This year's Tour de France, as with most Tours, will see the rolling out of new bikes, wheels, tires, helmets, sunglasses, shoes, apparel, and more. Because it's the world's largest annual sporting event, it's an ideal time for manufactures to show off all their new stuff.
One bike that seems to be getting more attention than all the others is the just-revealed Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS. The company recently invited Business Insider to check it out in person, but because it was under embargo until now we didn't get to take it for a spin. Yet during our brief meet-up with a Specialized rep we got to snap a few pics and learn a bit about it. Specialized claims it is "the fastest bike in the world," which is a bold statement considering how many fast bikes are out there.
The carbon Venge is actually one of five new products Specialized is unveiling this week as a "complete aerodynamic ecosystem." Along with the Venge, there's a new skinsuit, helmet, shoes, and wheel-and-tire system. All together, the project is dubbed "5 Minutes," which is how much time you'll save over 40 kilometers, or about 25 miles, if you're riding this bike and wearing the gear, the company says. That is, compared to its previous similar bike and gear.
There will be limited availability beginning in August, the company said. The price for the Venge: $12,500. See more photos below, along with further details.
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Meet the road bike that's getting lots of attention right now, just ahead of July's Tour de France: the new Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS.
Although we didn't get to ride the bike — not yet anyway — it does look impressive. The first thing we noticed was the headset, stem, and handlebar; it looks like a super-stiff setup. Then the new proprietary brakes; they're integrated, behind the fork and seat tube. Third, there are no cables showing — they're all internally routed. The company says this bike, ridden with a Roval CLX64 wheelset, will save 120 seconds over 40km. Overall, as a first impression, it might be the best-looking aero road bike we've ever seen. Hopefully we'll get to test-ride one soon.
Here's what Specialized's Chris Riekert said in a statement sent to Business Insider:
The all-new S-Works Venge ViAS Di2 was developed with one objective in mind—to be the fastest bike in the world. The design for this bike started with building our own Win Tunnel, and with more than 1000 hours of testing, prototyping, and refining, we can say with confidence that we nailed our objective. The high level of performance starts with a Rider-First Engineered frame and fork that feature a new level of aerodynamics. This is coupled with the added benefit of the Roval CLX 64 wheelset—the fastest wheels we've ever made. Along with the zero-drag brakes and Aerofly ViAS cockpit, the S-Works Venge ViAS Di2 is, quite simply, the fastest bike in the world.
Up front things look stiff and fast with the new stem and headset and the new proprietary "zero-drag brake" tucked in behind the fork and out of the wind.
And here's what Specialized says about the new wheelset:
Roval CLX 64 wheelset provides the ultimate in speed and performance. Optimized for both head- and crosswinds, the CLX 64 wheelset is tubeless-ready and features a 21mm internal rim width for enhanced traction, minimal rolling resistance, and improved aerodynamics.
A view of the cockpit and the Aerofly ViAS handlebar from the rider's point of view.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider