Hi All,
A little background, I started cycling seriously about 3 years ago, but live up in a fairly rural area in Maine so don’t do a lot of races. I currently have a Giant Defy 5, but have upgraded the wheels to RS500s and the components to 105-R7000. I live in a VERY hilly area, though not particularly steep hills.
I was in my LBS the other day, and noticed they have a 2015 S Works Venge frameset in my size. The owners would be willing to sell it to me for ~$1800. While that seems like an exceptionally good price for that frameset, there are two questions that I’d love some feedback on:
In a hilly area (biggest climb is 3 miles @ 6% but many 1-2 miles at 4-5%) will the geometry of the Venge really be beneficial to me?
Are there any major differences between the 2015 Venge they have and the 2019 or 2020 models?
This seems like a good opportunity to do a major upgrade to what I ride, but I want to make sure it’s going to be a good bike for me, and not just buy it because the price is right.
There’s a lot of factors here to make your decision, but in a nutshell - I’d say no pass on it. If you are patient, you can get an tarmac SL6 frame for like 3k used
In general I think the tarmac is a better overall bike and just as aero as the gen 1 venge.
Other consideration - rim vs disc brake. How long you keep you bikes for, what parts you’d need to buy to put the bike together.
Sounds expensive for old tech. I wouldn’t touch it personally unless it was a give-a-way price. The Tarmac SL6 is more aero than the old Venge. And yes, there are huge differences with the 2019/2020 Venge.
If you live in a hilly area, why do you want a stiff aero bike? Once again, you’d be better off with a Tarmac IMO.
I think the old Venge might be a great crit bike. I bet if you waved $1000 cash in front of the shop owner’s nose, they might take it. It’s been sitting there for 5 years now.
You should also look on ebay. I see that whole bikes have sold in the $2000 range.
Hard to say if it is worth it w/o knowing the specs…what components are on It?
Also, fair warning - the BB’s in those bikes are known to have a pretty high rate of creaking. I had one frame warranties after the whole BB shell crapped out and the replacement frame (s-works) also developed creaking.
ETA - just realized it was a frame set, not a complete bike. No, it is not a good deal at that price for just a frame, IMO.
I own one of the original Venge’s and I absolutely love it. I’ve had the bike for years and I don’t intend on changing it anytime soon.
The bike is more aggressive compared to the Giant, so if you’re not a flexible person then it might not be for you, having said that, it can be more relaxed if you run enough spacers under the stem, but it’s worth thinking about.
I paid £2500 for the frame 7 years ago, so I don’t think the price the shop has offered it to you is that great. There’s no denying that the frame is old now, so I would want it at a bargain price.
My bike climbs well and it’s lighter than a lot of disc bikes out there. Without weighing it though it’s hard to compare. I would say it’s not as stiff as the current Venge (from speaking to owners) but it is more compliant.
The benefits of this frame come into play when riding at speed, like any aero bike, so that won’t help you on the climbs, unless you can climb like Froome.
I haven’t had any problems with the BB, it’s down to installing them correctly.
According to the marketing, the current Venge is 8 seconds faster over 40k than the VIAS and that bike is faster than the Venge you’re looking at but I can’t remember what the figures are.
You can get an Sworks SL6 Tarmac frame right now for £2700ish (more for some colour ways, less for others) from the UK Specialized Concept Stores (and presumably other Spesh dealers).
Yes, an SL6 with an aero handlebar is two generations more aero than the old old Venge. Like I said, the old old Venge could be a nice crit bike if the price was really right but an SL6 is a better climber and all-arounder.