Market: The Specialized Tarmac is probably one of the top racers that many cyclists dream of. The new 2018 model made its debut at the Dauphine and the Tour de France and caused a lot of conversation. The new form in particular deviates quite significantly from its predecessor, with significant improvements on all levels, as the manufacturer promises.
The Tarmac is a racing classic, with more than 200 pro victories in its most current version to date. So the question arises as to whether such a bike can be improved at all?! According to Specialized, special emphasis was placed on the fact that the Specialized Tarmac performs better than its predecessor in all areas and does not allow any compromises.
This can be seen at first glance from the weight. The frame in size 56, for example, only weighs 733 grams. In comparison, the predecessor weighed in at over 1000 grams. Thus, with the appropriate equipment, it is no problem to reach the 6,8 kg limit. The version with disc brakes is a little heavier due to the slightly different construction and the additional material.
Another change: The frame now consists of about 500 parts. The frame of the old Specialized Tarmac was made up of 300 to 350 carbon parts. Around 30 grams were saved in the bottom bracket area alone and the stiffness was also improved. This is extremely crucial, especially for power transmission. In general, you can see that the models use higher-quality material. Fact 12R high modulus carbon is used on the S-Works models and 10R carbon is used on the Pro and Expert models. So far, this carbon was only reserved for the S-Works series. To ensure more comfort at the same time, the seat stays have been placed much lower on the seat tube. Nevertheless, the comfort of such a sporty race bike will be rather manageable.
The Rider-First Engineered™ frame should also ensure perfect handling and high riding stability, and the Fact Carbon fork will also play its part. A carbon fiber assignment that is individually tailored to each frame size enables a powerful balance of stiffness and weight for each size. In addition to the weight advantages, the aerodynamics are said to have been significantly improved in order to really have covered all areas.
The S-Works top models come for €9.999 and are equipped with high-quality components such as a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Roval CLX wheels and other S-Works parts.