The McLaren Technology Centre teamed up with Specialized Bicycle Components to design the all-new Venge aerodynamic road bike. According to its makers, the ‘slippery-looking Specialized + McLaren Venge is the fastest complete-performance bike in the world’.

With its top-of-the-range S-Works Venge, Specialized was already a leader in stiffness, weight and aerodynamics, but it was the carbonfibre expertise of McLaren that allowed them to take things to a whole new level – improving efficiency by 10-15 per cent, simply as a result of the way the carbon was cut and applied, and by choosing the most suitable plies.

“The S-Specialized + McLaren Venge project is unique,” said Brad Paquin, composite design engineer at California-based Specialized. “We paid no attention to the typical limiting factors and focused solely on producing the most advanced bike possible – Formula 1-style!”

And Mark Cavendish, a Tour de France multiple stage winner and the man who won the event in sensational style in 2009, added credence to the claims after testing the Venge for the first time. "I love this bike!" was his verdict.

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: McLaren