This page focuses on Tadej Pogačar’s bike size 2023. The professional Slovenian cyclist races the 2023 UCI World Tour for the UAE Team.
From Colnago V3Rs to V4Rs
My previous documentation of Tadej Pogačar’s bike size dates back to mid-August 2020, it was the Colnago V3Rs with rim brakes model which you can read on the page linked here for comparison. Tadej Pogačar’s Colnago V3RS Bike Size 2020.
Since then, Tadej won two Tour de France in a row with the V3Rs, the 2020 edition delayed to a late August start, and the 2021 edition.
Allow me to make a short observation while I mention the rim brakes.
Did you realize the Tour de France 2022 was the first time all the riders raced with disc brakes only bikes?
The last rim brakes on the Tour de France 2021 were the bikes of the whole Team Ineos, Pogacar, Mc Nulty, and Chris Froome.
In 2022, Pogačar raced the Tour de France on a disc brake-equipped prototype.
And the commercial version of the 2022 prototype is now the bike Tadej Pogačar is racing in the 2023 season and more.
Tadej’s Bike Size 2023
Tadej Pogačar is 1m76 and rides the Colnago V4Rs size 48.5cm.
In case you are not familiar with Colnago’s bike chart, the 48.5cm is equivalent to a size 54cm approximately.
Colnago V4Rs is a sloping type of frame geometry. (The s in the V4Rs stands for Sloping design).
A sloping geometry means the top tube is not horizontal. It goes down as it meets the shorter seat tube.
The length of the seat tube is 485mm from the center of the Bottom-Bracket (BB) to the top of the seat tube.
If the top tube was horizontal, the seat tube would be equivalent to a 540mm length and the frame would be referred to as a size 54cm.
The Bike Fit
Pogačar’s fitting on his 2023 Colnago V4Rs bike is somewhat identical to his Colnago V3Rs. The difference is subtle.
Tadej’s Prologo Dimension Nac saddle is set at 737mm in height. This is measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle.
The ENVE Aero stem is 130mm in length and the ENVE SES Aero Bar is 400mm in width.
It is a longer stem than on Pogačar’s previous bike and a narrower handlebar.
The longer stem is reflected with the Prologo saddle pushed forward to its maximum allowed position to keep the distance between the tip of the saddle and the virtual center of the handlebar to 571mm.
The narrower handlebar width is following the current trend among the pro peloton. It is to optimize the marginal gains by decreasing the frontal drag resistance.
Note the Richard Mille sticker on the stem is purely for marketing. The logo on the stem point to the watch is wearing Tadej Pogačar, even when racing.
The rest of the UAE Team and a handful of other pro riders wear the same Richard Mille RM 67-02 watch model as described on Richard Mille’s homepage linked here.
The cranks’ arm’s length stays the same as on the previous bike, they are 172.5mm in length.
Winner’s Bike Setup
Since 2023, the UAE Team races with Shimano Dura-Ace gears, and the top tier groupset is left in its recommended configuration except for the bottom bracket.
The gear combination used on most races is the new Shimano standard of 54/40 Teeth at the front and the 11-30 Teeth cassette.
The cassette configuration might be different depending on the race’s profile.
Pogacar is one of the best riders in the world, but he is human after all.
The bottom bracket and headset bearings are the CeramicSpeed Ceramic models with read-color cups.
Unlike some other pro climbers using Shimano disc brakes in 140mm front and back, Pogačar uses a 160mm on the front and a 140mm rear disc rotor diameter.
Unexpectedly, the wheels are not from Shimano but from ENVE instead.
It seems to be a recurring theme with the top team racing on Shimano wheels, we spot them riding different brands on mountain stages. Ineos and Jumbo-Visma in particular, at least until 2022.
Tadej Pogačar is racing the 2023 season with four sets of ENVE wheels.
The models are the ENVE SES 2.3, 3.4, 4.5 as seen on the Paris-Nice 2023, and the deeper 6.7.
From 2023, the tire supplier of the UAE team is Continental.
Like the rest of the team, Pogačar rides the three types of tires that are tubeless, tubular, and clinchers depending on the race profile and/or the ground surface. It goes the same with the tire section.
The data from the Shimano Dura-Ace power meter and Wahoo cardio belt are displayed on Pogi’s Wahoo Elemnt Roam.
Tadej’s Cycling Wear & Shoes
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Tadej Pogačar wears Met Trenta 3K and Met Manta helmets in silver/grey colors, Scicon sunglasses, a Pissei cycling jersey, bib-shorts, gloves, and socks.
Pogačar has a contract with DMT for his cycling shoes. The Italian company developed the DMT KR SL cycling shoes for and with Tadej.
Make sure to try the shoes before you buy them as they fit differently than the DMT KR1 and KR0 that are developed with Elia Viviani.
Tadej uses the Blue Shimano cleats (ref. SM-SH12) featuring 2 degrees of float with his Shimano Dura-Ace pedals.
This post was first edited on March 10th, 2023. Some specifications might change throughout the racing season.
What do you think about Pogačar’s Colnago V4Rs bike?
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