Courtesy Courtesy

As <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} —Specialized was publicly celebrating the opening of its in-house wind tunnel, Giant Bicycles jumped in to offer a challenge. “Congratulations on a beautiful wind tunnel,” Giant Bicycles wrote on Specialized’s Facebook page on May 23. “How about you put it to a true test by accepting Giant’s challenge to test our Propel Advanced SL 0 against your Venge S-Works Di2?”


Giant recently launched its Propel aero road bike, and the Venge is Specialized’s comparable model.

As of May 30, Specialized had not responded to Giant regarding its public challenge.

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Giant threw down the gauntlet on Specialized’s Facebook page

“We were as surprised as everybody else that Specialized launched what appeared to be a beautiful wind tunnel,” said Giant marketing manager Andrew Juskaitis. “On one hand, we wanted to congratulate them. But also, we have done all of our homework on our Propel against our competitors, including the Venge. We are quite confident that we could beat them in almost any situation when it comes to aerodynamic drag. We though it would be fun to challenge them, and get the public involved.”

Specialized has not yet responded to requests for comment from BikeRadar.

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Aero versus aero: Giant challenge Specialized to test these two bikes head to head in its new wind tunnel

“Maybe they weren’t confident in their wind tunnel; maybe they’re not confident in their product. Or maybe they don’t want us in their facility, which I understand,” Juskaitis said. “But we called them out, and they backed down in a public forum.”

Giant USA is based outside of Los Angeles in Newbury Park, California, about five hours south of Specialized’s headquarters in Morgan Hill.


“We’ll drive up there whenever they’re ready to go,” Juskaitis said. “But it doesn’t look like they’re ready for the challenge.”