The Tarmac SL8 frame offers a combination of aerodynamics, lightness, and ride quality previously thought impossible. After eight generations and over two decades of development, it is not only the fastest Tarmac ever: it is the fastest road bike in the world. Are your legs ready? Aerodynamics or lightness alone do not win races: what matters is speed. To achieve this speed, it is necessary to create a no-compromise combination of aerodynamics, lightness, stiffness, and shock absorption. Thanks to complex simulations using real data, our Ride Science Team has verified that the Tarmac SL8 is the fastest road bike on any course: - 16.6 seconds faster over 40 km of flat, 128 seconds faster on the Milan-Sanremo route, 20 seconds faster on the Tourmalet climb. Specialized uses aerodynamics where it is most needed, and in the process has created our fastest road bike ever - yes, even more aerodynamic than the Venge. The front end has been optimized for maximum advantage. The fork's steerer tube is positioned behind the front of the frame's head tube to provide much lower aerodynamic resistance. Thanks to new UCI rules, the SL8 can use the narrowest and most aerodynamic seatpost ever made, ensuring that turbulent air in the leg area can flow more easily to the back of the bike. To create the Tarmac SL8 and make the most aerodynamic bike while meeting UCI's minimum weight requirements, Specialized drew inspiration from what we learned with the Aethos. The team created a 685-gram frame, 15% lighter than the Tarmac SL7 and lighter than any other World Tour bike*. Focusing on maximum lightness in the down tube, seat tube, and rear of the bike, the lessons learned from the Aethos project were applied. The frame shapes respond so efficiently to stresses that it was possible to reduce the material thickness, eliminating the unnecessary. *Except for that time when Kasper Asgreen raced with the 585-gram Aethos frame during a stage of the Tour. The stiffness-to-weight ratio of the Tarmac SL8 is 33% better than the SL7. The Tarmac SL8 sets a new benchmark for handling: it is precise in the most demanding situations and responds immediately and efficiently to pedal inputs. While the areas that ensure power transfer and steering precision are stiffer than ever, the Tarmac SL8 feels more comfortable, filtering 6% more of the stresses coming from the ground and allowing you to tackle corners with a unique feeling of agility and balance in the world of road bikes. The new Tarmac SL8 maintains the proven geometry of the SL7 model, with the same generous clearance for 32 mm tires, allowing for the use of larger volume tires when necessary. In reality, there can be many more differences between two male cyclists than between a man and a woman. We design for the individual and our philosophy is simple: Do not create differences where there are none. Every cyclist, man or woman, can benefit from the advantages of the Tarmac SL8. It’s time to go beyond. The Tarmac SL8 frame, with a 68mm threaded bottom bracket, is the perfect starting point to create the bike of your dreams.
- Weight (size 56): 1.69 kg (3 lb, 11.6 oz).
- Fork: FACT 10r Carbon, 12x100mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc.
- Frame: Tarmac SL8 FACT 10r Carbon, Rider First Engineered™, Win Tunnel Engineered, Clean Routing, Threaded BB, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc. 780g frame.
- Seat post: S-Works Tarmac SL8 Carbon seat post, FACT Carbon, 15mm offset.
- Handlebar Stem: Tarmac integrated stem, 6-degree.
- Seat Collar: Tarmac integrated wedge.
- Color: Bainco (Gloss Dune White / Black Pearl Over Ashen).
