Anyone have long-term impressions/reviews of the Venge? I took one for a ~30 min test ride today, and while I was pretty pleased with it that’s nowhere near enough time to make a decision. Curious to hear opinions from those who’ve lived with the bike for awhile.
I love mine. For reference I also have a Shiv Tri and Tarmac SL4. I came from an SL2 before the others and a Cannondale Synapse before that. I would say if I could only have one bike, it would be the Venge. It really does feel fast to me. I am slightly faster on the climbs on the SL4 but on the rollers and flat roads the Venge really is fast. Its not as fast as the Shiv and on long rides I feel a little more beaten up than I do on the SL4. The dimensions are supposed to be the same on both the SL4 and the Venge but I could swear the SL4 descends better.
Again - if I could only choose one bike I would choose the Venge.
-Shane
Oh - I should add, the Venge is on FC404’s whereas the SL4 is on Zipp101’s. So that could be a leading factor in the difference I feel descending. The venge is also the SWORKS version whereas the SL4 is not. Fact11R vs Fact10R carbon…does it really make that big of a difference? Who knows?
Anyone else have impressions? Im really curous how much difference a frame like that makes over say, a super six evo
Anyone else have impressions? Im really curous how much difference a frame like that makes over say, a super six evo
Funny you mentioned those 2 since I have been on both (but neither extensively). 2 completely different animals/designs of course. Personally, I MUCH preferred the Super Six Evo (though I don’t have one). I like the S-works Tarmac better than the Venge as well. All subtleties though and for long stuff (have a 160 mile ride coming up), I’ll just put on a 25c rear tire on a Hed Belgium C2 and roll along 
I get aero (and run 65 mm rims in crits), but not in frames if it takes away from the quality of the ride since it is such a small amount of drag and there are other factors in cycling (depending on what you do/race) to consider.
My normal race bike is a ~2008 Cervelo R3. When I demo’d the Venge I wasn’t able to swap my wheels/tires over which obviously had an impact on my impressions. I was most struck by how well the bike accelerated. Making big jumps in speed (on the flats and while climbing) felt effortless. Granted I haven’t ridden any other latest-gen roadies, so I don’t know if this behavior is specific to the Venge itself or to all modern uber-stiff carbon bikes in general.
Anyone have long-term impressions/reviews of the Venge? I took one for a ~30 min test ride today, and while I was pretty pleased with it that’s nowhere near enough time to make a decision. Curious to hear opinions from those who’ve lived with the bike for awhile.
Crit racer on nice roads = Venge
Road racer on crappy roads = SL4
Crit racer on nice roads = Venge
Road racer on crappy roads = SL4
…and if you want to do both, just get an S5 instead 
Sorry, couldn’t resist…
I thought the S5 was worthless due to its extreme weight. Pro’s won’t use it because it won’t go uphill. Why on earth should I ever want one?
I might have 1000 miles on my 2012 venge Pro Ui2. Its stiff, rigid and aero-ish and still a UCI legal road bike so I can use it in any event that I may attend in the future. My only complaint is that my seat post tends to slide down after riding on some rough roads. I’ve added some carbon paste, which helped greatly, but I still had to lift my seat yesterday at mile 24. I had no issues for the next 176 miles when I arrived in Portland.
I’m not so sure about the Venge… I ride a Tarmac SL4 sworks and hard to beleive the aero on the venge is going to save that much more wattage considering SL4’s wires are all tucked inside the frame.
From specialized site, they have the Venge vs SL3, and you can see theres not that much wattage saved until you’re riding 40kph+… I think if they compared to SL4 it would be negotiable.
Do you really think the exposed wires vs. hidden on those 2 bikes is worth 20W at 40kph?
Not likely…
Do you really think the exposed wires vs. hidden on those 2 bikes is worth 20W at 40kph?
Not likely…
Well, not just that… but the SL4 is a far better design than SL3. That will knock down the Venge’s aero advantage bya few watts at least… I didnt say it will take away all 20W advantage.
Do you really think the exposed wires vs. hidden on those 2 bikes is worth 20W at 40kph?
Not likely…
Well, not just that… but the SL4 is a far better design than SL3. That will knock down the Venge’s aero advantage bya few watts at least… I didnt say it will take away all 20W advantage.
In what other ways is the SL4 more aero than an SL3? I think you’ve got some wishful thinking going on there…
By “better”, do you mean wider? The downtube of the SL4 is about 6.5 cm wide in my size (58). Roughly double that of the Venge and substantially larger than the SL3.
In what other ways is the SL4 more aero than an SL3? I think you’ve got some wishful thinking going on there…
Obviously Specialized didn’t compare the Venge to the SL4 for a reason; it wouldnt make the Venge watt savings very impressive. DEDUCTIVE reasoning :_)
In what other ways is the SL4 more aero than an SL3? I think you’ve got some wishful thinking going on there…
Obviously Specialized didn’t compare the Venge to the SL4 for a reason; it wouldnt make the Venge watt savings very impressive. DEDUCTIVE reasoning :_)
To borrow a quote:
You keep thinking that and I’ll keep being right…that way, we’ll both be happy
I have an S-Works SL3 and Venge. I’m 6’ 185 sprinter type. On the full sprint I’m cranking out from 800 to 1,100 watts depending on how I feel and wind conditions. If I’m saving 23 watts at 350 output, I would think the watt savings is around a conservative 30 perhaps. That’s huge in my book! Let’s not forget the last few k’s before the sprint where wattage is in the 350 to 500 range or higher. I’ll take that to the bank, thank you very much!
I still do like riding the SL3 for climbing but practically speaking, I’d have to lose 15 to 20 lbs to be competitive in a race with climbing in it. Unless I get stuck on a desert island, that’s not happening anytime soon so “The Venge” it is! For me anyways.