if you have been longing to ride Shimano's 12s-speed Ultegra Di2 on a fantastic road frameset but you don't want to break the bank, this is the bike you want. The Specialized Aethos Expert Ultegra complete bikes feature a frameset that is step down in carbon grade from the ultra-light S-Works frame, but at 699 grams in a 54cm (!), it is hardly a heavyweight and is still as light nearly any other production frame made. Although the Aethos design carries a race geometry, it was engineered and developed to offer the apex cycling experience for the serious enthusiast who appreciates the ultimate in quality and design, with the cleanest aesthetic, an incredible finish, and wondrous ride quality.

The story of the Aethos is pure Specialized. The achievement of the frameset design represents virtually all of the foundational principles of the company, except one. For one of the leading proponents of aerodynamic design for road cycling and racing, as exemplified by the Tarmac SL7, aerodynamics was never factored in to the development of the Aethos. Having struck the perfect balance between light weight and aerodynamics for the SL7 race machine, the engineering problem of building the lightest, most exceptional riding road bike was incredibly appealing. In order to crack it, new and more efficient applications of carbon fiber, as well as a new Continuous Curvature Design strategy were achieved. The end result of Aethos process pushed the most innovative team in cycling development to new heights and will certainly inform and impact the future. While the S-Works frame features the ultra-premium FACT 12r carbon, the Aethos Pro and Expert models have the more cost-effective FACT 10r layup.

The Aethos frame has been designed with the perfect combination of ultimate ride feel, light weight, and style. This was achieved by reinventing the traditional road tube shapes found on bikes of the past, subtly altering these visual shapes to deliver massive gains in stiffness and balance, all without affecting weight or durability. That visual story appears simple on some level, but it was the application of carbon technology and incredible engineering capabilities to find the stress loads, tube thicknesses, and how to best integrate all of the shapes and engineering requirements in ways you can't see to create the FACT 10r Aethos. This new process, with an entirely-new layup system tapped into the R&D system Specialized has perfected over multiple decades to be the most innovative company in cycling.... Read More