Two Nice Recent Builds

There have been a couple nice builds going out at the start of this fall season and I wanted to share a couple eye candy photos of them.  Even a short test ride displayed the ride quality top end components and frames have to offer.  Parts List after each set.

Specialized Venge ViAS Pro Disc –

Specialized Venge ViAS Pro Disc –

Shimano ST785 levers / calipers, Dura-Ace Derailleurs (Di2), Roval CLX60 Disc wheelset, Specialized Carbon FACT crankset

This is really neat to build since we had some challenging times with the rim brake model earlier in the year.  Once the front brake dilemma was figured out, it was a matter of following a series of steps, but the pre-routed lines through the frame wer only marginally difficult to correctly measure and feed through the stem and the handlebar.  The routing was pretty tight, but not kinked due to it being hydraulic rather than cable actuated.  The paint was really nice too with the minimalist fading of grey and black.

Pinarello Dogma F8 Team Sky Edition –

Pinarello Dogma F8 Team Sky Edition –

Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Hydro groupset, Enve 2.3’s on Chris King R45 hubs with Sapim spokes, Centerline V2 rotors (6 bolt), Garmin Edge 820, Enve handlebars and stem, Arundel waterbottle cages, Dura-Ace pedals.

This bike felt so nice to take on the test ride before a final fitting.  It felt responsive and quick with a total sense of confidence in handling.  I felt zero ‘twitchiness’ and the wheels and frame absorbed the rough Arling pavement with ease.  The brakes can stop on a dime and still maintain a nice interval of modulation when descending.

Building the Specialized Venge Vias

Here are some more photos of building up the bike this morning and then some photos of afterward.  There were many good concepts behind the hidden cable design and mounts as well as possibilities for having Junction A externally mounted beneath the adjustable Garmin mount on the front of the handlebars.  Some of the setup for the front brake is difficult and I have to trim the cable several times and re-sleeve it before it actuated correctly and smoothly.  The routing over the the steerer tube of the brake hoses and Di2 wire was well thought out and (while tight) came together great.  The addition of the carbon waterbottle cage (included) with the SWAT tool and mounting bracket below the cage was a nice touch.  We immediately went for Supakaz Black Kush tape instead of the stock white and also replaced the white Power saddle with a black one to stealth it out.  All in all, it built nicely and looked good in the final photos.  Final weight with the cage and SWAT (no pedals) as stock build for a 56cm was 17.57 lbs.  I am just going to display all the photos below right after each other so you can see the details.  Message or comment with any questions!

The New Specialized Venge Vias

Hey everyone!  We’ve just got the one of the first Specialized Venge Vias bikes in the shop.  More photos of the completed bike to come later today!  It definitely looks sleek with the aero brakes and curvy handlebar.  The 64SLX Rapide wheels seem really light and also quite aero.  I’ll try to have a few photos of actual weights for the wheels and the complete bike with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 11 speed.  While the brakes look tucked into the frame, they seem easy to work on and I noticed all the little bits in the packaging made sense with flexible brake noodles leading to the brakes and the wires and junction tucked away nicely in the stem and under the bottom bracket.  One thing I really liked the concept of was the control unit and charging port located under the bottom bracket shell in a nice protective case (Junction A).  This means Junction B is placed up at the stem (hidden away), which is reverse of how you would normally install them.  More to follow!!!