What would a Ferrari look like if it had only two wheels? A lot like Specialized’s new S-Works Venge Disc, probably. Fueled by Specialized’s self-prescribed motto, “Aero is everything,” the new Venge sets out to be the ultimate speed machine, and fix the issues of its predecessor in the process.
To create such a bike, Specialized enlisted the help of custom optimization computer software that, armed with a top-secret algorithm, can run through thousands of shape possibilities and analyze them for aerodynamics, surface area and stiffness. It then culled those numbers down into what the bike maker is calling its FreeFoil Shape Library. From that library, engineers pulled the shapes that offered the most favorable balance between aerodynamics and stiffness.
This tech-enhanced process created a bike that’s not only faster than its previous iteration but also better. That is, Specialized fixed a lot of the issues found in the older Venge ViAS. Cable routing is streamlined, rim brakes are replaced with discs, and the headtube and fork are now much stiffer.
Speed ain’t free though — the Venge Disc runs for a cool $12,500. And what’s more, Specialized is releasing it in a very limited run. Exactly how many bikes were made we still don’t know, but one employee at the brand told us this: “If you do happen to come across one on display in a shop, consider yourself lucky.”
