When designing the new S-Works Tarmac, Specialized set out to create the fastest all-around race bike out there; a bike that climbs and descends with equal prowess but also gives an aerodynamic edge that others fail to offer. If there’s one rider that embodies these race-winning characteristics, it’s Peter Sagan. So go ahead - channel your inner World Champion and build up a custom S-Works Sagan Superstar Tarmac.
To get the weight below 800 grams, advanced aerospace composite optimisation software was utilised to revolutionise the construction and layup of the new FACT 12r carbon. It's the most advanced material and schedule Specialized have ever made - the shape, schedule, and material optimisation shed nearly 200 grams. That's right, a 20% reduction in frame weight - the perfect recipe for your next hill climb PR.
Rider-First Engineered™ technology was further improved to ensure that the new Tarmac is stiff and compliant in exactly the right places. With this revamp, the geometry was also updated, basing it on countless Retül data points and professional rider input. This enabled Specialized to develop a performance road geometry that perfects the combination of a responsive front end and short wheelbase, delivering instantaneous response and optimal power transfer.
While 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 added which translates to a 28mm Turbo Cotton on a Roval CLX 50 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 just takes a bit of the sting out of those road imperfections. You’ll thanks us on your next long ride.
Aerodynamics are also most important to make you faster. Both the Bora-Hansgrohe and Team Quick Step Floors Pro Tour riders are demanding aero improvements on every bike. With this, the aero goal was to discover where they could essentially “add aero 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 Specialized could do this - a new fork shape, dropped seatstays with aero tubes, and a d-shaped seatpost and seat tube. The result was a bike that’s approximately 45 seconds faster over 40km compared to other lightweight bikes in the same category. A speed saving that you'll feel when you're attacking off the front of the peloton.
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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 S-Works FACT 12r frameset is Specialized's highest quality carbon frame, offering the ideal blend of light overall weight and targeted stiffness.
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S-Works-specific FACT full carbon fork with tapered construction provides incredible front end stiffness and steering response for instantaneous accelerations and high-speed descents.
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With its high-modulus construction, the S-Works FACT carbon Tarmac seatpost provides impeccable power transfer, while still allowing for ample compliance for long days in the saddle.