The proven aero setup continues into the new season
Image 1 of 15
The 2016 ride of Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Team Sky are using the new generation of Stages power meter. It's much the same, but with an improved battery cover and slimmer profile(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Team Sky use Garmin Edge 510 units to recieve those big power figures(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
A 131mm stem. For when a 130mm just isn't long enough(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Elite Custom Race Plus cage is a new addition to the brand's offerings(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 11-speed handles the shifting duties(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Dogma F8 borrows the truncated aerofoil-shaped tube concepts from the company’s time-trial specific Bolide(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Pinarello Dogma F8 is an aero frame, the slippery profiles were designed in partnership with Jaguar(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Thomas chooses a Fizik Arione K1 Tri saddle for those long days at the office(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Geraint Thomas goes into his sixth season with Team Sky (Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
It's a brand with more racing pedigreee than most, but it also happens to be one of the more expensive seen in the WorldTour(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
The Stages power meter sits on the left crank arm only. This means that from some angles it's easy to assume that Sky aren't using a power meter(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
2015 at top versus the 2016 at bottom - which do you prefer?(Image credit: David Rome / Immediate Media)
Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas lead Chris Froome.
Geraint Thomas ahead of stage 1 at the 2016 Tour Down Under.
After winning the 2015 E3 Harelbeke one-day race, Geraint Thomas went on to support his Sky teammate Chris Froome to a second win at the Tour de France last year. This is now the Welsh rider’s sixth season with the British power team, and 2016 looks to be full of general classification ambition.
It’s a year on since we last looked over the Team Sky bike of Geraint Thomas, and little has changed, with the Welshman clearly trusting the equipment he used in 2015. While there are some sponsor changes and new product releases, Thomas is using a near-exact setup from year on year, which is rather rare in the modern WorldTour peloton.
Originally designed in a partnership with former sponsor Jaguar, the Pinerallo Dogma F8 is one of the premium framesets in the pro peloton. Its aero shapes are combined with refined Italian handling and a unique aesthetic to create a bike that’s often regarded as one of the nicest in the peloton.
Mechanics of Team Sky joked that Thomas doesn’t like change in his bike setup and that 2016 was therefore a good year. For the 29-year-old rider, it also means there’s no wasted time in adapting to new components or differences in handling; it’s just straight back to business.
2015 up top versus the 2016 below. Which do you prefer?
The key difference to see is in the new team graphics, with the bike featuring more obvious blue tones across the frame compared to last year’s predominately black bike. This new look is tied in nicely by the matching PRO handlebar and stem.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Riding a 55cm Pinarello, Thomas has seemingly gone with a 10mm longer stem from the last time we checked over his bike. Whether this happened during the season or at the start of 2016 we’re unsure, but the rest of his setup remains much the same.
Providing a perch for Thomas’ Rapha bib shorts is a well-padded Fizik Arione K1 saddle with braided carbon rails. This saddle is in the Italian-brand’s triathlon catalogue due to the thick padding at the nose, but it’s still a common sight in the pro peloton.
Where we saw the team racing last year’s Tour Down Under on VeloFlex tubulars, Sky returned to Australia on Continental. On Thomas’ bike is a pair of ‘Competition’ tubulars with Continental’s Vectran anti-puncture belt below the tread. Last year it was 23mm tyres. This year it’s a slightly wider and more commonly chosen 25mm.
Those tubulars are wrapped around some Shimano Dura-Ace C50 carbon wheels, a true staple and regular choice within Team Sky. These wheels form part of the larger Dura-Ace 9000-series groupset, with Thomas making no changes to his choice in 11-speed Di2 shifting.
Providing power data is the original left-crank power meter from Stages Cycling. Compared to last year’s bike, Geraint is on the brand's latest version that offers a lower profile and better sealing to the battery. Receiving this data is a Garmin Edge 510 head unit, clicked into a K-Edge Garmin aero mount.
Taking care of hydration, Thomas’ bike features the relatively new Elite Custom Race Plus bottle cages. This new version of the popular Custom Race cage is said to be easier to install and remove the bottle.
Complete bike specifications Frame: Pinarello Dogma F8, size 55cm Fork: Pinarello Onda Carbon Headset: Pinarello 1 1/8” to 1" 1/2 integral system Stem: PRO team-issue, 131mm x -6 degrees Handlebar: PRO Vibe 7S Anatomic, 40cm (c-c) Tape: PRO Smart-Silicon Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 STI Dual Control ST-9070 Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 FD-9070 Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 RD-9070 Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 STI Dual Control ST-9070 Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-9000, 11-28T Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-9000 Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000, 175mm, 53/39T + Stages Power left arm Bottom bracket: Shimano Dura-Ace BB-9000 Pedals: Shimano 9000 Dura-Ace Wheelset: Shimano Dura-ace C50 tubular Tubulars: Continental Competition, 25mm Saddle: Fizik Arione K1 Tri Seatpost: Pinarello carbon Bottle cages: Elite Custom Race Plus (2) Computer: Garmin Edge 510, K-Edge Garmin Aero mount
Critical measurements Rider's height: 1.83m (6ft) Rider's weight: 71kg (156lb) Saddle height from BB, c-t: 802mm Saddle setback: 65mm Seat tube length (c-c): 550mm Tip of saddle to midpoint of bar: 580mm Saddle-to-bar drop: 140mm Head tube length: 158mm Top tube length (effective): 557mm Total bicycle weight: 7.19kg (15.85lb)
