the Ventum One Superbike

Ventum is one of several new bike companies on the scene, trying to make its mark on triathlon in a big way. Two other new startups, Dimond and Culprit, are also coming into the tri space with new tri-specific bikes with non-traditional geometry. Ventum's aero pedigree comes from the likes of Lotus, whose original 108 track bike, and later the 110 road bike, were models of aero supremacy for some time. If we trust Cervelo's claim (and I do), then it wasn't until the introduction of the Cervelo P4 and later bikes that the old Lotus 110 was finally supplanted. It was a tough frame to beat. And now, Ventum is using that same basic frame layout but with modern design, to hopefully reach the next plateau.

The look of the bike is, without a doubt, polarizing. Some think it looks gorgeous, others say it's absolutely hideous. Some fall in the middle, saying its aesthetics don't matter to them as long as it performs. I'd be lying if I said the only thing that matters to me is performance; I'm like most folks, and swayed by appearance. On that note, I have to say I'm not completely thrilled with the look of the Ventum One, but it also does some really cool things aerodynamically.

The bike here is Leanda Cave's bike - or more specifically, it's her spare bike, built as an exact replica of her race rig. More often, it's ridden by company co-founder Jimmy Seear, who swaps out his own saddle and his preferred TriRig Gamma extensions. Let's take a good look at this thing, from tip to tail.

We'll start with the frame itself, then move to the integrated bottle, the front end, and finally my conclusionsThe complete bike