The previous Tarmac had an exceptional palmarès - a win in every Grand Tour, plus two World Championships but Specialized are constantly hunting for even the smallest of improvements. For this exact reason, the new S-Works Tarmac breaks all the traditions of race bike design.
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, they've ever made and this shed nearly 200 grams. That's a 20% reduction in frame weight - perfect for your next hill climb PR.
Major steps were taken to improve the Rider-First Engineered™ technology to ensure that the new Tarmac is stiff and compliant in exactly the right places, all while shedding some serious weight. From different layup schedules and materials, to visibly different forks, every single aspect of the new Tarmac was scrutinised to ensure you're getting the perfect ride. The geometry was updated, basing it on countless Retül data points and professional rider input to 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.
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 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 it also takes a bit of the sting out of road imperfections.
Specialized also know that aerodynamic improvements are the most important thing they can do to make you faster and even Bora-Hansgrohe and Quick-Step Floors Pro Tour riders are demanding aero improvements on every bike. With this, the aero goal was to discover where aero could essentially be added for free without 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.
-
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 frame is Specialized's highest quality carbon frame, offering the ideal blend of light overall weight and targeted stiffness.
-
S-Works full FACT carbon fork with a tapered construction provides incredible front end stiffness and steering response for instantaneous accelerations and high-speed descents.
-
A legendary CeramicSpeed bottom bracket ensures that you're saving every last precious watt.