2021 has been a bumper year for Specialized. Bike releases, kit drops, style changes and year-defining comebacks have made this a year to remember. Here at the Concept Store we’ve been lucky enough to share in this success and see all the brilliant new products come through our stores. In this retrospective, we look back on the biggest storylines and best new releases of 2021.
Released at the start of the year, the S-Works Ares Road Shoe is Specialized’s most efficient power-based shoe ever. Combining Body Geometry technologies with professional rider insight, the shoes maximise a rider’s speed and eliminate foot roll to make the Ares 1% quicker than any other model we have created. The ultra-stiff FACT Powerline carbon soled shoes were on full display when Julian Alaphilippe won his second world championship road race in Leuven.
The Prevail II was also released at the start of the year and set a new standard for lightweight racing helmets. The new model has a 20% increase in vented areas and was designed to allow more air flow throughout the helmet, perfect for those hot days in the mountains or on the baking gravel tracks. It even got a cool maglia ciclamino makeover for Peter Sagan at the Giro d’Italia. Naturally, the Prevail II is super safe thanks to integrated MIPS with ANGI technology.
There’s something aesthetically pleasing about a super-clean, super-light climbing bike. No clutter, no unnecessary details, just pure fun and the perfect ride. The lightest frame on the market, people were drooling over the Aethos when it was released. What makes it such a featherweight champion? The flagship frame, combined with Roval’s Alpinist wheels and a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, makes for a perfectly balanced ride.
The Turbo Levo Gen 3 redefined what it means to be a versatile e-MTB. Our most powerful model to date, the Gen 3 had a complete overhaul of the bike’s frame design and motor and battery systems resulting in a super powerful and long-lasting e-MTB. People went wild for it and rightly so. Get to know the Specialized Turbo Levo Gen 3 here.
Two of the sport’s most compelling comebacks played out in front of us this year. The world’s greatest ever sprinter, Mark Cavendish, thought his cycling career was over at the end of 2020, but he was given a second chance at Deceuninck – Quick Step on a trustworthy new steed, the S-Works Tarmac SL7. The rest, as they say, is history. History that Cavendish has written by winning four stages of this year’s Tour de France and the green jersey, matching Eddy Merckx’s long-held record for the greatest number of stage wins in the process.
Another Deceuninck – Quick Step rider who came back in style was Fabio Jakobsen. After suffering horrific and lasting injuries at the 2020 Tour of Poland, the Dutch sprinter’s return to WorldTour racing was enough in itself to bring a tear to the eye, let alone going on to win the points classification of this year’s Vuelta a España.
As well as epic comebacks, there was also the retirement of cycling legend Anna van der Breggen. The SD Worx rider raced much of the year in the rainbow jersey, and once again proved her status as one of the sport’s GOATs by winning her seventh consecutive Flèche Wallonne, fourth Giro Rosa and third Olympic medal. Iconic! See the machine this legend raced on during her final season in What the pros ride: Anna van der Breggen.
You can’t have an Olympic Games without a limited edition Specialized release, right? The Speed of Light collection was launched to coincide with Tokyo 2020 (in summer 2021) and is a series of designs inspired by the interplay of light in the universe, echoing the way your bike and kit also coexist. Pretty neat.
Finally, as we’re now in the winter months, we’d be foolish not to mention the all-new Crux. A bike that strikes the perfect balance between gravel riding and cyclocross, the Crux is a truly multi-purpose bike that will transform your off-road riding. This one had everyone talking.
Still wondering how the Crux became a gravel bike? Read our article, What makes the new Crux different.
To find out more about the kit mentioned in this article, come down to one of our stores and check it out for yourself. Speak to one of our friendly staff members, get a feel for what works best for you, and learn more about the innovations we are making at Specialized. 2021 has been one heck of a year, keep the good times rolling in 2022.
