When ambassador James Pedals (@jamespedals) said he wanted us to build him his dream bike; the Specialized Aethos. We were ecstatic, to say the least. It’s fairly easy to create a sub-7kg road bike these days considering the variety of components available but James wanted his Aethos Dream Build to be that extra bit special.
James is no stranger to a superbike. His own bike collection has exponentially grown over the last few years. But every one of his bikes serves a purpose. Like his Specialized Tarmac SL7 in the pursuit of speed or his Trek Emonda SLR for those heavy climbs. All in the name of bettering himself as a rider.
Don’t get us wrong, James is all in the name of racing. Grand tour top steps, classics monuments they’re what we all live for as road cyclists. But sometimes riding simply for the love of riding is just what we need. This Aethos dream build was designed for the pure joy of riding road bikes and with this in mind, our workshop team got to work on a masterpiece that any cycling enthusiast would be proud of.
This Dream Build is a little different. It’s still workshop technician Steve in his lair, assembling small pieces of bike parts, but you can expect a few surprises.
James opted for the cool Grey/Chameleon Eyris Tint/Brushed Chrome colourway, the Specialized Aethos frameset comes in a variety of colours but that rainbow-tinted gleam outshone the others. James favoured a 61cm frame over his usual 58cm being between sizes.
When chasing KOM there is no competition for wheelsets. The Roval Alpinist CLX provides ride quality and long term durability. Match that up with its ultra-lightweight (255 grams) cousin the Roval Alpinist Cockpit and you’ve got an internal cable routing setup that is decidedly modern. We fitted the bike with an SRAM AXS Red Groupset allowing for full functionality. The ability to connect with the mobile app and check battery status whilst monitoring component behaviour mid and post-ride. With an added Quarq power meter James will also be able to analyse baseline fitness and visualise gains made.
This is accompanied by a matching Silver Nova Ride Ceramic Derailleur. James Alpinist Seatpost is topped off with the 3-D printed liquid polymer S-Works Mirror Saddle. Its complex honeycomb structure allows us to infinitely tune the density of the material in a way impossible with foam. The result is a matrix of 14000 struts and 7799 nodes each of which can be tuned individually. This revolutionary technology is the perfect seat to reflect his own anatomy. Finally, his tyres of choosing are the 28mm Pirelli P-Zero. Its new Smart Evo compound offers a better all-weather grip and lower rolling resistance. The perfect accompaniment for the unpredictable British summertime.
Working on the Aethos 
S-Works Mirror Saddle 
Aethos Branding 
Steve with Pirelli Tyres
Full Build Specifications
- S-Works Aethos Cool Grey/Chameleon Eyris Tint/Brushed Chrome (61cm)
- Roval Alpinist CLX wheelset
- Roval Alpinist Cockpit (42cm 120mm)
- SRAM AXS red groupset with Quarq power meter (10-33 46-33)
- Nova ride carbon and ceramic OSPW
- S-Works Mirror Saddle
- Alpinist Seatpost
- Pirelli P-Zero (28mm)
“The bike has exceeded all expectations, it has a timeless beauty, its lightweight, responsive and an absolute joy to ride”
– James pedals (@jamespedals)
Full video coming soon 📹📺
