This post focuses on the German pro cyclist Rick Zabel’s 2023 bike size as he races for the team Israel-Premier Tech.
Rick Zabel is the son of the great sprinter Erik Zabel, who won the Tour de France’s Green Jersey for six years among other prestigious titles.
Zabel Sprinter Family
Like his father, Rick Zabel is a sprinter type of rider.
Rick started professional cyclist in 2012 when he joined the Rabobank Continental Team.
After a couple of years with Rabobank he entered the UCI World tour when joining the BMC Racing Team for three years on a BMC road bike. Then the Katusha team on a Canyon Aeroad for three years. And now with the Israel-Premier Tech team from 2020 up to 2024.
With the team Israel-Premier Tech, Rick raced the Tour de France 2021 and the Giro D’Italia 2022 on the Factor Ostro VAM.
Factor bike company is the bike sponsor of the team Israel-Premier Tech. Despite the fact the team has access to various bikes from the Factor catalog, the Factor Ostro VAM has become the main model for all races except Time-Trials.
Before the 2022 season, the team was using the Ostro VAM for flat stages and the O2 VAM for mountain stages.
With the evolution of the Ostro VAM frame becoming lighter while staying aerodynamically fast, it has become the universal model of the team Israel-Premier Tech.
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So what’s Rick Zabel’s 2023 bike size?
Rick Zabel is 1m84 tall and races on the size 54cm Factor Ostro VAM.
The Factor Ostro VAM size 54cm weighs 830gr, this explains why this model is also used on the mountain stages.
The bike saddle of Rick is set with the Selle Italia Flite at 788mm in height. That is measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle. I know you know how it is measured, but just in case.
The Black Inc seat post is a 25mm setback model.
Unfortunately, I do not know the exact saddle setback and distance from the front of the saddle to the handlebar reach at the time of writing.
Rick uses the Balck Inc bar-stem combo in 120mm stem length and 400mm bar width.
Except for the seat post and saddle position, it is the same setup as Carl Fredrik Hagen who is 1m80. You can read or listen to my review of Carl Fredrik Hagen’s Factor Ostro VAM on this post here: Carl Fredrik Hagen’s 2022 Bike Size.
The length of the Rotor crankset arms on Zabel’s bike is 175mm. The pedals are the Shimao Dura-Ace SPD-SL.
The riders of the team Israel-Premier Tech do not have a shoe contract forcing them to wear shoes that might not fit them.
Zabel races with the Nimble Ultimate cycling shoes, in white color as it is the trendy shoe color in the pro peloton.
The Shimano cleats are the fixed float model, aka SM-SH10 which you can purchase directly on the link here . Make sure you understand that most amateurs should be using the Yellow or Blue cleats.
Zabel’s Bike Specifications
The rest of Rick Zabel’s racing bike is consistent with the ones of the team.
The bikes are equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12 speeds groupset, and disc brakes type.
The wheels are from Black Inc, the parts department of Factor.
The rim height depends on the race’s profile. They are from the twenty-millimeter model up to the sixty-millimeter high rim walls.
As for the rim selection, the tire choices depend on the race profile. Rick Zabel uses the Maxxis High Road SL tubular tires on mountain stages and the Tubeless version on flat races filled with Orange Seal sealant.
The headset, bottom bracket, and wheels hubs bearings are the CeramicSpeed ceramic bearings. The rear derailleur is now the stock Shimano model unlike in 2021 when it was tuned up with CeramicSpeed oversized jokey wheels.
Other riders on Ostro VAM Size 54
Among the Team Israel-PremierTech, Guillaume Boivin, Chris Froome, and Daryl Impey are also riding on the size 54cm Factor Ostro VAM frame. Click on their name to check my reviews of their bikes.
The Factor Ostro VAM 2022 of Rick Zabel cost approximately US$ 15,000.
Drop me a message on my Instagram if you have any comments regarding Rick Zabel’s 2023 bike size.
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