Peter Sagan's bike: The Slovak's 2023 machine and a look back at his glittering bike archive

Peter Sagan completed the final road race of his career yesterday at the Tour de Vendée. The race was won by Arnaud Démare with Sagan finishing his final race in 9th position. Sagan will race on the MTB World Cup circuit next year for the Specialized Factory Racing team as he departs from the WorldTour. 

Peter Sagan announced the news back in January that 2023 would be his last season competing at the WorldTour level on the road. It's hard to imagine the professional peloton without the Slovak star in it, and it doesn't seem so very long ago from when he first caught the world's eyes by joining a breakaway with Lance Armstrong in his very first pro race. 

Early standout performances set the stage for one of the most spectacular professional careers in the history of our sport. One that also saw Sagan transcend cycling at his peak and reach a global audience due to his unique personality and skills on the bike.

Over one hundred race wins including a jaw-dropping trio of consecutive road race world championships, victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix where he memorably outsprinted breakaway survivor Silvan Dillier. As well as the all-time record for Tour de France green jerseys adorn the Slovak's palmares. All won in his exciting, swashbuckling style mean Sagan's legacy will be remembered long after he has left the pro peloton. 

With such a glittering palmares, Sagan is a sponsor's dream and has enjoyed countless special edition bikes throughout the years. For this, his final season, we're taking a look at his current race machine, as well as the bikes he has raced on throughout his storied career. 

What is Peter Sagan's bike for 2023?

Sagan rides for Team TotalEnergies and such is his influence in the sport, American brand Specialized came on board as a bike sponsor when Sagan joined the team from Bora-Hansgrohe. 

Sagan rides the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 model and gets his own custom-painted blue and red model instead of the team's usual red and black. This is something that we only typically see for current national, European or world champions, but Sagan is an exception to the rule, having a personal deal with Specialized in which he's launched five limited 'Sagan Edition' collections. 

Specialized supplies a frame, wheels and componentry package with the handlebar, stem and seatpost being by Specialized and its components subsidiary Roval. Wheels are the Roval Rapide CLX II models which are set up tubeless in the picture with S-Works turbo tyres. We fully expect Sagan to choose shallower wheels for hillier terrain. 

The saddle is also taken care of by Specialized in the form of the Romin model, handlebar tape is from American brand Supacaz, a brand which is owned by the Specialized founder's son, whilst bottle cages are Tacx Deva models. K-Edge supplies the chain catcher, while Roval supplies the out-front aero computer mount (albeit this is actually manufactured by BarFly).

Shimano provides the team with its most recent Shimano Dura-Ace 9200 Di2 12-speed groupsets but when we caught up with the bike at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Sagan's bike featured a few interesting components choices we will go into below. 

What size is Peter Sagan's bike?

Peter Sagan is around 182cm tall and rides a size 56cm frame which has a stack of 555mm and a reach of 398mm. As is the way with most pro riders Sagan uses a smaller frame, paired with a long 140mm handlebar stem with what looks to be around 15mm of spacers used to achieve his desired fit. There is a good amount of seatpost showing, while the Romin saddle is pushed a little way back on its rails. A Retul-branded top cap also gives away Sagan's bike fit, Retul (owned by Specialized) will have fitted the Slovakian and helped him find his ideal position, as they did when we spent time at a Bora-Hansgrohe training camp in 2019. 

The crank arm length is 172.5mm and Sagan is using Shimano SPD-SL Dura-Ace 9200 pedals.

Peter Sagan bike: Specifications

The groupset is a little bit different on this particular bike, as Sagan rode it at the Opening Weekend which featured some rough roads and cobbled sections.

Sagan decided to use the older Shimano Dura Ace 9170 Di2 11-speed groupset on his race bike. The rear derailleur choice seemed to dictate this setup as a Shimano GRX Di2 mech was fitted which uses a clutch tensioner which aids chain retention over rougher ground. The carbon composite derailleur arm of a regular Dura-Ace derailleur has been fitted to the GRX body this could be to just save some weight. There's also a Shimano Ultegra cassette like Mathieu van der Poel's training bike we looked at last year. Overall, it's quite an unusual setup for the WorldTour these days. Sagan seems to value reliability and would rather have some extra insurance in place to ward off mechanical mishaps.

Sagan's derailleur mounts using a direct mount hanger and the mechanics have cinched down the Di2 cable with a small zip tie to prevent it from being pulled out in a crash or working loose over rougher ground. 

Elsewhere, heat shrink tubing has been used to cover the brake hoses as they route through the handlebars to either help prevent rattling, act as a guide or simply protect the hoses a little more. Sagan's 140mm stem also provided plenty of space for the de-rigueur-amongst-pros notes, highlighting key sections to remind him of the course and when to eat. 

History

Sagan has ridden for five teams during his 14-year career and interestingly, has only ridden on two different bike brands in all that time. He signed for Liquigas back in 2010 riding Cannondale bikes and stayed as the team morphed into Team Cannondale for his last two years there. 

The Slovak then spent two years riding for Team Tinkoff alongside Alberto Contador and wore the bright kit of the team owned by Billionaire banker Oleg Tinkoff. Sagan moved to Specialized bikes at Tinkoff and has ridden the brand's bikes and equipment ever since in what has been a hugely profitable relationship. 

He then spent the next five years at Bora-Hansgrohe, enjoying some of the most successful years of his career. Throughout his career, Sagan has kept a tight-knit circle of friends and staff members in his circle and his brother Juraj Sagan also followed him to Bora. 

Sagan's long-standing use of Specialized equipment also means he has been using certain components for years and must be very familiar with things like his saddle choice and the way his equipment feels and performs across varying terrain. 

The start of 2022 saw Sagan join Team TotalEnergies, and with him, he took Specialized bikes along with the full suite of support from Specialized's subsidiaries, Roval and Retul. He also took Sportful clothing, as well as Daniel Oss and various back room staff such as his personal press officer, Gabriele Uboldi. 

Peter Sagan's S-Works Tarmac SL7 for the 2021 World Championships

We rewind the clock to late 2021 and Sagan's bike for that years World Championships road race in Belgium won by Julian Alaphilippe. Sagan rode a Tarmac SL7 frame in matte black but featuring some subtle gold detailing and branding from Specialized. 

In something of a late-career trend, he also used a non-stock lower derailleur pulley wheel and clincher tyres for the race. He also decided to stick with Shimano's Dura-Ace R9170 groupset, even though the R9200 12-speed groupset had made an appearance by then, but post-pandemic supply chain issues were plaguing the industry at this point, likely being the reason. 

2021 Ciclamino Specialized Tarmac SL7 at Giro d'Italia

In May 2021 Sagan won the Ciclamino Points Jersey at the Giro d'Italia and Specialized responded with a custom-painted Tarmac SL7 to celebrate the victory. 

The bike faded from dark to light purple and pink colours but otherwise appeared to be a stock team SL7. The build at the time featured a Shimano Dura-Ace 9170 Di2 groupset, CeramicSpeed BSA bottom bracket and Roval Rapide CLX wheels. 

Peter Sagan's 2019 Tour De France S-Works Venge

The Specialized Venge aero bike was raced on for several years by Sagan and by 2019 was disc brake only. This year was Sagan's last racing on the aero bike before it was discontinued and replaced full-time by the new Tarmac SL7. Sagan used a custom-painted one at the 2019 Tour de France as part of his Specialized Peter Sagan collection range of limited edition bikes. The Venge went out in style as he used it to win his seventh green points jersey that year. 

Elsewhere, the component selection would have been very familiar to Sagan with a Dura Ace Di2 groupset and Roval wheels. 

Peter Sagan's Specialized S-Works Venge for Milan-San Remo 2019

Earlier in 2019 Sagan received a new bike Venge bike ahead of Milan San Remo where he finished fourth to Julian Alaphilippe. This Venge was also part of the third instalment of Sagan limited edition Specialized bikes. This third collection was called 'chasing rainbows' and included both frames and accessories. 

This version of the Venge was apparently inspired by Sagan's 'overexposed ’ public personality in white and also his 'Underexposed' dark side. Demonstrated by the lighter and darker colours of the bike. 

Peter Sagan's 2019 Specialized Allez Sprint

On the eve of the Tour Down Under each year, the racing kicks off with an evening criterium around the city of Adelaide. In 2019, Specialized used the race as an opportunity to promote its aluminium Allez Sprint, a bike designed for doing exactly that. 

Therefore, for one raceday only, Sagan took to the streets aboard this, complete with disc brakes and tubeless tyres.

Peter Sagan's 2018 Specialized S-Works Shiv TT

Sagan has used Specialized's time trial bike - the Shiv - for years now. This is his bike from the 2018 Tour De Suisse. This was coming towards the end of rim brakes featuring on time trial bikes and it's interesting to see the front rim brake now when we are so used to seeing discs. 

Sagan used an older Dura-Ace 9000 chainset with 58/46 chainrings alongside the Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 groupset. The wheels are a Roval 321 disc wheel and CLX64 front wheel. 

Peter Sagan's 2018 Limited Edition Sagan Collection Venge

In 2018 ahead of the Tour de France, Specialized and Sagan launched the second release of the limited edition Sagan collection of bikes and accessories. 

The chosen colour switched from gold to teal and three types of glitter were used in the paint design. There were also nods to each of Sagan's World titles on the frame. Retail versions of the Sagan Collection bike featured black Specialized decals, but Sagan's race bikes at the Tour de France had white decals for maximum brand exposure.

Sagan also had at his disposal a Tarmac SL6 bike for the high mountains in the same colour scheme. 

Peter Sagan's limited edition charity bike for Pope Francis

In 2018, Peter Sagan donated a rather Special Specialized Venge to Pope Francis when the two met at the Vatican. 

The bike in question was later auctioned in order to raise money for hospitals in Bergamo and Brescia, the areas of Italy hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The groupset on this Venge was SRAM Apex, chosen specifically for the matching white crank arms and shifters, with white bars wrapped in matching bar tape, shift lever hoods and cables, and matching saddle and pedals.

There were also some special features on the bike's head tube that were personal to the pop and Vatican City, the bike also glowed in the dark. 

Peter Sagan's 2018 Paris-Roubaix winning S-Works Roubaix

In 2018 Sagan won Paris Roubaix as World Champion aboard quite an interesting bike. He rode and won on a custom Specialized Roubaix bike which has a more relaxed position and front-end 'FutureShock' suspension technology to dampen vibrations. 

Sagan rode a pro-only rim brake version of the normally-disc-brake bike which was finished in a special gold Sagan collection paint scheme. He also used a mechanical Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 groupset, 28mm tyres and what looks to be a reinforced (possibly steel) direct-mount derailleur hanger. Which would have been used to ensure reliable shifting. 

Peter Sagan's 2018 S-Works Tarmac SL6

The Specialized Tarmac SL6 preceded the SL7 and Sagan raced on this version of the Tarmac as well. This is Sagan's race bike from the 2018 Tour Down Under. 

The SL6 frame is widely considered to be one of Specialized's finest achievements with Tech Editor Josh Croxton in agreement. 

Sagan was running rim brakes here with a Dura Ace 9150 Di2 11-speed groupset, Roval carbon wheels and favoured Zipp SL Sprint stem. Note the Di2 junction box is still kept under the stem here and the CeramicSpeed bearing sticker is on the bottom bracket shell. 

Peter Sagan's custom Specialized bike for Paris-Roubaix 2017

Sagan also raced Paris Roubaix in 2017 on the Specialized Roubaix. Again in a rim brake-only pro version as he was concerned about wheel availability in the event of a puncture given that disc brakes were still a rarity in the peloton.  

His setup was similar to 2018 here, he still ran mechanical Dura-Ace and Roval Wheels shod in 28mm Specialized S-Works Turbo tyres.

Also present are the Specialized Romin saddle and Supacaz bar tape he's still using at the end of his road career. 

Peter Sagan's custom Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS disc 2017

Sagan rode a custom S-Works Venge at the Tour Down Under in 2017. This was an interesting bike as road hydraulic discs were still in their ascendancy and Sagan's Venge featured Shimano non-series R785 Di2 / hydraulic brake levers which debuted in around 2013 in their first form. 

The bike weighed in at around 8.4 kilos which was shocking at the time as most pro-rim brake bikes were pretty much bang on the UCI 6.8kg limit. 

Peter Sagan's 2016 World Champions Specialized Venge Vias

Sagan won the second of his three World Titles in Doha in 2016 and in December of that year, his Venge Vias custom world champion's bike was awarded best custom design in the Cyclingnews readers poll. 

The 2016 bike featured rim brakes, which weren't very good. It was rumoured at the time that Specialized designed the bike for disc brakes, but when the UCI's expected permittance of discs was pushed back, essentially banning their use, Specialized was forced to hastily design a rim brake system. 

Elsewhere, the bike used the Dura-Ace 9000-series Di2 groupset, and Roval wheels with custom rainbow graphics. Sagan was also still riding Prologo saddles at this point in his career too. 

Peter Sagan's 2015 World Champion Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Peter Sagan won his first Worlds title in Richmond, Virginia, in 2015 and this bike from October of that year was in celebration of the new champion. His Specialized Tarmac SL6 was a rim brake model, with pretty much the whole peloton on rim brakes at this point. There are a few more equipment changes here compared to later years. 

Sagan was running a round FSA K-Force seatpost and Prologo saddle. Classic bend FSA Energy handlebar which Sagan favoured for several years paired with 140mm Zipp SL Sprint stem. 

Peter Sagan's 2015 Worlds winning Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Sagan rode to a blistering victory at the World Championship road race in Richmond 2015. Here is the bike he did it on, the 105 Tarmac from Specialized. The Venge VIAS was introduced in 2015 but Sagan elected to stick to what he knew for the Richmond road race. 

Some FSA components including the chainset, seatpost and handlebar are present on the bike. The Roval wheels are still there though as are the Specialized tyres, Zipp stem and classic bar shape. 

Peter Sagan's 2015 Venge Vias

Sagan got off to a winning start aboard the new Venge Vias in 2015, winning a stage at the Tour de Suisse before taking it to the Tour de France later in the year. 

The bike brought full internal cabling and an aerodynamic, narrow head tube. Elsewhere, the build consisted of a Dura-Ace groupset with aero Vision chainring, Roval wheels and proprietary Specialized bar, stem and seatpost.

Peter 2015 Sagan's camo Specialized Venge

Sagan unveiled the camo Venge in 2015. This was the previous-generation Venge which drew on aerodynamics for inspiration but to nowhere near the same extent as the later versions we have looked at. This model has more in common with the Mclaren Venge ridden by Mark Cavendish in 2011. 

Sagan claimed the camo was inspired by the military and the way they use to disguise vehicles, quipping at the time that it may help him hide in the peloton. Notable components are the Specialized tubular tyres Sagan was riding at the time and the SRM FSA power meter chainset. 

Peter Sagan's 2014 Cannondale Supersix LE

We are back to 2014 now in our Sagan bike archive, his last season riding for Team Cannondale. By 2014 he had already won two Tour de France green jerseys and Cannondale had already made some limited-edition bikes for him. 

The Cannondale Supersix Evo LE commemorated Sagan's victory and was limited to 100 bikes worldwide. It carried a plaque on the top tube and featured colour-coordinated Vision Metron wheels and finishing kit from FSA.  

For $9999 you also got a Cannondale Special Edition SciCon AeroComfort 2.0 TSA Travel bike case and a limited edition Sagan Cannondale Pro Team jersey.

Peter Sagan's 2014 Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod

As well as the SuperSix, Cannondale also offer the more comfortable, slightly more relaxed Synapse model which Sagan rode on occasion in the Spring Classics. 

Cannondale actually produced custom geometry frames for Sagan at various points, which is an expensive business and not something that's done for every rider. In this instance, Sagan had a 61cm sticker on his bike, but this Synapse effectively had a size 58cm top tube with a 51cm frame stack height. For a seriously long and low position.

The Synapse had a more compliant 25.4mm seatpost, larger tyre clearances (for the time) and weighed 7.45kg. Sagan also rode the mechanical SRAM Red 22 groupset.

Peter Sagan’s 2013 Cannondale Slice

Alongside the Supersix and Synapse models, Peter Sagan also rode the Cannondale Slice time trial bike.

The Slice was the American company's time trial offering and featured a front fork integrated brake, with the rear brake hidden under the bottom bracket. 

Vision supplied the wheels and SRAM the mechanical Red groupset with an aero Sram chainring also featured. 

Peter Sagan’s 2013 Cannondale SuperSix Evo

In 2013, Sagan's SuperSix was team-issue in its colourway, and boasted a SRAM Red 22 groupset, Vision Metron 55 tubular wheels, a Fizik saddle and finishing kit from FSA. He also used a modified headset cover to minimise his stack for a super-slammed setup. 

Peter Sagan's 2013 Cannondale Synapse Evo Hi-Mod

Sagan also rode this custom Synapse at the 2013 Tour of Flanders where he finished second on the bike to a rampaging Fabian Cancellara. 

The Synapse was designed to aid comfort with aluminium handlebars fitted for Flanders and Kenda badged tubulars that may have been Veloflex carbon models. 

42cm handlebars were also fitted to the bike a far cry from some of the ultra-narrow models now sported in the peloton. 

Peter Sagan's 2012 Cannondale 'Tourminator' SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod

The limited edition one-off 'Tourminator' frame came after a bet between Cannondale and himself that if Sagan won a stage at the 2012 Tour de France, the Tourminator bike would be waiting for him, he duly delivered on Stage 1. 

The Terminator nickname was given to Sagan earlier in the year reportedly after he destroyed a few sets of wheels and tyres. This bike was stock at the time other than the paint scheme which may have added a few extra grams.