Desire: the new S-Works Venge

Desire: the new S-Works Venge

Lighter, yet more aero, and off-limits to luddites who still want rim brake or mechanical gears, Specialized’s latest incarnation of the Venge has arrived

aero Desire Gear S-Works Specialized Venge

At the Rouleur Classic last November there was a conversation about rim brakes. One of many. 

“Look at all the stands. There aren’t that many new bikes that have rims brakes,” said one of the brand representatives. “If they do, don’t you think they look outdated?” He had a point.

Since the UCI lifted the ban on rims brakes, it’s been open season for the poor old brake caliper. Is anyone else picturing brake calipers being flung into the air and shot down by red-hot, swirling, disc brake rotors? No? OK.

The new S-Works Venge – a frame that you couldn’t fit a rim brake onto even if you wanted to – is only available with hydraulic disc brakes and for electronic groupsets. It’s the future, but it doesn’t look like something from a sci-fi story. It looks like a modern road bike.

Read: The Egger has landed – meet Specialized’s fun-loving creative director 

It supersedes the outgoing Venge ViAS in terms of weight. It even trumps the Tarmac SL5 by coming in at 960g for the 56cm frame. This is a bid to make the bike more versatile. Aero bikes haven’t always been light; they haven’t always had the best handling characteristics either. The latter was also something the designers looked at.
Specialized calls it First-Rider Engineered. It’s how the brand captures information to produce its frames. As they had the World Champion on their books, they asked Sagan to give a few pointers on how the bike should handle. Above all, the Venge is best known for aerodynamics and Specialized say this version – compared to the old Venge ViAS – will save an extra eight seconds over 40kms.

When you look at the S-Works Venge, it doesn’t look like an illustration lifted from a science fiction book. It’s a bike representative of where cycling is at right now. And it’s right on time. 

  Read: An illustrated history of aero wheels

 

The post Desire: the new S-Works Venge appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.

aero Desire Gear S-Works Specialized Venge

READ MORE

Can comeback queen Anna van der Breggen win the Vuelta a España Feminina?

Can comeback queen Anna van der Breggen win the Vuelta a España Feminina?

Team SD Worx-Protime rider takes her 63rd career victory at stage four of La Vuelta a España Femenina, four years after her last win

Read more
Front row seat: A wild Strade Bianche VIP chase with Sportive Breaks

Front row seat: A wild Strade Bianche VIP chase with Sportive Breaks

Rouleur joins Sportive Breaks for a hair-raising, behind-the-scenes dash around the gravel roads of Tuscany following, seeing and experiencing the chaos of Strade Bianche

Read more
Richard Carapaz

Richard Carapaz returns to the Giro d'Italia as a former winner — and an underdog

Richard Carapaz will head into the 2025 Giro d’Italia as one of the pre-eminent GC riders of his day, a former winner of the race...

Read more
Giro d'Italia 2024 peloton

Giro d’Italia route 2025: Everything you need to know about the stages of this year's race

The white roads of Strade Bianche, fearsome mountain passes and a Balkan Grande Partenza

Read more
Juan Ayuso and Primoz Roglic

Giro d’Italia 2025 contenders: who will win the 108th edition?

Rouleur takes a look at the contenders to win the Maglia Rosa in Italy this month

Read more
XDS Astana's Great Escape is definitely on: 'Why shouldn't we be confident?'

XDS Astana's Great Escape is definitely on: 'Why shouldn't we be confident?'

Alexander Vinokourov's team are making the impossible rather quite possible

Read more

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE