S-Works Venge 2019

[wingguy]

You really believe million/billion dollar Specialized "custom" builds every bike it makes?

No. What gives you that impression?

Factories, whether in China or USA, DO NOT vary the routine for everything they produce.

No, not for everything. For some things.

That is inefficient and leads to bankruptcy. You honestly believe black bikes are painted differently than white bikes and red bikes?

Some of them are.

Other than the color, everything is identical. All Specialized bikes built at the same Chinese factory get the same paint job. Costs skyrocket when you change things for every product. Every bike gets two coats of primer, every bike gets two coats of finish color, every bike gets two coats of gloss topcoat.

How do they get the matt finish using gloss topcoat? And what about bikes with carbon finish that sit alongside painted bikes in a range? How do companies deal with that?

[L3X]

Can the spacers be moved to the top of the stem, or does one have to cut the steerer when slamming? This setup looks pretty awful....

Actually, according to the manual: WARNING! Proper positioning of the compression plug is necessary to structurally support the stem clamping area. Do not place more than 10mm of spacers between the stem cover and the top cap.

[anykarthik]

Of course, the extra weight that comes with non-black paints was also a factor. I read somewhere that the purple-flake bike is ~150-200g heavier.

You are ASSuming the "black" comes from the natural color of the carbon fiber. But more likely if it is painted black,

It is painted black - but with a black carbon backing you only need a small thickness of black paint to get the uniform finish you want. With lighter colours you need enough paint layered up to be completely opaque. If you ever chip the paint on a white or fluoro bike you'll see how much is needed!

You really believe million/billion dollar Specialized "custom" builds every bike it makes? Factories, whether in China or USA, DO NOT vary the routine for everything they produce. That is inefficient and leads to bankruptcy. You honestly believe black bikes are painted differently than white bikes and red bikes? Other than the color, everything is identical. All Specialized bikes built at the same Chinese factory get the same paint job. Costs skyrocket when you change things for every product. Every bike gets two coats of primer, every bike gets two coats of finish color, every bike gets two coats of gloss topcoat. Efficiency keeps costs low and profit high. Variation in every product you make increases costs and lowers profit.

You can argue hypotheticals all day long if that's your choice. I asked the head designer for Specialized on Instagram whether there was a weight difference between the purple bike and the black bike. He said there was. I'll take his word over your guesses.

Also, there's evidence on this thread of people buying the Sagan frame and finding it to be nowhere close to the stock S-works in weight. Again, components were identical (infact the Sagan build had CLX50s which are lighter than the stock 64s). And various publications have confirmed the stock S-works weight (if you believe them like I do).

Paint is not light. The type of paint matters. A lot. This is also echoed on the SystemSix thread btw.

[CrankAddictsRich]

You really believe million/billion dollar Specialized "custom" builds every bike it makes? Factories, whether in China or USA, DO NOT vary the routine for everything they produce. That is inefficient and leads to bankruptcy. You honestly believe black bikes are painted differently than white bikes and red bikes? Other than the color, everything is identical. All Specialized bikes built at the same Chinese factory get the same paint job. Costs skyrocket when you change things for every product. Every bike gets two coats of primer, every bike gets two coats of finish color, every bike gets two coats of gloss topcoat. Efficiency keeps costs low and profit high. Variation in every product you make increases costs and lowers profit.

You're assuming that the factories are doing multiple colors at the same time. I don't think it happens that way. My guess is they do one run of a color at a time... i.e. 500 bikes in black and then 500 bikes in color... and spraying more black than they need, to do the job, isn't efficient either. When I stripped the paint on my Allez, it was clear that different parts of the bike got varying thickness of paint. Additionally, when I compared the weight of my grey 1st gen. Venge Pro to that of my friend's rocket red S-works Venge, they were pretty darn close... I'm guessing that the paint needed to get that Rocket Red so bright was quite a bit more than it took to make my bike grey... enough so, to even out the different between an S-Works frame from a Pro frame.

[ScottinFL]

And this is precisely why I cannot get over Spec's color options this year for the Venge. Could there be more rainbow colors going on here??? Might be great for a kids bike, but it's not getting my money.

[andreas]

Well, techincally the picture could show off the chameleon color of the saddle better
I like it, black makes it easier to match with the kit, the colors add a bit of fun/x-factor to the bike. Each to his own, I guess.

[anykarthik]

Well, techincally the picture could show off the chameleon color of the saddle better
I like it, black makes it easier to match with the kit, the colors add a bit of fun/x-factor to the bike. Each to his own, I guess.

100% agree. Love the trippy nature of the reflective bits on mine. Prefer that it's there.

[bilwit]

Can the spacers be moved to the top of the stem, or does one have to cut the steerer when slamming? This setup looks pretty awful....

Actually, according to the manual: WARNING! Proper positioning of the compression plug is necessary to structurally support the stem clamping area. Do not place more than 10mm of spacers between the stem cover and the top cap.

As long as the expander is near the stem clamp (preferably near the bottom) it's fine. They say that because it's hard to position the expander that low from the top and you could potentially have the expander ABOVE the stem which would defeat the purpose. Looks like you can just put normal/non-integrated spacers on the top (though not sure if it'll be perfectly flush with the stem).

[KevinM]

Could there be more rainbow colors going on here???

Yeah, I pre-ordered one but returned it. It reminded me too much of the “afro circus” dancing horse in Madagascar, but they’re selling, so there’s lots of people who like them. On the other hand, I didn’t like the camo frames on the website, but I’ve seen a couple built up locally recently and loved them. It’s a crapshoot when you have to order a frame because shops won’t carry the good stuff. Spesh can’t keep anything in stock though, so people are buying them!

[LBoogie28]

And this is precisely why I cannot get over Spec's color options this year for the Venge. Could there be more rainbow colors going on here??? Might be great for a kids bike, but it's not getting my money.

Have you seen the bike in person? I have checked out the tarmac pro with the same colorway and it is actually subtle 95% of the time, and when it does “transition” it’s only enough to grab your eye for a second or two.

[SLCBrandon]

Of course, the extra weight that comes with non-black paints was also a factor. I read somewhere that the purple-flake bike is ~150-200g heavier.

You are ASSuming the "black" comes from the natural color of the carbon fiber. But more likely if it is painted black,

It is painted black - but with a black carbon backing you only need a small thickness of black paint to get the uniform finish you want. With lighter colours you need enough paint layered up to be completely opaque. If you ever chip the paint on a white or fluoro bike you'll see how much is needed!

You really believe million/billion dollar Specialized "custom" builds every bike it makes? Factories, whether in China or USA, DO NOT vary the routine for everything they produce. That is inefficient and leads to bankruptcy. You honestly believe black bikes are painted differently than white bikes and red bikes? Other than the color, everything is identical. All Specialized bikes built at the same Chinese factory get the same paint job. Costs skyrocket when you change things for every product. Every bike gets two coats of primer, every bike gets two coats of finish color, every bike gets two coats of gloss topcoat. Efficiency keeps costs low and profit high. Variation in every product you make increases costs and lowers profit.

Wow.....just.....wow.

This is an all time post on here.

[andreas]

Can the spacers be moved to the top of the stem, or does one have to cut the steerer when slamming? This setup looks pretty awful....

Actually, according to the manual: WARNING! Proper positioning of the compression plug is necessary to structurally support the stem clamping area. Do not place more than 10mm of spacers between the stem cover and the top cap.

As long as the expander is near the stem clamp (preferably near the bottom) it's fine. They say that because it's hard to position the expander that low from the top and you could potentially have the expander ABOVE the stem which would defeat the purpose. Looks like you can just put normal/non-integrated spacers on the top (though not sure if it'll be perfectly flush with the stem).

Yeah, I'm familiar with the mechanics and limitations of a headset expander bolt, my question was if the integrated spacers can be stacked on top of the stem (so that you don't have to cut the steerer to maintain the integrated look when lowering the stem by 5-10mm).

[CrankAddictsRich]

And this is precisely why I cannot get over Spec's color options this year for the Venge. Could there be more rainbow colors going on here??? Might be great for a kids bike, but it's not getting my money.

Have you seen the bike in person? I have checked out the tarmac pro with the same colorway and it is actually subtle 95% of the time, and when it does “transition” it’s only enough to grab your eye for a second or two.

Exactly.... most of the time the bike presents as a sublte grey on black look.. its only when the light hits the logos and you're viewing at certain angles that you get the holagraphic rainbow effect.

[robeambro]

Does anybody know whether the new Aerofly II bars can hold any kind of Roval and/or third-party TT clip-ons? Or if Specialized is working on anything along those lines?

[seaneT1]

Does anybody know whether the new Aerofly II bars can hold any kind of Roval and/or third-party TT clip-ons? Or if Specialized is working on anything along those lines?

I think they already have one out, if not, they will in the near future, at least that is what they said earlier on.