Specialized Venge ViAS Disc joins the aero range

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Specialized began its Venge ViAS aero bike project years ago as a disc frameset, assuming that cycling’s governing body, the UCI, would allow disc bikes in competition in 2015. 

When that timing got pushed back, Specialized began working on a rim-brake version of the ViAS instead, which launched in May of 2015. Now that road discs are gaining wider acceptance — in the general population if not within the pro peloton — Specialized is about to roll out its Venge ViAS Disc machine.

• Peter Sagan’s Specialized Venge ViAS
• Specialized Venge ViAS Disc spotted

The thru-axle machine retains the same general shape as the rim-brake model, with extensive internal routing through not only the frame but the handlebar and stem as well. That said, there is now the option on both bikes to use a standard handlebar and the more conventional internal routing that begins at the top of the down tube. 

In addition to the 100x12mm front / 142x12mm rear thru-axles and flat-mount adaptations instead of rim-brake caliper mounts, the disc frame has a better weight-to-stiffness ratio, Specialized claims, weighing nearly 200g less than the original frame.

“The goal was not to have any weight difference between the two bikes,” said Specialized road bike manager John Cordoba. “Discs add about a pound.”

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To accommodate the rear discs, the chainstays are 5-10mm longer and 12mm wider at the axle than the rim ViAS.

With the Tarmac Disc, Specialized opted for a proprietary 135mm rear hub to keep the Tarmac’s 405mm chainstays and still fit a rotor. This meant that only a Specialized rear wheel could be used with the bike. The ViAS, by contrast, has the now-standard 142x12 thru-axle rear, for compatibility with the UCI’s regulations and neutral support for pro riders in races.

Aero bars and aero comparison of disc and rim bikes

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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