Bike Setup: raw carbon/white frame, record 10, zipp 404 tubular wheels, zipp bar/stem, easton ec90 seatpost, fizik allante saddle
Summary: waited till May 2008 for specialized to build my frame. an amazing ride... quick, stiff, light, comfortable.. every expectation was beaten. on the sprints its reaction is amazing.. on the climbs the lightness makes you want to dance on the pedals.. on the descents there is no fear... went from a custom seven elium and have not looked back... the elium got ridden just twice in 14 months.. no matter if it's a 21 mile time trial type ride or an 85 mile fast group ride thru the hills..you will not be disappointed... my only issue is that I now want the 2010 SL3..
Strengths: light, stiff, comfortable, and extremely fast..
Weaknesses: swapped out the barmac for zipp bar/stem. swapped out the seatpost because it only fits round rails
Similar Products Used: seven alaris with DA10, seven elium SG with record10, tarmac comp with record10
Summary: I got the 2008 S-Works Tarmac SL for a great price through my sponsor a little over a month ago and have ridden it about 750 miles so far. It came with the Roval Fusée SL wheelset (complete with wheel bag), S-Works Carbon Crankset and Dura Ace components.
The Tarmac replaced my 2006 Roubaix Expert which I loved for it's great ride. It is obviously geared more for racing so it's no surprise that it's ride is not as plush as the Roubaix but is still very comfortable on rougher surfaces. My second ride on it was 5 hours long on some rough wintered roads and I felt great afterwards which speaks volumes. Once professionally fitted it seemed taylor made for me.
I'm not a climber but climbing on the SL is sweet. This bike wants to go up and do it fast. The SL is also a great sprinter accelerating as you would expect by it's pedigree but the thing that makes this bike awesome to me is the way it corners. I was on the front of a group going into a corner near the end of a race last weekend and came out over 20 yards ahead of the next guy and could have pushed it more. Now that I'm used to the Tarmac's handling I can't wait to try this bike in a Crit.
My only complaint with this bike is that there is that the drivetrain is a little noisier than normal. I don't know if it's the S-Works crankset, the chain (I've tried other cassettes) or that combination.
Strengths: Light, fast, responsive and comfortable on long rides. Corners like it's on rails!
Weaknesses: A little drivetrain noise.
Similar Products Used: 2006 Roubaix Expert, 2002 E5 SLX Comp, Serotta Colorado TG, Serotta Nova Special
Would you like to Comment? Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Bike Setup: Replaced the S-works "Barmac" bar/stem combo with FSA stuff; the stock bar was too narrow (42) and the stem too short (10cm) to fit me. I could have lived with the bars being too narrow, but you can't just replace the stem; it's one unit. All Dura-Ace. Using Dura-Ace wheels also. S-works crank. Look KEO pedals.
Summary: I work for an insurance company and was able to buy this for an extremely low price due to the fact that it was in a minor accident. Unfortunately, the carbon rear rim was damaged and you can't get just the Roval rim from Specialized; you have to replace the whole wheel at over $1100; ouch. So, I'm using it with other wheels I have. This is my 3rd carbon bike. Others were a Felt F3 and I currently also have a Colnago CLX (and other steel/aluminum framed bikes). The S-works is the best of the 3 carbon frames I've owned. Incredibly responsive out of the saddle when sprinting or climbing. When I get out of the saddle on climbs, I can often shift up a couple of gears and continue accelerating. With most other bikes, I find it hard to increase my speed by getting out of the saddle in a climb, but this thing accelarates like there's a little motor in the bottom bracket adding to my own power. My Colnago CLX feels stiff; gives a harsh ride, but doesn't accelerate like the S-Works when you put the hammer down. The Felt F3 gave a nice, smooth compliant ride, but wasn't as stiff torsionally as I would prefer. The S-works has the best of both. I would love to try the new Tarmac SL2 which is even stiffer and lighter than this.
Strengths: Light. Smooth, compliant ride while being torsionally stiff at the same time. Acclerates like mad when you get out of the saddle and put some power into it. S-works crank allows you to replace the spider (keeping the same crank arms) and flip back and forth between standard and compact chainrings; awesome idea!
Weaknesses: Proprietary components; crank, seatpost, S-works Barmac bar/stem combo. I had a seatpost bolt strip; couldn't find a replacement so ended up buying another seatpost. Stock seat is okay up to 2 hour rides but no longer than that.
Bike Setup: 06 Record, E3 carbon bars, Kysrium Sl's or Hed Alps wheels. 15.93lbs with cages
Summary: My S-works Tarmac sl is an 08. Bought it as a frame through a team deal. Never considered specialized before, but I'm glad I did. The frame does everything well. I'm 168 to 175 lbs with big legs with decent power and the bike accelerates and climbs well while giving great comfort on bad roads and long rides. A very positive move from my cervelo soloist
Strengths: Does it all well with great comfort
Weaknesses: On occasion the rear feels soft. Gives the feeling that I have a flat rear tire when I don't. I haven't figured out a pattern as to when I feel it, but it happens often and teammates have described similar experiences.
Would you like to Comment? Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Bike Setup: Dura Ace
Spoecialized cranks
Mavic Ksyrium ES wheelset
Summary: Tarmac SL Not as stiff as you think. Terrible factory warranty and equally bad shop service. I found the frame flex caused my chain to jump out of top gear while under full power out of the saddle. Hard to imagine a worse time for this to happen at 30+mph, the chain slipped then jammed into the rears stays, crank went instantly to BDC, shoe came out of the cleat. I miraculously stayed up but landed on the top tube causing a minor crack. No warning. Gears were adjusted perfectly, I can only surmize frame flex. Specialzed call this episod a rider crash and wont warranty the frame. The shop held my bike for 6 weeks with not one phone call to me. I have since read an article that Tom Boonan sent his Specialized back to the factory engineers saying "not good enough". Something wasnt right under power, the factory was said to have tested and found some flaws and fixed.
Strengths: Light, fast on flat and hills. responsive (twitchy for some).
Weaknesses: The reason for going for a branded frame and for supporting your local bike shop is for the service and support, both of which let me down big-time.
Similar Products Used: Giant TCR, aluminum, Campy
Avanti, Aluminum, shimano
5 of 5
4 of 5
View Comments (1)
5 of 5
4 of 5
1 of 5
1 of 5
