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The Specialized Aethos needs very little introduction. The old one is a bike I\u2019ve lusted after for years, with its sleek, narrow tubes, sensible-ish cable routing, and a big two fingers up to the UCI weight limit, along with an aero package that\u2019s, at best, a casual Californian shrug. It was a staple of the hill climb scene, a rider\u2019s bike, and while I never got the chance to ride one, it has such a reputation that it\u2019s a hell of an act to follow.<\/p>\n
I must admit I was a little disheartened when I learned of the changes that had been wrought on the Aethos 2. The term \u2018endurance\u2019 is so loaded with connotations of retired men doing laps of Richmond Park (insert your local retirement ride scene here) that I was worried that riding it would be akin to throwing a leg over a shire horse and asking it to navigate a chicane with the agility of a dragonfly.<\/p>\n
I am pleased to report that after smashing about on it for several weeks, taking in fast group rides, flat miles, and hilly solo loops, it\u2019s still every bit the proper lightweight road bike. I understand what Specialized has done in terms of the geometry tweaks, and while I think it\u2019s made it a less cool bike, it\u2019s also going to be a more viable bike for more customers. Is it good enough to match the old one and make it into our best road bikes guide? Read on and I\u2019ll tell you.<\/p>\n
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Many of the changes centre around the head tube. It’s taller, which reduces the reach as well as increasing the stack, and it’s a little slacker too. <\/span>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Tyre clearance has been increased to 35mm, with room to spare<\/span>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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It’s still a very, very good looking bike in my opinion. <\/span>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The computer mount is also excellent. <\/span>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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You get all the inserts for all the computers, it’s elegant, and has hardware for lighting. <\/span>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDesign and aesthetics<\/h2>\n Context is important to understand the new Aethos. The first-generation bike was superlight, had the geometry of the Tarmac, but none of the racing foibles. External cables at the cockpit, round tubes, and a focus on handling. Roll on a few years, and the Tarmac SL8 replaced the SL7, and it was basically as light as the Aethos with the same geometry and a far superior aero package, leaving it floundering as a bike you\u2019d buy essentially for the cool factor alone; a perfectly valid reason to buy a bike, I might add.<\/p>\n
The new Aethos has been \u2018endurance-ified\u2019, though it\u2019s still a far cry from the Roubaix. Compared to the Tarmac SL8, it’s 4mm shorter in terms of reach, but 15mm higher in the stack, meaning my test bike arriving totally slammed wasn\u2019t actually an issue at all. It\u2019s also half a degree slacker, and the tyre capacity has been increased to 35mm, with the prerequisite 4mm of clearance around, meaning you could push this northwards a little if you really<\/em> want to.<\/p>\nThis is a lightweight bike; that\u2019s its MO, and the top-flight S-Works model is claimed to be the lightest disc frame in the world at 595g. The X-Lab RT9 frameset weighs 540g, but that\u2019s for a slightly smaller frameset, while the similarly feathery Scott Addict RC Ultimate\u2019s frame weighs 599g. In my spec, the non-S-Works Ultegra \u2018Pro\u2019 tier, the bike tipped the scales, fully dressed with pedals, computer mount, bottle cages, and sealant in the tyres at 7.4kg, so light, but not hyperlight, but for similarly specced machines it’s up there (or should that say ‘down there’) with the best.<\/p>\n
This is heavier than the 6.7kg claimed for this model, so I did some digging. Pedals (250g), cages (80g per pair), an estimated 50g for the computer mount, and I suspect somewhere in the region of 140g of sealant (I use a bit more than recommended in the winter because there’s just loads of crap on the roads). Throw in a conservative 15g for the rear light mount and you’re closing the weight discrepancy to something that still doesn’t quite marry up with the claims, but is at least a lot closer. Naturally, with a lighter build and components, and the scant sealant all review bikes initially come with, this could be reduced significantly, but if you want the full weight weenie package, you\u2019re going to need the S-Works frame, and will have to pay for it.<\/p>\n