A decade ago, the Red Hook Criterium was organised to celebrate David Trimble's 26th birthday and was held with no sponsors, promotion, prizes or permits. Now, it has become one of the most hyped and exciting unsanctioned events; known for high octane, gearless and brakeless racing, and of course, the epic crashes, with races in the US and Europe.
This year, Specialized has teamed up with designer Dylan Buffington and Team Specialized/Rocket Espresso to produce some of the most eye-catching frames for the series to date.
The special team edition Allez Sprint rolls on Roval's CX64, Shimano Dura-Ace track cranks and the frame features Specialized Smart Weld technology at the bottom bracket and head tube. This process moves the joint away from high-stress areas to maintain the best possible strength and rigidity, something that’s particularly important on a track frame.
According to Buffington, the concept for this Red Hook edition Allez Sprint was inspired by the techniques and motifs used by designers for the BMW Art Car series.
“These artists, who were used to their respective mediums, adapted to the form of the cars as well as to the public's eye who viewed them,” he said.
Specialized has produced only 13 track bikes for Team Specialized/Rocket Espresso riders, but will also be doing a run of 300 Allez DSL Sprint frame sets in this colourway, which will be available in July globally.
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If you miss out on the special edition frames, Specialized says there will be matching shoes and helmets too.
Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing.
Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine.
