Belgian Classics star embraces use of discs in final season
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Tom Boonen's 2017 Quick-Step Floors Specialized Venge ViAS Disc(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen is running "officially" using a custom Specialized stem with the FSA Compact 40 bar(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's Venge ViAS looks like it could cut through the air like a blade(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Dura-Ace Di2 levers(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
CeramicSpeed bearings cut down on drag in the bottom bracket(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The non-drive side of Boonen's Venge ViAS(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Whoops, that's a Zipp SL Sprint stem with some velcro blocking out the logo(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Roval wheels with thru-axles create clean lines in the fork(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's Venge ViAS(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's Venge ViAS(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
The Venge ViAS cuts down on drag by tucking the wheels inside the downtube and seat tube(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Tacx Deva carbon bottle cages save on weight(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen uses Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic shifting(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Tom Boonen's S-Works Venge ViAS Disc(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's Dura-Ace cranks are equipped with a 4iiii power meter system(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's seatpost is a carbon integrated post(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen runs the Specialized BG Romin Plus saddle(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's rear triangle includes a thru-axle skewer for the disc wheel(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Boonen's Venge ViAS(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Shimano's BR-RS785 flat-mount hydraulic disc brake and RT99-S center lock disc rotor in 160mm(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Shimano's BR-RS785 flat-mount hydraulic disc brake and RT99-S center lock disc rotor in 160mm(Image credit: Patrick Fletcher)
Tom Boonen (Quick-Step Floors) on his Specialized Venge ViAS Disc(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
It's all change for Tom Boonen's bike in 2017, with the Belgian so impressed by disc brakes that he's decided to use them in the final few months of his career. Boonen spoke to Cyclingnews on the eve of the Vuelta a San Juan about his decision to switch to discs, and we took the opportunity to take some photos of his new Specialized Venge ViAS disc, as well as note down all the specifications.
The Venge is Specialized's aero frame, which features a curved down tube and seat tube for a snug fit around the wheels that minimises drag. In a bid to further enhance the aerodynamics of the set-up, Boonen is using a 64mm Roval CLX wheel on the back – compared to 50mm at the front.
Instead of the extreme Specialized Aerofly handlebars used by Peter Sagan and others, Boonen is using 40cm FSA Compact bars, while his stem is custom-made to provide him with extra stiffness.
As for the disc brakes, they are Shimano's R-785 series and both the front and rear rotors measure 160mm and are paired with a 12mm thru-axle.
Some riders have found that the flex of the larger rotors can create an undesirable noise - and Team Roompot reportedly switched from 160mm to 140mm rotors last year - but the QuickStep team is sticking with the specifications prescribed by the UCI to the neutral service vehicles, which hand out spare wheels in case of punctures. Only Boonen and Marcel Kittel, who debuts at the Dubai Tour later this month, will be using discs at the Belgian team for the time being.
Boonen is running Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, with a 53/39 chainring combination on the front and an 11-28 cassette.
The 36-year-old measures in at an imposing 1.92 metres in height, and he uses a size 60 frame, with his Romin Plus saddle – more padded than most – pushed back to allow him to adopt that sleek aero position of his.
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In total the bike weighs in at 7.8kg, comfortably above the UCI's lower limit of 6.8kg, with the disc brakes accounting for an extra 300 or so grams.
This is the bike Boonen will be riding in the vast majority of races in his final season, though it remains to be seen whether he chooses to go with Specialized's cobble-specific Roubaix model for some or all of Paris-Roubaix - his final bow.
"Roubaix is a special race, but I'm going to test the bike on the cobblestones in the next few weeks and how it performs there," he said. "If I can ride the Venge I will ride the Venge."
Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.
