In its fifth model year, the Venge is increasingly having to bow to the pressure of the competition. Initially, the bike on which Mark Cavendish became world champion in 2011 was still the aero reference, but now it is only good enough for a place in the main field (216 watts with Roval wheels, 213 watts with Zipp 404). Despite the rather heavy frameset, the bike is the lightest in the test. The lightweight equipment with many Specialized parts pays off here, including the comfortable saddle and the fast S-Works tyres. What remains is the extreme firmness of the saddle, which makes long rides a test of willpower. Competitors such as Canyon and Giant are now showing that aerodynamics and comfort can be better harmonised.
Price 7,299 Euro
Weight 6.8 kilos
Available in specialised shops
Reference/Info www.specialized.com
Frame/fork/steering bearing weight 1,168/431/63 grammes
Frame sizes 49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61 cm
Seat/steering angle 73,5°/74°
Seat/top tube/head tube 530/565/161 mm plus 15 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 985/50 mm
Stack/Reach/STR 566/396 mm/1.43
Equipment
Steering bearing Specialised, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-3/8 inch
Brakes/gears Shimano Dura-Ace
Bottom bracket Specialised S-Works FACT (52/36 t., OSBB)
Wheels/tyres Roval Rapide CLX 60/Specialized S-Works Turbo 24C
Handlebar/stem Specialized S-Works Aerofly/Specialized S-Works SL
Saddle/post Specialized Romin Evo Pro/Specialized S-Works Venge (aero profile)
*The frame set accounts for 36 per cent of the overall score, the equipment for 54 per cent and the aerodynamics for 10 per cent. The grades are calculated with all decimal places up to the final grade; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
**Weighed weights.
***Manufacturer's specification, test size greased.
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