If 2025 was the year of the “Israel-Premier Tech” identity crisis, 2026 is the dawn of the NSN Era. A glance at the finalized NSN Cycling Team 2026 bikes roster confirms that while the name sounds like a typo of the famous Messi-Suarez-Neymar trio, the stakes are incredibly high.
The team has undergone a complete structural reboot. Gone is the Israel branding and the Canadian “Premier Tech” money (which fled to Alpecin). In its place stands NSN (Never Say Never), the sports agency co-founded by FC Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta, backed by the Swiss investment firm Stoneweg.
With a new Swiss license and a new HQ in Barcelona/Girona, the team has distanced itself from geopolitical noise to focus purely on racing. But the departure of their GC future and a messy legal battle suggest the road ahead won’t be smooth.
This preview breaks down the “Girmay Gamble,” the massive tech switch to SCOTT, and why the loss of Matthew Riccitello hurts more than the departure of Chris Froome.
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.
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.
Rick Zabel’s 2023 Factor Ostro Bike Size 54
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.
This page focuses on Carl Fredrik Hagen’s 2022 Bike Size as he races the Vuelta a Espana with team Israel – PremierTech. The Norwegian pro cyclist is an excellent climber and rides all road races on the Factor Ostro VAM Aero Road.
This page is dedicated to the Australian pro cyclist Simon Clarke’s 2022 Bike Size. Simon Clarke went from having no contract at the end of the season 2021 to winning stage 5 of the Tour de France 2022. What an emotional roller coaster it must be. Stage 5 of the Tour de France 2022 is the one with 20km of cobblestones, the most complicated stage of this year’s Tour de France.
This post is about Daryl Impey’s 2022 Bike Size. The South-African pro cyclist races the UCI World Tour for Israel – Premier Tech team. Daryl Impey is nine times South Africa Individual Time Trial champion and a fast sprinter too. He can win a sprint stage in front of sprinters as he did on the 2022 Tour de Suisse’s stage 4 at the age of 36 years old.
The Factor Ostro VAM bike analysis on this page reflects the bike as ridden during the season 2022 including La Vuelta a Espana. Impey is not only fast on flat roads, but he is also an excellent climber based in Andorra.
This to emphasizes the range of skills of the man and the good use he makes of his bike.
Hey Nerdy Bike friends, please consider subscribing to my newsletter to receive an email whenever I update the site with bike nerd content like this one. No spam, no money requests, just free updates 🙂
