Specialized Aethos: Any reason why it's not associated as a road race bike ?

[LouisN]

Trying to figure out the marketing strategy from Specialized here...
https://bikerumor.com/585g-specialized- ... tching-it/

I checked the bike geometry, and it's not very far from the Tarmac.
Ok, not as "aero" on paper, and a bit lighter.
So.
How about this: You are in a team sponsored by Specialized. They won't get the Tarmac before (insert late summer 2022 date here).
They offer to send an Aethos. Are you happy ? Or this "comfort/endurance bike, or "replacing the Roubaix" kind of tag on the Aethos would make you refuse to use this frame as a road race bike ?
Any road bike racer riding the Aethos can comment on it's riding characteristics compared to some "real" road race bikes ?

Louis

[spdntrxi]

because this story is a year+ old and they just got finished telling you the SL7 is everything after telling you aero was everything with the venge.. it's just marketing. Dont sweat it and ride whatever works for you.

[Ronin416]

because this story is a year+ old and they just got finished telling you the SL7 is everything after telling you aero was everything with the venge.. it's just marketing. Dont sweat it and ride whatever works for you.

Exactly, their marketing is spun any which way sells more bike. Now they’re spinning the Crux is the lightest gravel bike (Atheos with more clearance lol)


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[thebikemanguy]

I do think they missed a trick in not making the Aethos very slightly shorter and taller than it is. The reviews say it's an incredible bike, but most people who aren't racing simply need a slightly more relaxed geometry.

[TobinHatesYou]

It’s a race bike. Hope this helps.

I do think they missed a trick in not making the Aethos very slightly shorter and taller than it is. The reviews say it's an incredible bike, but most people who aren't racing simply need a slightly more relaxed geometry.

How big, exactly, do you think the market is for a superlight, ultra-expensive frameset/bike for non-racers? It’s a race bike and should have a race geometry.

[thebikemanguy]

It’s a race bike. Hope this helps.

I do think they missed a trick in not making the Aethos very slightly shorter and taller than it is. The reviews say it's an incredible bike, but most people who aren't racing simply need a slightly more relaxed geometry.

How big, exactly, do you think the market is for a superlight, ultra-expensive frameset/bike for non-racers? It’s a race bike and should have a race geometry.

The market for ultra-expensive framesets/bikes for non-racers is much, much, much bigger than the market for suplerlight, ultra-expensive framsets/bikes for racers. The vast majority of folks don't race. And if you do race and want a faster bike, you should buy an SL7.

[TobinHatesYou]

The market for ultra-expensive framesets/bikes for non-racers is much, much, much bigger than the market for suplerlight, ultra-expensive framsets/bikes for racers. The vast majority of folks don't race. And if you do race and want a faster bike, you should buy an SL7.

Yep, people buy bikes for varying degrees of vanity. Saving a few hundred grams in the frame isn’t going to improve the way someone corners if if they are 2cm more upright and 5kg overweight. The non DSW Allez exists and it is a perfectly fungible bike.

Plus you can always buy the Aethos and stick a 17deg stem on it, flipped up…25/30deg stems also exist.

[spartacus]

For racing it would make no sense to take the Aethos over a Tarmac. The Tarmac is faster (realistically a small difference - but a difference nonetheless) and is plenty comfortable (at least IMO). That's the only reason I can think of, obviously one coudl race on an Aethos.I guess you could argue the Aethos is a comfort bike, if you consider the Tarmac is already pretty comfortable

[thebikemanguy]

Plus you can always buy the Aethos and stick a 17deg stem on it, flipped up…25/30deg stems also exist.

You can...but since the people who will buy it mostly don't race, why not make the bike *fit* the majority of those non-racers without resorting to ugly 17deg stems etc.?

[spartacus]

Plus you can always buy the Aethos and stick a 17deg stem on it, flipped up…25/30deg stems also exist.

You can...but since the people who will buy it mostly don't race, why not make the bike *fit* the majority of those non-racers without resorting to ugly 17deg stems etc.?

There are a lot of people that ride fast/far but don't race. The Aethos would be a good choice for that if you wanted a light and compliant bike that's good for clilbing, and you don't need the few extra aero watts the Tarmac offers. They don't need a tall stack height bike, don't they already make an S-works Roubaix for that?

[thebikemanguy]

Plus you can always buy the Aethos and stick a 17deg stem on it, flipped up…25/30deg stems also exist.

You can...but since the people who will buy it mostly don't race, why not make the bike *fit* the majority of those non-racers without resorting to ugly 17deg stems etc.?

There are a lot of people that ride fast/far but don't race. The Aethos would be a good choice for that if you wanted a light and compliant bike that's good for clilbing, and you don't need the few extra aero watts the Tarmac offers. They don't need a tall stack height bike, don't they already make an S-works Roubaix for that?

I think it'd fit more folks in that category with small adjustments to the stack, say 1 or 2 cm taller. Not, say, 5cm taller like the Roubaix or other endurance bikes.

[TobinHatesYou]

I think it'd fit more folks in that category with small adjustments to the stack, say 1 or 2 cm taller. Not, say, 5cm taller like the Roubaix or other endurance bikes.

So someone who wants a 54cm with 2cm more stack can just buy a 56cm and use a 1cm shorter stem unless they have really peculiar body proportions... If we take the 54cm and add 2cm to the stack, then the reach/stack values become 378mm/564mm. A Cannondale Synapse in 51cm is 377mm/550mm, which is more aggressive. The 54cm Synapse is 382mm/570mm, still slightly more aggressive in terms of proportions.

What you're describing is an Aethos endurance bike. I don't see the point.

[thebikemanguy]

What you're describing is an Aethos endurance bike. I don't see the point.

I'm just going round in circles at this point, so won't belabor much further - I'll just continue to reiterate that Specialized made a bike that isn't good for racing, and then chose geometry that isn't well-suited for most folks who don't race. (Also, weird flex talking about a Synapse - why not compare to the actual endurance bike that Specialized makes?)

[TobinHatesYou]

What you're describing is an Aethos endurance bike. I don't see the point.

I'm just going round in circles at this point, so won't belabor much further - I'll just continue to reiterate that Specialized made a bike that isn't good for racing, and then chose geometry that isn't well-suited for most folks who don't race. (Also, weird flex talking about a Synapse - why not compare to the actual endurance bike that Specialized makes?)

It is for racing. That's the first thing I wrote in this thread. It may not be the best choice for the breakaway artist or sprinter, but it's undoubtedly great for a mountain finish, especially for amateurs who aren't climbing at the same speeds as pros and subject to less of an aero penalty because of it...and also because most of us amateur racers aren't subject to UCI weight restrictions.

The Roubaix has a ridiculous stack height due to Future Shock. No other endurance bike comes close to its reach/stack ratios.

Besides, how long did EF stick to the round SuperSix as their primary race bike? I imagine BikeExchange will primarily ride the TCR for most races at least until a new Propel is revealed. The TCR isn't particularly aero with is very squat D shaped tubes and exposed cables. Don't fall for the marketing lingo here.

[mgrl]

The Aethos has been raced at the TdF, let's not forget