https://www.specialized.com/us/en/aethos
Didn’t see anything about this posted yet. Sexy bike and I like the concept of a simple road bike with non-proprietary parts designed around great ride quality. And 14.5 lbs with discs is pretty impressive. But the marketing confuses me a little bit - a bike that is specifically not intended to be a race bike available only as an S-Works for $12,500?
Front half looks rather the same as my Tarmac SL6.
And standard non-proprietary parts ? That’s one of the reasons I plumbed for an SL6 at the start of the year - to avoid the BS of having to specially order a stem and wait 6 weeks to get the right fit, or find the bike is obsolete in 3 years time for a $50 part.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/aethos
Didn’t see anything about this posted yet. Sexy bike and I like the concept of a simple road bike with non-proprietary parts designed around great ride quality. And 14.5 lbs with discs is pretty impressive. But the marketing confuses me a little bit - a bike that is specifically not intended to be a race bike available only as an S-Works for $12,500?
The Founder’s Edition is $US14,500. VN reviewed the S-Works version.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/aethos
But the marketing confuses me a little bit - a bike that is specifically not intended to be a race bike available only as an S-Works for $12,500?
Not sure I understand the strategy for the entry level $12,500 bike aimed at the everyday, non-race rider. I wonder if this model will trickle down to non S-Works or if the carbon requirements for the design are too high
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/aethos
But the marketing confuses me a little bit - a bike that is specifically not intended to be a race bike available only as an S-Works for $12,500?
Not sure I understand the strategy for the entry level $12,500 bike aimed at the everyday, non-race rider. I wonder if this model will trickle down to non S-Works or if the carbon requirements for the design are too high
At the last shop I worked at, we sold a lot of top dollar bikes to non-racers. Plenty of doctors, lawyers, and executives who don’t mind paying for the latest and greatest.
Since various articles I’ve read about this bike this talk about how the specific tube shapes are a big factor in getting the weight down, it seems possible that a lower grade (cheaper) carbon in the same mold would allow for a less expensive but still pretty damn light bike…
Not sure I understand the strategy for the entry level $12,500 bike aimed at the everyday, non-race rider. I wonder if this model will trickle down to non S-Works or if the carbon requirements for the design are too high
Was wondering this initially myself. What I came up with are:
Some customers will always buy the most expensive option available.
The way I read the marketing language was this is a top-end race bike for the rider who appreciates “race performance” but isn’t necessarily concerned with competition, winning, being the best, or milking every drop of performance from their equipment or themselves. I actually believe there exists a large subset of people who would identify with this.
Specialized as a company is mature, stable, and profitable. So they can make exploratory strategy calls that may be too risky for smaller or medium-sized bicycle companies to make.
And even in the worst case that it’s a dud, I’m sure Specialized gathered valuable R&D learnings from having completed the project. Which leads right into your insight that some of the technology learnings will inevitably be carried over to their future products.
And now we have a top-end weight-weenied disc bike for the Average Joe. 
And even in the worst case that it’s a dud, I’m sure Specialized gathered valuable R&D learnings from having completed the project. Which leads right into your insight that some of the technology learnings will inevitably be carried over to their future products.
Yeah, reminds me of the Cervelo R5 California. In more ways than one.
And even in the worst case that it’s a dud, I’m sure Specialized gathered valuable R&D learnings from having completed the project. Which leads right into your insight that some of the technology learnings will inevitably be carried over to their future products.
Yeah, reminds me of the Cervelo R5 California. In more ways than one.
That’s a great analogy…