Not angry, but if it was SOOOO superior then why did most Specialized Pro Tour riders and most consumers that I personally have seen walk in and order a Specialized go for the SL4? The people that are the least practical often buy into the largest amount of hype and the impractical folks are often of the same lot since they're a bit impractical with the other habits as well.

I'm hearing some good points here. Maybe that's why everyone did just fine before the Venge came out. It's sounding pretty good for both bikes right now.

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Never Quit

Re: which bike makes a bigger difference to performance, aero or light, 80% of ww'ers pick aero.

Re: which bike to pick, aero bike v. light bike, 99.999% ww'ers pick the light bike.

It puzzles me.

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people choose non-aero bikes because there's more to riding bikes than going as fast as possible. The bike has to function as a bicycle (NOT a given, look at some tt bikes' rear brakes, or extra flexy front der mounts, etc), it has to position you in a comfortable position, it has to handle well, it ought to look good, etc. The venge has most of these attributes down, the aesthetics is polarizing. it's not as comfortable as the tarmac, and a lot of people aren't worried if their time on their regular one hour loop gets cut fifteen seconds.
In the end, people (i hope) pick the most enjoyable bike

Yes, my C50 is actually quite a joy to ride and I hang on to it...

OP is asking about crit (racing) though...

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Fair comment, I think there in lies the answer. Specialized want to sell it as a second or third bike, people might want to blast out a few miles on the venge after work but take the sl3/4 on the weekend ride. The paradox is that this has cannibalised sales of the roubaix bikes. I look at Specialized and Cervelo closely as I think both companies are becoming very similar. Cervelo are copying the Specialized matrix for multiple rigs at ,multiple prices, and Specialized are looking at how Cervelo engineer bikes before marketing. I suppose the consumer wins as there is more choice. As I've said before, the venge is very s2/3 to me. Oddly the perception of speed is greater on my Cervelo than my sL3 but in reality my times are the same. It just feels faster. Might be something to do with the BB height?

Being honest I am not sure if I truly want or need the venge but it's an itch i need to scratch and I can hopefully advise if the bike is as good as suggested or of the hyperbole is exactly that. I'm no pro, but I reckon I can get enough out of it to see how it goes. Also, I have a limited edition world championship edition coming, only 45 being made so I figured yeah why not !

I think people also pick the bike that they like the look of most as well. I mean, if you really aren't sitting there trying to parse out the minute nuances of every frame you're unlikely to notice much. Considering how many customers aren't even able to keep their tires at proper pressure few would really notice any differences in ride quality as well.

Well, well said.

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Exp001

The reason everyone chooses the Sl4 is because, if you were truly serious about aero, you'd buy an S5. As simple as that

Yes, but I refer to the previous quote: people choose the bike they like the look of.

I LOVE Cervelo bikes, but the S5 is a hound dog - sorry to say, just one ugly bike. Had it been cosmetically different I may have bought one instead, but nope, not for me. Bet it rides well though.

Though I also concur that the Venge does look odd in bigger sizes.

Too true, the S3 is very sleek, but the S5's edges are very harsh on the eyes as well as anything over 56cm on the Venge.

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Never Quit

most consumers are buying SL4 over Venge because there is a distinct ride quality difference between them. The SL4 does ride more smooth than the Venge. I can speak first hand because I actually own a Venge. It does feel a bit faster and accelerations feel like they require less effort at speed, but it does transmit more road feel. Most consumers and even racers in my neck of the woods are opting for the SL4 over the Venge.

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Quit whining and go ride your bike!!

My two cents: I have a SL3 and a Venge. I'm 6'0' 185 lb sprinter type and love to motor on the flats as well as grind up hills, although my body type favors the motoring on the flats. I also have a P3. I really like getting into a rhythm on the TT bike and spend the majority of my time on local training rides and race mostly Crits and TT's. Although I do like road racing, I'm not good at going uphill fast. I went for an Aero bike because I realized much of a difference aerodynamics made on the TT bike, e.g. most of the time I have a hard time hang on in the pack on a local roller type fast training rides, but on the TT bike I can push my own wind and keep up with the pack cranking out less watts. Pro's and Con's: SL3, ride quality is superior, half pound lighter and laterally stiffer that the Venge. To be fair, these differences are relatively small. Although the Venge is laterally stiffer than most non-aero bikes, specifically the S5, I consider it an Aero version of the SL3. As someone previously mentioned, the Venge does go uphill well, just not as good as the SL3. Although I can only tell the difference after around 5% grade. The Venge handles better in cross-winds than either the SL3 and the S5. I had the opportunity to ride the Venge and S5 on a windy day on the same FC 404's. I had the jump on the brakes on the S5 several time in the cross winds to avoid being blown into traffic lanes while I just motored through on the Venge. Would I have bought the Venge if I didn't race and/or do the local fast training rides? Probably not. When I go in the garage to pick my ride, the Venge is my go to bike over the SL3 75% of the time.

I rode a Venge at a local demo day and all I can say is "meh". I can't quite put my finger on exactly why I didn't like, best I've been able to come up with is that it was dull/muted feeling on it. A bike costing that much better make me say more than "meh".

The best bike advice as always: go and ride both, preferably back to back!

I'm not a road racer. I'm not even really a roadie. The main thing I look for in a road bike is how well it corners, descends, climbs, and feels underfoot. The sl4 (pro, haven't ridden an sworks) feels very nice underfoot. It also corners more confidently, especially over the cruddy road surfaces we have where I live. The venge "feels" faster on smooth straights, but also feels a bit like a tri bike; not terrible, but the sensation is still there.