S-Works Bikes - The Ultimate Ride Quality
It’s hard to find a bike out there that turns heads faster than those with ‘Specialized’ printed on the side. Riders the world over know the name, and there’s good reasons for it. The Specialized range has reminded us of these reasons by winning race after race, time and time again. The S-Works Tarmac road bike and S-Works Aethos road bike are no exception. These are two exceptional additions to the market built with a quality that is second to none
S-Works Tarmac
Specialized has embraced the motto 'innovate or die' with the new S-Works Tarmac. To create a bike that screams speed for all conditions, they've broken all the traditions of race bike design. Where do we begin?
Shedding weight
They’ve managed to keep the bike's weight under 800 grams by using advanced aerospace composite optimization software. In turn, they’ve redesigned the layup and construction of their FACT 12r carbon.
When it comes to the surfaces of the bike, the development of a new paint finish results in a significant drop in weight. Every gram counts when it comes to speed. The paint also lasts slightly longer while keeping the product light as a feather.
Responsiveness with comfort
Specialized has come up with a bike with a short front wheelbase and a highly responsive front end. It means to deliver instant response and peak power transfer for the rider.
Specialized changed the shape of the seat tube and dropped the seatstays. Additionally, a new seatpost on the S-Works Tarmac road bike builds compliance into the upper 120mm where clamping doesn't happen. The new Fork and rear triangle have 30mm tyre clearance, so you can fit 28mm Turbo Cotton Tyres to your Roval Rapide CLX 2 wheels like The Cycling Fix staff do.
As a result, rolling resistance goes down, traction goes up, along with comfort. With these additions, the Tarmac still handles like a race machine, but road imperfections are felt less with such a subtlety of suspension (nothing compared to their premium mountain bikes).
Aerodynamics for speed
Specialized hasn't missed the mark on development of the most important factor when it comes to the need for speed... aerodynamics. In consultation with professionals all over the world, they wanted to figure out where they could "add aero for free" without taking anything away from the Tarmac design.
A new fork shape, dropped seat stays with aero tubes, and a D-shaped seatpost and seat tube were developed. Compared to other lightweight bikes in the same category, it's about 45 seconds faster over 40km. When you attack from the front of the pack, you'll feel the speed addition.
S-Works Aethos
Rather than worrying about how things are supposed to be done, Specialized chased the greatest expression of ride quality ever with the S-Works Aethos. All the UCI rules were broken along the way.
The lightest frame money can buy
In order to deliver massive gains in rigidity and balance, Specialized has subtly altered the traditional road shape found on bikes in the past, without affecting the weight or durability of the bike. A combination of this with new layups and processes that they have perfected over many years makes this frame the lightest available (585 grams, S-Works, size 56cm).
Combined with SRAM's 12-speed RED eTAP AXS groupset and Roval's featherweight Alpinist wheels, you've got the world's lightest frame delivering the definition of top-tier performance.
Whether you are climbing steep pitches or descending technical descents, the Aethos will keep you comfortable all day long. With the Aethos road bike, you can enjoy maximum ride comfort, lightweight speed, and an attractive design.
Durability in a reformed design
The Aethos is designed with style, weight, and durability in mind, from the derailleur hangers to the fork expander plug. Further weight savings and improved ride characteristics were achieved with the addition of Roval's all-new Alpinist carbon seatpost and wheels. The pursuit of a flawless ride truly is the focus of everything they do.
It’s a road bike that’s been designed to offer the perfect balance of front and rear stiffness as well as an unprecedented ride. Specialized researchers discovered ground breaking findings about force flow by studying the flexing and breathing of carbon fibre.
Set On a Specialized S-Works Bike?
Awesome, so are we. Coming in a range of colours from black to pink, blue or purple, you don’t want to be left wishing you’d bought one sooner. Come pay us a visit at The Cycling Fix today and our experts will have you rolling out on an S-Works Tarmac or S-Works Aethos in no time. Otherwise, we’re here to help you browse and select from our wide range of other Specialized bike products. Once you get going, you’ll never want to hit the brake.