his home country but also on the UCI World Tour circuit.
The German champion races the Belgian spring classics and Paris-Roubaix every year before he participates in the Tour de France. His best result on Paris-Roubaix is second in 2019 and 7th in 2018.
As of 2022, Nils Politt participated in six Tour de France. Winning stage 12, and finishing 5th on stage 19 of the Tour de France 2021. Both race stages were fast-rolling hills profiles.
You might have guessed by now, Nils is a fast rider on flat and fast-rolling races. Although he can go over hills very well, he is not considered a climber.
Now let’s dive into Nils Politt’s 2023 Bike Size.
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Politt’s Bike Size
Nils Politt is 1m92 tall and rides the Specialized S-works Tarmac SL7 size 58cm.
On its website, Specialized recommends the S-Works Tarmac SL7 size 58 to riders from 1m80 to 1m88.
If you are a regular reader of my blog, DMCX, you know already that it is a normal practice for professional riders to go down one size or even two sizes for some.
There are a few reasons for this, but mostly picking a smaller frame allows the rider to have a more aerodynamic position on his bike. A smaller frame has a shorter head tube. Shorter head tubes allow the rider to have his handlebar at a lower height.
It has the double advantage of being more aero, remember, Politt is an excellent time-trialist, he knows how important is to decrease drag.
The second advantage is a lower center of gravity. This is particularly important for a tall rider of 1m92 like Politt.
Lower gravity allows him to corner faster and be more stable on his bike.
German Road Champion’s Bike Fit
Politt was already racing with a size 58 frame when he was riding for team Israel-StartUp Nation in 2020.
You might also be interested to see the evolution of Nils Politt’s bikes. I wrote about Politt’s Factor O2 VAM bike size in 2020 when he was racing for the Team Israel-StartUp Nation (Now called Israel-PremierTech).
The Specialized saddle on Politt’s Tarmac SL7 is set at 845mm in height. As you know, this is from the center of the bottom bracket (aka BB) to the top of the saddle.
The seat post has a 20mm setback, and the saddle position is at a 105mm setback.
The distance between the front of the saddle and the handlebar reach is 650mm.
Nils uses a 130mm length Specialized Tarmac stem and the 400mm width Specialized S-works Aerofly II handlebar.
This information confirms the fact that Nils Politt is tall, 1m92, but also slim, weighs 80kg and is flexible. I invite you to check his cornering position with the hands in the drops. Check this Photo of Nils Politt on Getty Images linked here)
The Shimano Dura-Ace cranks are 175mm in length. The chainrings are the Shimano 12-speed new standard 54/44 teeth.
Wears and Marginal Gain
Nils Politt wears a Specialized helmet, 100% sunglasses, Le Col team Bora-hansgrohe cycling jersey, bib-shorts, socks, and gloves.
Among the Specialized catalog, the S-Works Torch Road cycling shoes are the ones that fit Politt’s feet.
Politt’s S-works Torch shoes are connected to the Shimano SPD-SL pedals via the Shimano yellow cleats, which have a 6 degrees float. You can get them at great prices on Amazon.
In terms of marginal gains, the chain lubricant used by the team Bora-hansgrohe is the Speed Potion Wax from Dynamic.
To monitor the data from the Shimano Power-Meter and the Core Body temperature skin sensor, Politt’s bike is fitted with a Wahoo Elemnt GPS cycling computer. Get your Wahoo Elemnt directly from Wahoo linked here.
The Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 2023 of Nils Politt cost approximately 15,000 USD.
Do not hesitate to drop me a message on my Instagram if you have any comments regarding Nils Politt’s 2023 Bike size.
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