Daniel McMahon/Business Insider
The world's hottest new road bike: the S-Works Venge ViAS from Specialized. The super-stiff, lightweight aero machine will officially debut at this year's Tour de France (July 4-26), where it will be ridden by select riders such as Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan.
This year's Tour de France, as with most Tours, will see the rolling out of new bikes, wheels, tires, helmets, sunglasses, shoes, apparel, and more. Because it's the world's largest annual sporting event, it's an ideal time for manufactures to show off all their new stuff.
One bike that seems to be getting more attention than all the others is the just-revealed Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS. The company recently invited Business Insider to check it out in person, but because it was under embargo until now we didn't get to take it for a spin. Yet during our brief meet-up with a Specialized rep we got to snap a few pics and learn a bit about it. Specialized claims it is "the fastest bike in the world," which is a bold statement considering how many fast bikes are out there.
The carbon Venge is actually one of five new products Specialized is unveiling this week as a "complete aerodynamic ecosystem." Along with the Venge, there's a new skinsuit, helmet, shoes, and wheel-and-tire system. All together, the project is dubbed "5 Minutes," which is how much time you'll save over 40 kilometers, or about 25 miles, if you're riding this bike and wearing the gear, the company says. That is, compared to its previous similar bike and gear.
There will be limited availability beginning in August, the company said. The price for the Venge: $12,500. See more photos below, along with further details.