In 2015, the world was going crazy for inexpensive carbon fiber bicycles. Didn’t matter how much it weighed or how it felt to ride… if it was carbon, it signified performance.
Specialized had seen its road business growing, but aluminum bikes we starting to fade. Investments we had made to produce lighter, less expensive and higher performance alloy bikes than their cheap carbon competitors were not sticking. We needed a new strategy to help make these bikes desirable.
We started with the Red Hook Crit and Team Rocket Espresso. And focused on building a youthful attitude of insanely talented athletes that would piolot the bikes in places were real people could race. The long term goal, however, was to see a world tour team winning on the bike.
2018, we worked with Axeon Hagens-Berman to have their riders compete on the Allez Sprint, a bicycle available at your local bicycle shop for under $2000 (A top level bike in the Tour de France costs above $12-14,000usd.)
Fast forward to the 2018 USA PRO National Championship… and watch below as Johnny Brown courageously takes a solo win. No more excuse that you have to buy the most expensive bike available to compete with the best. Smart technology prevails.
