Specialized Tarmac SL8 frame - Blue

The Tarmac SL8 frame offers a combination of aerodynamics, light weight and ride quality previously thought impossible. After eight generations and more than two decades of development, it's not just the fastest Tarmac ever-it's the fastest road bike in the world. Are your legs ready? Aerodynamics or lightness alone do not win races: what matters is speed. Achieving that speed requires creating an uncompromising combination of aerodynamics, lightness, stiffness, and stress absorption. Thanks to complex simulations using real data, our Ride Science Team has verified that the Tarmac SL8 is the fastest race bike on any course:- 16.6 seconds on 40 km of flat terrain, 128 seconds faster on the Milan-San Remo course, 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, more aerodynamic than even the Venge. The front end has been optimized for maximum advantage. The fork steerer tube is positioned posterior to the front of the frame head tube to provide much lower aerodynamic drag. Thanks to new UCI rules, the narrowest and most aerodynamic seatpost ever made could be used for the SL8 to ensure that turbulent air in the leg area can flow more easily to the rear of the bike. To create the Tarmac SL8 and make the most aerodynamic bike while meeting the minimum weight requirements imposed by UCI Specialized was inspired by what we learned with the Aethos. The team made a 685-gram frame, 15 percent lighter than the Tarmac SL7 and lighter than any other World Tour bike*. Focusing on maximizing the lightest possible weight in the down tube, seat tube and rear of the bike, the lessons learned in the Aethos design were adopted. The frame shapes respond so efficiently to stresses that it was possible to reduce the thickness of the material, eliminating the superfluous. *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 in handling: it is precise in the most demanding situations and responds immediately and efficiently to inputs on the pedal. While the areas that ensure power transfer and steering precision are stiffer than ever before, in the saddle the Tarmac SL8 is more comfortable, filtering 6 percent more of the stresses from the terrain and allowing you to attack corners with a feeling of agility and balance unique in the world of road bikes. The new Tarmac SL8 retains the proven geometry of the SL7 model, with the same generous 32 mm tire clearance, so more volume coverage can be used when needed. In reality there can be many more differences between two male cyclists than between a man and a woman. We design based on the individual, and our philosophy is simple: Don't create differences where there are none. Every cyclist, male or female, can take advantage of the benefits of the Tarmac SL8. It's time to move beyond that. The Tarmac SL8 frame, with a 68mm threaded bottom bracket, is the perfect starting point for making 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.
• Seatpost: S-Works Tarmac SL8 Carbon seat post, FACT Carbon, 15mm offset.
• Handlebar stem: Tarmac integrated stem, 6-degree.
• Saddle Collar: Tarmac integrated wedge.
• Color: Blue (Satin blue onyx/black).