The Alps won't wait: The Specialized Aethos 2 Pro is ready for mountain passes

At the end of June, I will be riding the 3-day challenge of the TOUR Transalp - three stages through East Tyrol and the Dolomites, with passes such as the Staller Sattel, the Passo Giau and the Passo Rolle. If you want to take part yourself: Registration is still open.

Bikefitting first

Before a bike goes into the mountains, it should fit. Not approximately, but really. Especially in a multi-day race, where you're in the saddle for three days in a row, every millimetre that isn't right takes its toll.

I arrive 15 minutes earlier than my appointment time - and start with a cappuccino with oat milk. Then I get into my cycling gear and head off to see Marcel Berger, sports scientist and bike fitting expert at Specialized in Munich.

The bike is already ready in the fitting room. Marcel doesn't start immediately with screws, but with questions: injury history, current complaints, plans. Only when he has an idea of how I should sit on the bike do we continue. This is followed by a physical examination - during one-legged squats, for example, Marcel observes whether my knees tilt inwards or outwards. Plus flexibility tests. All of this is later incorporated into the adjustment.

Then the cleats: check position, adjust. Insoles are customised to my feet, cut to size and placed in the shoes. I am then fitted with markers - for the Retül Motion Capture System, which records movement data during the ride.

I set off. The position looks good straight away, but there is potential for optimisation: the saddle is a little higher, the offset and angle are adjusted. We try two more saddles - and end up back with the original one, the Power Pro Mirror, which I already ride on my gravel bike.

If the Aethos were my own bike, we would also have swapped the handlebars: a 380-millimetre handlebar is fitted, 360 would be more suitable for me. The height of the cockpit is correct, but the brake levers are still turned slightly inwards.

After about 2.5 hours, the bike fits. Now only the legs have to deliver.

Why this bike for the mountains

The Aethos 2 is a lightweight road bike, not a pure climber - but in practice, it all comes down to the same thing. The frame of the S-Works version is said to weigh just 595 grams, currently the lightest production frame in the world. The Pro version, which I ride, is slightly heavier - the complete bike comes in at around 6.7 kilograms - but the characteristics are the same: lively, precise and surprisingly comfortable for such a light bike.

The cockpit is said to dampen around 30 per cent better than the aerodynamic Rapide cockpit on the Tarmac. In the test lab, the S-Works Aethos 2 performs remarkably well in terms of front comfort - firm but not hard, both on the saddle and on the handlebars. This is a real advantage for the not always perfect Alpine passes. For even more comfort, the Aethos 2 has a tyre clearance of 35 millimetres - it comes with 28 mm tyres.

A weak point

To be honest, there is one weak point: the gear ratio. My cassette goes up to 33 teeth, the small chainring at the front is a 35. This is perfectly adequate for flat to hilly terrain - for four mountain passes in one day in the Dolomites, this is a sporty calculation. This is also the case with our Test of the S-Works Aethos 2 noticed.

I'm still thinking about adapting the gearing to the mountains. And maybe I'll also change the tyres - from my usual gravel tyres to 30 millimetres, because even Alpine passes aren't always perfect asphalt. Anyone considering the Aethos 2 for similar tours: Both points are worth considering.

When we picked up the bike in Munich - and during the fitting beforehand - it was already clear: This is a bike that you understand as soon as you sit on it. Not by numbers, but by feel.

In eight weeks at the latest, we'll know whether it's made for the Alps. Until then, I'm off on holiday - a gravel bikepacking tour awaits.