The aero road bike the Flying Mullet rode to the New Zealand national road race title
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Shane Archbold's S-Works Venge, riding for Deceuninck QuickStep(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Deceuninck QuickStep logo adorns the seat tube at the chainstay junction(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
And the team's self-appointed nickname 'The Wolfpack' lives on the inside of the fork legs(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
...and the wolfpack theme continues on the top tube(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Deceuninck QuickStep are committed to only using disc brakes in 2020(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
And they're using Shimano's range topping Dura-Ace Di2 stoppers(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Unsurprisingly at this level, Dura-Ace is used exclusively for the drivetrain(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The crankset is Shimano's Dura-Ace R9100P dual-sided power meter crank(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The rear mech is held in place using a direct-mount hanger(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
And the front mech is paired with a K-Edge chainkeeper(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The junction box is neatly integrated into the Venge's proprietary aero seatpost(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The chainkeeper has been extended to hold a magnet - which is required for the correct function of the Shimano power meter(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Archbold is using a standard 53/39T chainring combo(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
This is paired with an 11-30 cassette(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
There's also Shimano's range-topping Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedals(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Archbold is running Roval's CLX 50 tubular wheels, rather than the CLX 64 more commonly seen on the Venge(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
For training rides, Archbold's been using 2019 wheels. Although it's probably been swapped out for a Wahoo Kickr for the foreseeable future(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The tubular tyre of choice is the S-Works Turbo tubular in a 26mm width(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Roval valve stickers keep the valve from rattling(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Supacaz Sticky Kush bar tape is being used by the whole Deceuninck-QuickStep team for 2020(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The team is also using Wahoo's Elemnt Roam computer(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Venge stem is an extreme 140mm(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The S-Works Aerofly bars are worth 20-seconds over 40km vs a round bar(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Archbold's saddle of choice is the S-Works Toupe(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Everything spins on CeramicSpeed bearings(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Bottles are kept in place with Tacx Deva carbon bottle cages(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Sometimes, Superglue is a mechanic's best friend(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Shane Archbold, aka the Flying Mullet, is arguably one of the WorldTour's finest lead-out men. He has already led his teammate and long-time friend Sam Bennett to numerous victories in this currently-curtailed 2020 season.
Archbold's not just a carriage in a train, though. On February 16th, Archbold beat Jumbo Visma's George Bennett to take the New Zealand national championship title. A few days later he took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the team's kit sponsor Vermarc for his new custom national champion's kit.
Six days into being national champion and @vermarcsport have whipped together an exceptional kit for me! I’m biased but someone tell me this isn’t the coolest kit in the pro peloton! I’m thrilled to bring the #silverfern back starting tommorrow in uae @deceuninck_qst pic.twitter.com/hTYahaDvt8February 22, 2020
A week on from arguably the biggest win in Archbold's career, he was resplendent in the silver fern at the UAE Tour, where on stage 2, he led Sam Bennett to 2nd place.
The more recent self-isolation and social distancing measures set out by countries worldwide have led to Archbold filling his time with indoor training and, according to Deceuninck-Quickstep's Instagram, jigsaw puzzles.
A photo posted by @procycling_mag on Mar 23, 2020 at 3:25am PDT
Shane Archbold's Specialized S-Works Venge
Archbold's bike is a perfect stereotype of the 2020 WorldTour bikes. He is riding aboard Specialized's best aero road bike, the S-Works Venge, which is fitted with the range-topping Dura-Ace groupset from Shimano. Disc brakes reign supreme and Deceuninck-QuickStep are one of the many teams committing exclusively to the technology for 2020.
However, while numerous teams (QuickStep included) are trialling tubeless tyre technology in 2020, Archbold is sticking with the tried-and-tested and still-most-common tubular format, which is still considered by many riders to be the best road tyres for WorldTour racing.
Click through the gallery above for a closer look at Shane Archbold's Specialized S-Works Venge
Shane Archbold's Specialized S-Works Venge full bike specifications
Frameset: Specialized S-Works Venge, 56cm
Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 Hydraulic Disc caliper
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
