300 S-Works Ultralight Aethos Drool-Machines Sold Out in One Day

Even though everyone is looking to create bikes and devices that are to be green, the fact that biking was already emission-free just makes all this new electric nonsense seem kind of redundant. But we’ll leave that for another day. For now, we’re going to be focusing on the new Specialized S-Works Aethos bike. And not on just any of the new models that were launched a few days ago, but on the Founder’s Edition.

If you’ve never heard of Specialized's Founder's Edition line, it’s because they are always limited only to 300. Just like the Spartans, once they're gone, they’re gone.

I don’t even know where to begin with this bike. Ok. Let’s just take it slow. We can start with the most obvious detail, it’s price tag, 14,500 U.S. Dollars (~12.300 Euro). But when you look at it, you ask yourselve WHY!? Hahaha, we are silly humans, and I asked the same thing. But I then did what you should also do, keep reading.

For a moment let’s leave the S-works or Specialized brand names out of this and focus on the bike, because with a frame construction that comes in at only 585 grams for the size 56, you can start to understand why the near 15-grand price tag.

So how the hell did they do it? They put a lot of knowledge and expertise all into one beautifully designed bike, that's what they did. Just have a look at the frame, but don’t bother looking for any welds - carbon fiber was the material of choice for the drool machine.

But it doesn’t help to just have a light frame, it also needs to stand up to the pressures and forces of riding wherever and however it is you ride a bike. Through altering the shapes and dynamics of bike tubes, the team was able to create the perfect balance between rigidity and flexibility for a performance road bike. The fork too was created using the same carbon techniques as the frame. For a cockpit we find Roval Alpinist with a one-piece bar and stem combo. This too, carbon.

Now, anytime you put something like this together, you know you’re going to find only top of the line components. The Founder’s Edition is no exception from that unwritten rule. So, to make sure you’re not going to be calling S-Works to get your money back, we’re able to find a complete Shimano Dura-Ace setup. From shift levers to front and rear derailleurs, crankset and even chain, all set to the tune of eleven speeds on a 2X chain-ring. Braking is also Dura-Ace R9170 hydraulic disks.

One thing people seem to forget whenever riding a bike without any visible suspension system, is the importance of what type of tires you use. For the Aethos S-Works chose Turbo Cotton 320 TPI tires with Turbo Ultralight inner tubes. All set on Roval Alpinist carbon rims with DT Swiss Aerolite spokes.

Hey, I think I finally understand why this bike shocks us with its price tag. We did a bit of searching and for the cheapest we could find, just the full Shimano Dura-Ace set-up was worth nearly 4,000 US dollars. And that’s just one piece of the puzzle.

The second part, however, is you. Without a fully renewable resource machine such as the human body, these 300 aren’t going anywhere. Oh wait, in case you forgot the title, it’s already sold out online.