NEW 2021 Specialized Aethos - It's Not a Race Bike | TESTED | Bicycling 

I'm getting the Pro in November. thanks for this insight.

@@havefunandbikestuff congrats!

Exactly, I just got the basic 105 Di2 version for $3999 and it still weighs under 17lbs! Amazing value that you can still update with some carbon wheels without paying a fortune and much lighter than the new aero bikes at the same price.

Well done. SALUTE'.

If you look around you can still get the 2023 Shimano 105 Di2 version for $3999 and weighs under 17lbs in 56 size!

Yet you can't find one and they're sold out everywhere

Yup. You can get a pretty nice Rice Rocket for that amount of money.

Crystal Cave and Saucony Roads Berks County Pa. The area between Virginville and Kutztown University

Another pre-dropstay SuperSix EVO guy. Agreed 100%.

I've got a '15 SuperSix Evo HiMod. I've ridden LOTS of bikes and it remains the best handling [road] bike I've ever ridden. Both the S6 Evo and the Aethos were designed by Peter Denk. That pushed me over the edge and I just ordered this frameset, albeit the less expensive 10r model. It'll be nice to be able to run 30mm tires on the decaying roads around here.

Couldn't agree more!

Also a Cdale SuperSix guy. Did you see the Aethos was designed by Peter Denk, the same guy who designed our SuperSixes? I've ridden LOTS of bikes and the SuperSix Evo HiMod is still the best handling [road] bike Ive ever ridden. I just ordered one of these.

I'm curious. What turned you off on the Sequoia?

@@monkmchorning I bought into the hype of the Sequoia, I live in Sweden and the designer of the bike is Swedish, etc. The geometry was a bit absurd for an adventure bike too much reach and too low stack. The rear triangle was too soft resulting in very poor power transfer and spinning for dear life when climbing. The back wheel curse (internet trend) hit me too- hubs without rubbing and cups and cones always getting messed up. The BB had to be replaced within a month. The rims developed small cracks (changed on warranty). The original saddle had this jeans like cover that just ruined cycling bibs. A severe seat post slippage problem. Too weak of a chain, broke but luckily I was close to home. The front through axel kept coming loose after just a bit of rough gravel. It is a great bike for cycling around the neighbourhood or in nice asphalt when you have to be late for things, but too heavy and clumsy for any real adventures. I tried though, and enjoyed it for a while. It handles weight and rough terrain pretty good. Problem is that it's not fun to ride. Most of my friends and some elite riders here in Sweden also sold theirs.

HAH! You just described mine!

The Aethos only comes in carbon. The closest aluminum bike you'll get right now a Trek Emonda ALR.

nice! I'm replacing my destroyed 2013 SL2 with the pro build. fingers crossed it feels awesome.

The Sl2 and first generation venge where my favorite all time bikes. Now i’m planning to buy the S-works Aethos to replace my S-works SL7. Just bought it because off the looks off it because these days all what you see are aero bikes…

Id say yes, simply because of the lack of future shock. but you wont know till you try it.

@@arianewell6252 That's sort of my question as well - I have a Roubaix but I'm enamored with the Aethos, absolutely love the look. Unfortunately with the limited inventory, there's not much chance to "try it out". I just wonder how much I'd miss the futureshock. I guess I could try riding with it locked out on the Roubaix and see how that feels?

@@jeffulrich1 some shops may let your special order the Aethos. Don’t forget the comp version too. Our shop allows a 25% down to special order no commitment once it arrives.

Not sure if y'all are still looking, but I'll chime in. I came from a 2012 Roubaix and have brief seat time on a 2020 Roubaix. I don't miss the Roubaix at all. Also, when I road the newer Roubaix, I thought it was better but not so much better as to justify the hit to my budget for a new bike. The Aethos really does ride in a way that's noticeably more special than my Roubaix. It's simultaneously more stable and quicker handling. Not sure how they did that. It's only about 2.5 pounds lighter than my Roubaix, but it feels way more spritely. I'm very happy with it.

Depends on what you define as comfort.

but you are missing the point : bragging in group rides and saving 45 sec up an Alpine climb.

Duly noted!

I have a 2013 Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4. With my deep carbon wheels it’s just over 14 pounds. Stops great. Brought a 2021 Giant TCR which is heavier and handles worse.

@@jaymueller2418 I ride a 2004 Calfee, I bought a 2020 giant, it's heavier and handles worse.

@@keithc5729 I’ll amend that after a few weeks I’m pretty much fine handling the Giant. It’s definitely more responsive bordering on twitchy but I learned to press way deeper into high speed corners on it than I did initially and it seems okay now. There is zero margin for error on it compared to racing on the older Specialized and at the end of a race when you’re cooked I’d prefer the Specialized. And the Giant is still heavier.

Yesterday's concept executed in modern materials and components.

If I was riding the Aethos and a clean Lance Armstrong was riding a Walmart 10 speed, he'd STILL crush my soul! 😂

Yeah, but rim brakes suck compared to disc brakes.

@@rlsedition In some scenarios they are weaker, but suck? not at all.

@@oreocarlton3343 Brakes are designed to arrest forward motion. If it rains, rim brakes can't do that. In addition, on a severe downhill run, rim brakes heat up the rims and inner tubes, causing unintended blowouts (ever watch the mountain Tour stages?). Road bikes need to pay more attention to mountain bike technology, much of which came from motorcycles.

@@rlsedition blowouts happen on clinchers, not on tubulars and its largely preventable. Even wet braking in race situations turned out to be a non issue in 2020 TDF where disc riders actually had more problems caused by wheel locks caused by too much power of discs

@@oreocarlton3343 So all the guys over the years that had tire blowouts coming down steep mountain roads were on clinchers, right? BS. If you had ever ridden disc-equipped bikes you'd know that one of the biggest advantages of hydraulic disc brakes over rim brakes is their superior modulation. Perhaps because of the UCI racing rules, road bike technology is world's behind mountain bike tech (excepting aero, which doesn't apply to mountain bikes) and the slow acceptance of disc brakes on road bikes is a great example. I had hydraulic discs on my mountain bike over 10 years ago. Incidentally, I actually like road bikes, but they are far too dangerous for me to mix in with motor vehicle traffic.

Yet these are sold out everywhere! BTW, these also have a threaded BSA BB, a round 27.2 seatpost, and no integrated bits. It's a throwback bike made to modern standards (meaning carbon and discs)

How the bicycle industry ever thought they could sell a bicycle for the same price as a full on motorized racing bike ie. rice rocket, is beyond me. Must be a lot of stupid people in this world.

@@cycloxer Sold out only because there was never really any supply to begin with.

Yet, they're sold out everywhere.

@@cycloxer All that proves is that wealthy people weren’t affected by the pandemic one bit

Last I checked, stem length adjustments on an integrated cockpit didn’t have a wide range of choices.

lots of 'em in many other brands

I hear your point on speed since it's not specifically aero. It's also hard to argue with the amazing ride quality of a well-built and well-designed custom steel bike. That's a beautiful thing. But I'll contest your statement about how the Aethos handles. It has the same geo and stiffness to weight as the Tarmac, therefor very similar handling characteristics. I can't speak for the SL7, but the Aethos is a touch more lively out of the saddle than the Tarmac SL6.

And comfy compliant rim brakes!

@@bobbylea8961 Interesting it is nice bike im sure rides nice Its probably one those type of bikes you have to ride .but than again some people say I'm crazy for spending money colnago v1r with all Campagnolo record Bora ultra wheels .so yeah I get were your commiing from .

Thanks. It’s not much to look at but we love having a stone bank barn. Plenty of room for more bikes!

@Retrorocket About $500,000. Have you ever heard of the Trek Butterfly Madone? It utilized real natural wings from butterflies, NOW THATS A HIGH END BIKE.

6000€ max...

@Retrorocket $5K and that's only on a custom build (custom cockpit, built for my weight & road conditions, etc...). That's fair in my opinion in today's market. I don't want the cheapest carbon handlebars or wheels or seatpost when I'm bombin' down a hill at 40mph. An emergency room visit is going to be infinitely more expensive. I'd never knock a $12K bike. To each his/her own. If the buyer's bills are paid and his kids have the best clothes and he provides for those responsible, screw what anybody else things.

@Retrorocket For me, the reasonable entry level bike for someone who knows they're going to ride their bike a lot is around $2K. For that, one should get at least 105 grade components, decent training wheels and as always, they should include a couple hundred bucks for pedals & cockpit fit tweaks. After that, either they upgrade their frameset as bits wear out or they get another bike if they've outgrown their entry level ride. But anything under $2K is going to require a lot of upgrading to get it safe for an enthusiast riding level. That's the thing, the midrange between a $1K bike and a $2K bike (the $1500 rigs) are usually heavy and have cheap components anyway. $1K bikes are for occasional riders. Still a LOT of money to spend on a bike ($1000? That's a car.), but it is what it is.

That's kind of the funny thing about this, right? If the aero craze hadn't taken off, the Aethos would have just come to life as a Tarmac. However, as someone who struggles to get a good fit on modern road racing bikes because of the limitations of integrated cockpits (and also someone who doesn't race that much anymore) I am really stoked to see a bike that has all the performance and fit of a road racing bike but without any complicating factors for fit.

Bobby Lea If you’re not racing and want a comfortable ride then get an endurance bike with rim brakes if weight is also your concern. That alone saves you thousands of dollars. This one is now just a status symbol that you bought a $12k bike to comfortably ride for the weekend?

I hear your point. The price is insane, but it’s not unreasonable to expect that, like other models from Spec, we may see cheaper versions in the future. Regarding your suggestion that I just get an endurance bike since I’m not racing anymore: that misses one of the most exciting aspects of the Aethos. Endurance bikes are great for riders who want comfort and some speed, but they don’t have the same handling characteristics of race bikes. I don’t race nearly as much as I used to, but in pre-Covid (and hopefully post-Covid) times I would still take the starting line a few times a year, I still prefer the sharp handling and responsive ride that comes with races bike, and my fit preferences mean that endurance bikes never fit. Prior to the Aethos, if I wanted a new road bike that matches both my riding and fit style, I had to buy either a racing bike full of proprietary parts that unnecessarily complicates my life (Try finding an integrated cockpit with a 140mm stem and 44cm classic drop bar), or buy steel from a boutique builder (which was beginning to look very appealing). Until now, nothing has made me consider replacing my 2016 rim brake Cervelo S5. I’m not about to plunk down 12,000 bones for this bike, but I’m extremely hopeful that we may see more bikes like this not only from Specialized but from other brands. The more options we, as consumers, have the better the chances each person has of finding the right balance of price and performance.

Bobby Lea sorry if my response came off as belligerent. Specialized just comes off as very jarring where they marketed another $12k bike a few months ago as the “one bike to rule them all” and then released this product. The Tarmac became their one racing bike and this one retails about the same price when it’s branded as a lightweight “non racing” bike. I have the cash right now to purchase either of these bikes, but it’s hard to justify the expense when I would better value for my money from other brands compared to the recent releases from Specialized. And yes you are correct having issues with fit because of integrated components is really annoying.

All good. That contradiction you bring up can’t be ignored. Thanks for taking the time to chat!