2019 Specialized Tarmac Disc Expert Womens Road Bike - Storm Grey/Ice

To cut some grams from the Tarmac whilst maintaining it's stiffness and compliance in exactly the right places, Specialized took major steps to improving their Rider-First Engineered™ technology. From different layup schedules and materials, to visibly different forks, every aspect of the Tarmac was scrutinised to ensure you're getting the perfect ride. With this revamp, the geometry was also updated, based on countless Retül data points and professional rider input. This helped develop a Performance Road Geometry that perfects the combination of a responsive front-end and short wheelbase, which delivers instantaneous response and optimal power transfer.

Whilst stiffness aids in the aforementioned, compliance must also be utilised for an optimal ride quality. That's why Specialized designed a seatpost that builds compliance into the upper 120mm where clamping doesn't happen, dropped the seatstays, and altered the seat tube shape. Tyre clearance up to 30mm was also added, which translates to a 28mm Turbo Cotton on a Roval C 38 Disc wheel. This allows lower pressures for decreased rolling resistance, increased traction, and more comfort. Altogether, these additions still have the Tarmac riding like a true race-machine, but it also takes a bit of the sting out of road imperfections.

Disc brakes were chosen as they provide superior braking power and modulation, work exceptionally well in wet weather, and offer a very, very minor weight addition. All this means that you have more control and can go faster with more confidence.

The Bora-Hansgrohe and Quick-Step Floors Pro Tour riders are demanding aero improvements on every bike as they know this is the best way to make you faster. With this, the aero goal was to discover where it could be added for free by not taking anything away from the hallmarks of the Tarmac design. During the six-month iterative process, three areas were discovered where this could be done - a new fork shape, dropped seatstays with aero tubes, and a D-shaped seatpost and seat tube. The result is a bike that's approximately 45 seconds faster over 40km compared to other lightweight bikes in the same category.

The build spec on this Women's Tarmac Disc is value-packed, featuring Shimano Ultegra mechanical shifting, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, a Roval C38 Disc carbon fibre wheelset, and a host of women's-specific pieces at every touchpoint on the bike, like a superlative Women's Power Saddle with Mimic technology.

• Featuring a Rider-First Engineered™ design that ensures every frame size has the same legendary climbing responsiveness and descending prowess you'd expect from a Tarmac. The FACT 10r frame is the perfect blend of value and performance.
• Shimano's no-fuss Ultegra shifting with hydraulic disc brakes provides precise shifting and plenty of stopping power.
• Carbon wheels on an Expert-level bike. The Roval C38 Disc carbon wheels bring performance to the masses. They're lightweight, durable, and ready for just about anything.