Pro bike: Luca Paolini's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Whether on his phone during the Tour or shifting, Paolini likes buttons

Paolini's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Mavic Cosmic CXR 60 tubulars

Ben Delaney / Future Publishing

Ben Delaney

Published: July 16, 2014 at 4:49 pm
Paolini's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Mavic Cosmic CXR 60 tubulars - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Luca Paolini is a fan of buttons on the bike, whether on his mobile phone or his Di2 set-up - Twitter
Photographer Graham Watson caught Paolini using his phone during stage 8 of the Tour de France - Twitter
The Twittersphere quickly jumped in to heckle - Twitter
Paolini has buttons a-plenty on his bars, both here with the climber's switch and on either drop with the sprint shifters - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
An SRM mount on alloy Ritchey Classic bend bars - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Paolini likes his hoods waaay up, with a sprint shifter button tucked onto the curve - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Shimano Di2 has junction boxes that can plug in various satellite shifters. Alternatively, as Paolini's mechanics have done, you can plug the satellite into the rear of the shifter bodies - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Katusha riders have the Ultimate plus the new Aeroad CF SLX to choose from - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Paolini's name perhaps isn't as recognizable as it once was, but he still stands out visually with his beard, Air Attack helmet and Assos glasses - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Paolini cuts quite the figure at the Tour - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
The Dura-Ace cranks are definitley on the shorter side - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
How clean is your cassette? Katusha mechanics do not fool around - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Mavic Cosmic CXR 60 tubular wheels - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Katusha can't use the rubber aero strips Mavic calls Blades that pop into the trough between rim and tubular because the UCI forbids their use - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
A little tape keeps the valve stem from rattling. And at least one spoke has seen better days - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
Pro gear is always cleaned well after every stage. But you can't wash away crashes - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing
These unmarked red pads look remarkably similar to the Corima pads used by Astana. And that tread pattern looks remarkably like a Veloflex - Ben Delaney / Future Publishing

Katusha rider Luca Paolini was caught using his phone during stage 8 of the Tour de France by photographer Graham Watson, who posted an image on his Twitter account. The photo quickly went viral, and Daniel McMahon wrote the story.

BikeRadar had the chance to get a close look at Paolini's bike, and discovered that the Italian is a fan of digital technology, with a full array of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 shifter buttons on his cockpit. Paolini has no less than six buttons at his fingertips — and that's not counting those on his phone.

Luca paolini's canyon ultimate cf slx

Video: Luca Paolini's Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Katusha races with Mavic wheels. Here, Paolini has Cosmic CXR 60s with Veloflex tubulars rebadged as Mavic. While Mavic delivers the CXR 60s with the snap-in 'blades' that fill in the space between tubular and wheel for aerodynamics, the team could not use them if they wanted to; UCI rules forbid the blades.

All with all Tour rider, Paolini has several nearly identical bikes at the race. The one we featured here did not have an SRM power meter on at the time, although the handlebars have a mount for the SRM PowerControl head unit. Perhaps due to the absence of the SRM, we weighed this bike at 6.7kg / 14.77lb, 100g under the UCI's minimum weight.

Paolini's front-end set-up is quite striking, as he likes his bars and shifters cocked way back. Perhaps this is because of his massive 10cm of drop from the top of his saddle to the top of his bars.

While the buttons and the cockpit geometry might be hard to spot while watching the Tour de France on TV, Paolini certainly is not; with a thick beard, enormous Assos sunglasses and a Giro Air Attack helmet, Paolini cuts quite the figure.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at his bike. We regret not being able to bring you the full specs on his mobile phone...

Complete bike specifications

  • Frameset: Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
  • Stem: Ritchey WCS alloy, 120mm
  • Handlebars: Ritchey Classic alloy, 42cm
  • Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000
  • Shift/brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace 9070 Di2
  • Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 FD-9070
  • Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 RD-9070
  • Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-9000, 11-25t
  • Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-9000
  • Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-9000, 170mm
  • Power meter: SRM on another bike; none on this bike
  • Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace PD-9000
  • Wheels: Mavic Cosmix CXR 60
  • Tyres: Veloflex rebadged as Mavic tubulars
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Team Edition SLR
  • Seatpost: Canyon Ultimate
  • Weight: 6.7kg / 14.77lb

Critical measurements

  • Rider's height: 1.74m (5ft 9in)
  • Rider's weight: 66kg / 146lb
  • Reach, saddle tip to bar: 54cm
  • Drop, saddle top to handlebar top: 10cm
  • Saddle height: 74cm
  • Stem length: 120mm

Ben Delaney

Contributor

Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
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