Earlier today I came across a video review of a Specialized S-Works Aethos 2021 road bike. It looked nice -- a sophisticated paint job, clean lines, and the reviewer said it was straightforward -- round tube shapes, no special integrated stem or bars. Just a road bike, taking the geometry and ride feel of a Specialized Tarmac and putting it in a much more approachable form, for non-racers. Of course, it is super lightweight, under 15 lbs. I was thinking ... wow, this looks really nice and, if I were to get another carbon road bike someday, maybe it would be a contender.
Then I heard the pricetag.
$1250.
No, wait a minute. Add another zero.
$12500.
So they stripped the Tarmac down to something minimal and relatively basic, that you can repair yourself, ... but kept the pricetag.
Ouch. No thank you.
