Mark Cavendish's Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Specialized now has its own tubulars, too(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Roval is Specialized's house brand, which has multiple depths of carbon hoops. While the S-Works Venge ViAS will be sold with the CLX 64s, Cav is racing 60s(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
On the morning of stage 7, Cav's number plate indicated 25 career Tour stage wins. Make that 26…(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Venge ViAS Aerofly handlebars have an integrated Garmin mount (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
There is seemingly always a new way to route Di2(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The ViAS uses Specialized's own brake design(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Shimano and SRM - a dependable combination(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Venge ViAS Aerofly handlebars dip down to accommodate the ultra-low position of the frame and integrated stem(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Like all riders at the Tour, Cav has multiple versions of the same bike. His A bike here has had white bar tape for most of the race(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Cavendish first rode this new Venge ViAS at the Tour de Suisse. He got his first win aboard it at stage 7(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Specialized engineers had to add a little width to the brake calipers to stay within the UCI's 3:1 length-to-width rule(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Specialized's new S-Works Venge ViAS first popped up at the Tour de Suisse, and on stage 7, Mark Cavendish piloted the aero machine to its first Tour de France stage win.
Bike brands have tried a few approaches to minimizing drag from the brakes. Some have tucked the calipers inside the fork legs, some have nestled an integrated design into the front of the fork, while others have tucked the rear brake behind the bottom brake or snugged it up as close to the seatstays as possible. Specialized had built the front brake into a fairing of sorts, with huge arms trailing horizontally off the fork legs. The rear is built into the center of the seat tube, pivoting on two posts.
Up front, Specialized reduced frontal area by lowering not only the head tube but the integrated stem as well, which channels the internal brake and shift lines from inside the handlebar down into the frame. In order to keep the handlebar height the same, the ViAS Aerofly handlebar curves upward from the stem.
Complete bike weight: 7.59 kg / 16.73lb Rider's height: 173cm (5ft 8in) Rider's weight: 69kg (152lb) Saddle height from BB, c-t: 69.8cm Tip of saddle to handlebar: 54.9cm
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