Yesterday Specialized and McLaren introduced a new bike that they say is the lightest, fastest, and most aerodynamic road machine ever built. It also happens to be the kind of bike that looks great as well, with speed written all over it.
Constructed from carbon fiber, and designed to take on the winds of the open road, the new Specialized Venge has a carbon fiber frame that weighs in at just 950 grams, or just a shade over 2 pounds. It’s origins date back to a rejected design from 2009, which saw the bike company asking the car company, McLaren, to help them improve the design. The results are an 8% increase in speed and better resistance to drag not just from headwinds but also a cross wind as well. Something road cyclists struggle with on a regular basis.
The new bike is already being ridden by a few riders in a race this weekend, and it will be used by Alberto Contador and Mark Cavendish this season. It comes in two models, the S-Works Vernge, which will set you back $4000 for the frame alone, with a ridable version starting at $8700, and the McLaren Venge which starts at $8000 for the frame and will go as high as $15,000 for a complete package.
To find out more about this impressive looking bike, check out this story at The Adventure Journal and the Official Venge page as well.
I want one!
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Um, you're not the only one that wants one (or is drooling). WOW. That weight is i.m.p.e.s.s.i.v.e.
I may have just changed that "want" to "need"…
😉
I want the bike. I need to win the lottery. 😉
A very sharp looking frame indeed. I'd hang it in my living room instead of garage. Two comments that may reduce the saliva output:
1. The UCI mandates a minimum bike weight of 15lbs for sanctioned races. So being lighter than that is meaningless unless you don't race, and if you don't race, it doesn't make sense to own this bike (carbon fiber is prone to failure).
2. "8% faster" probably refers to the bike alone in a wind tunnel. Otherwise the claim is hogwash, as the rider is the biggest contributor to wind drag. If you rode a $1k Fuji bought at Performance Bikes in optimum position, it would be "faster" than if you rode this bike as most people would.
I lust after thing too … such as to be a a better athlete.
Good points on all accounts Buzz. If we were prof riders, we'd be adding weight to the bike to bring it up to the 15Ibs limit. Others have had to do this in past as well.
And you're certainly right about not needing this if you're not a professional rider. Still looks like it would be an absolute blast to take out for a spin. 🙂
The fascinating aspect to me is not the trick frame itself, but the way in which outdoor companies deliberately send out status signifiers to their markets. It's not about the product, it's about the symbols.
For example, if Nike were to come out with a 4 oz running shoe that cost $500 and was illegal to wear in races, the would be seen as idiots. And if someone actually purchased that shoe, they would be ridiculed, because opulence is not a positive social value in running society.
OTOH, if a doctor, lawyer, or other wealthy wanna-be purchased this new Specialized, they would be admired on a club ride because roadie society has very different cultural values than the running sub-culture.
And lastly, note that even though it's almost the same sport, mountain bikers are the exact opposite of roadies! Roadies are totally infatuated with weight; they'd rather spend $1k to lose a pound off the frame rather than 1 hour to lose a pound off their waist. But even Specialized doesn't list the weight of their mountain bikes in their catalog anymore, because it's a non-factor; mountain bike cultural values have shifted to the beefy heavy-duty look.
Logic plays a very small role in this multi-billion dollar industry.