Specialized releases Down Under Collection, donates $150,000 to bushfire wildlife relief
As the 2020 road season kicks off with the Tour Down Under, south-eastern Australia is shellshocked and smoke-choked by the bushfires that continue to rage across the country. A land area larger than Belgium has been lost to the fires, and some estimates have put the wildlife death toll at more than a billion animals (yes, with a ‘b’), with many more injured and in need of care.
Which isn’t the way that you’d normally expect news of a product release to kick off, and yet, here we are.
Specialized’s Down Under Collection for 2020 is specifically designed to draw attention to the cause of Australia’s beleaguered wildlife, with a jaunty blue and yellow palette inspired by the Australian budgie.
The product release is backed by Specialized’s generous donation of $150,000AUD to the WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation.
On which note, if you’re not in the market for anything from Specialized’s new range, you both can and should donate to the cause here: wires.org.au
Onto the tech!
A handful of products get the special treatment in this year’s Down Under Collection. The headliner is arguably the Allez Sprint Disc, a limited-edition frameset that will also be in action in Sunday’s curtain-raising Schwalbe Classic criterium under riders from Bora-hansgrohe and Deceuninck-QuickStep including Sam Bennett and Jay McCarthy. It retails for $1,800AUD/US$1,500.
Here’s the frameset…
… and here’s a team build.
The limited-edition S-Works 7 road shoes ($550AUD) feature a royal blue heel cup and a yellow to blue fade across the inside panel of the shoe that mimics the plumage across the chest of a budgie.
The Down Under range also includes a lightweight, UV-resistant and exceedingly cute cycling cap – sadly not available in Australia – as well as some cheerful yellow socks ($25AUD) and S-Works Prevail II and Evade helmets, both equipped with the ANGi crash detection system.
This chirpy little number will set you back US$30.
With a 7″ cuff these are both high and bright.
The S-Works Evade Down Under variant is only available in selected markets, and retails for US$275.
If you’re in Australia, you’ll be able to get your hands on the airy Prevail II Down Under ($425AUD).
You can check out the collection on the Specialized website here and again, here’s the link for WIRES, just in case you missed it earlier.
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