Product news: The new Specialized Aethos has already caused a lot of conversation after only a short time on the market. But not because it has already achieved various successes, as one is used to from Specialized bikes. But precisely because the latest racing bike model from the US manufacturer was not developed for racing and is much more about having fun riding. Of course, the epic name also causes a stir and arouses curiosity about what is behind it. We were able to get hold of one of the new S-Works Aethos models and test drive it for you.
The development of the new Specialized Aethos started with a very special idea, or rather a question. Because the developers at Specialized wanted to break new ground and provide the answer to the following question: "What if?"
Well, what if you were to build a bike that could be built without ulterior motives, rules and restrictions and is only committed to the goal of a unique riding experience. What if you built a bike to maximize those timeless moments when everything around you disappears and man and machine become one? Every ambitious cyclist, whether professional, amateur, hobby cyclist or newcomer, knows these moments. And that's exactly what the new Specialized Aethos was created for, which should now bring unique experiences and moments on and with the bike to riders all over the world.
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In order to make this possible, the Aethos broke some rules that have long been firmly established in modern cycling. However, this was absolutely necessary in order to achieve the desired result, because this is something to be proud of: At 585 grams, the Aethos has what is probably the lightest road frame with disc brakes ever made. In the overall package with S-Works frame, Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Roval Alpinist CLX wheels, the complete bike comes without frills and weighs almost 6,2 kilos, all with a frame size of 56 and the lightest Satin Carbon/Jetfuel finish. Nevertheless, the Aethos did not want to chase any number, as they say, but rather focus on the primary goal of ride quality.
The Specialized Aethos was created by not being restricted by any rules and simply staying true to your goal. Even if a racing bike has a certain competitive character given its name alone, there are enough riders who long for more than a pure racing machine. These riders live cycling down to the last detail and have the same high demands on a bike as professionals and racers. Of course, one could have used the methods and technologies of recent years to build the Aethos. But that wasn't the point, because you wanted to consciously ignore all the rules, be they those of the UCI or the racing bike community, and focus on the pure riding experience in the development.
“For many, it's hard to imagine a road bike that isn't designed for racing. We were afraid that the project might encounter resistance and be cancelled. That's why our team worked under cover for over a year. Nobody knew about the project until the design was complete and we could present our designs.” - Stewart Thompson, Road and Gravel Category Leader Specialized
In development, this breach of the rule brought with it a large number of changes. Through a series of supercomputer simulations, round tube shapes were modified in key areas in order to achieve enormous gains in stiffness and balance with a minimum of material. This is how the impressively low weight of the Specialized Aethos became possible.
“The very first frame was only 545 grams. We put it on the test machine and it behaved as it should – it was so strong. All we had to do was add another 10 grams and we were ready to test ride the frame. That was the moment we knew we had discovered something great.” - Peter Denk, Specialized Aethos Engineering Lead
So it happened that the Aethos violated some regulations and, for example, simply ignored the weight limit of the UCI. Nevertheless, the Aethos is still designed for a tall, powerful rider and is said to have all the handling, responsiveness and stiffness characteristics that you have come to expect from any other Specialized.
A look at the geometry table shows that it differs only slightly from that of the Tarmac. Thus, the Aethos is also based on a sporty, balanced geometry.
| Size | 49 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 61 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| seat tube | 431 mm | 462 mm | 481 mm | 504 mm | 532 mm | 567 mm |
| top tube | 508 mm | 531 mm | 540 mm | 562 mm | 577 mm | 595 mm |
| head tube | 109 mm | 120 mm | 137 mm | 157 mm | 184 mm | 204 mm |
| Steering angle | Inline | Inline | Inline | Inline | Inline | Inline |
| Seat angle | Inline | Inline | Inline | Inline | Inline | Inline |
| chainstay | 410 mm | 410 mm | 410 mm | 410 mm | 410 mm | 410 mm |
| BB drop | 74 mm | 74 mm | 72 mm | 72 mm | 72 mm | 72 mm |
| wheelbase | 973 mm | 975 mm | 978 mm | 991 mm | 1.005 mm | 1.012 mm |
| Reach | 375 mm | 380 mm | 384 mm | 395 mm | 402 mm | 408 mm |
| Stack | 514 mm | 527 mm | 544 mm | 565 mm | 591 mm | 612 mm |
Specialized Aethos on test
Visually, the Aethos is more reminiscent of a classic or even a steel frame. The paintwork is also kept very simple and the tube shapes hardly follow the trend towards aerodynamic perfection. Nevertheless, you will only find the latest parts and technologies on our S-Works model with the best carbon layup, high-quality equipment including Roval mountain wheels, electronic Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and even a power meter. With this high-quality equipment, the Specialized Aethos S-Works Di2 in size 56 weighs just 6,2 kilos.
When looking at the spec, we also noticed that the high-quality Roval wheels are fitted with 700 x 26C tires with tubes, which are no drama, deliver good performance and are still among the best of their kind. Nevertheless, they unnecessarily limit the field of application compared to tubeless variants with more width, because the frame of the Aethos has enough space for at least 32mm.
With such a low weight, the question naturally arises at the very beginning of how stable the Aethos actually is. Thanks to the high-quality workmanship and the best materials, the Aethos conveys a good feeling and is certainly not a bike that you have to handle with kid gloves. It is also clear that with such a weight, the climbing properties benefit greatly. At the same time, the high-quality carbon layup ensures first-class stiffness and thus power transmission. Whether on the mountain, when sprinting, when accelerating around corners or when accelerating, low weight and power transmission complement each other as you wish and can only be found on a few race bikes. Fun is definitely guaranteed here!
There's even more fun on technical descents, because the precise handling and high agility ensure good control. Compared to the Tarmac, the handling is quite similar, but a little more forgiving here and there. Even if we were a bit concerned at first, the Aethos sits firmly on the road even at high speeds and is very smooth-running.
There are deductions (if you want to call it that at all) in terms of aerodynamics. Of course, the Aethos is not designed for speed and is therefore not necessarily aimed at seconds hunters. At least on the flat you can already feel a difference to racing machines that have been optimized in the wind tunnel. But as I said, with a bike like this you should always ask yourself what it was made for. However, we were always able to reach the 30 km/h average speed on our test laps and saved time and energy on the mountain.
We were particularly pleased with the good comfort, which is also due to the seat post. We were positively surprised here and felt extremely comfortable on the Aethos even after several hours in the saddle, so that we often wanted to add a little extra lap. So definitely a bike for longer distances and day-long events.
With all the joy, riding fun and performance, however, one has to realize when looking at the price that this bike with the high-quality equipment should only be reserved for a few.
Click here for the Aethos online at Specialized.
