This is a great racing bike. It is rigid, light and transfers energy well. It climbs very well, and descents are
very done with confidence. It's also quite a good sprinter, and have done crits and sprint events with it.
Despite stiffness, frame is surprisingly forgiving, and I've went on an epic 180km including climbs and potholes with it.
Paired with a set of carbon aero wheels, it is a fast bike that is fun to race with!
K-light crank performs well. It can be easily converted to 50/34 for those who prefer.
I ride with the 52/36 setup, and a Dura Ace 11-23 cassette.
Other parts supplied with the bike are just fine.
I upgraded the stem to 42cm which fits me, and will
probably upgrade the saddle.
Paint job done well, and catches attention in the peloton!

Stock wheels aren't that great at all. Back wheel was out of true. On my older bike, I had a pair of 2yr old / 25,000km Mavic Ksryium Elite wheels. After some refurbishing, the Mavic wheels performed much better, and are lighter.
I can understand the bike is to be delivered with training wheels, but at least they should be FUN wheels.
Next, the internal cable routing is a bit of a nightmare for the mechanics.
Despite clear instructions Specialized web site, it took more than three attempts of re-routing until the gears worked
properly, and they still don't work as well as I'd expect from brand new Ultegra set.
Initial build by Specialized dealer wasn't great, and required many corrections.
Water bottle bolt holes are a little high. For my size 49, this limits to using a small seatpost mounted bottle.

This review is for a 2013 Specialized Tarmac Expert sl4, size 49.
Discounted price due to sponsorship.
I have ridden it since May this year (2013), logged some 4,500 kms of cycling, and racing on the bike.
Including racing at the recent summer Deaflympics in Sofia, Bulgaria.
High quality bike that loves to be raced and offers a comfortable ride.
I gave it 4 points of of five due to the wheels and challenges installing the internal cable routing properly.

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Look carbon bike

Stiff 11R frame. Ultegra groupo is very nice (I came from 105). More aero geometry makes me fasssster and more stable at 40+mph (I had a 2009 Roubaix Comp). Looks great!

Stock Romin saddle sucked for me. It's curved design did not "sit" well with me and my bones (haha get it?). I had to sell it and get a flat designed saddle "Toupe" which is working out MUCH MUCH better. Also, oddly named Fulcrum Racing 4s seem ok for training/40-60mi weekend rides, but I will have to upgrade them sooner rather than later to lose some weight and for better climbing imho.

Great bike and soooooooo much better than a Roubaix. I made the same mistake when I bought a motorcycle when I thought "Well I should start off nice and easy, then move my way up.". In retrospect I have an opinion that you should get a massively sick bike and build up to it so you don't have to trade it in as you grow in strength and endurance. I lost a few hundred $$$ because the retard who sold me my Roubaix told me that it was better than a Tarmac for "long rides". Yea right!?!? I never stopped to think thatthe pros ride 120+ miles daily in grnad tours on the Tarmac. not the damn Roubaix. UGH?!! Anwways, buy this bike and you'll love it, and just expect to have to upgrade the wheels.

Fast!
Stiff frame
Ultegra group set is smooooth
Matte black looks great....everyone has commented how great this bike looks
Comfy ride....even ver the rough roads.

None...

Wow....what a bike. I just upgraded from a 2008 Ginat TCR alliance 2 to the 2012 tarmac expert. I've had the bike for one week now, and I can't say enough good things about this machine. Looks awesome in the matte black, very stiff frame, ultegra responds flawlessly as expected, and once you get out of the saddle this thing picks up and flies!!! Not the cheapest bike around, but I have no regrets whatsoever. It's even very comfy over rougher surfaces....much to my surprise. I tried a lot of bikes, and this one was definitely the pick of the bunch. Love it!!!

Fast, comfortable, light, beautiful

too fast for me ;-)

Christmas gift from my wife. Formally rode a 2009 Allez. The bike is fast an lots of fun. I'm fatter and not even close to the shape I was in last year and I'm flying on this bike. Went down at 22mph in a paceline and got busted up a bit. But the Tarmac just needed some new bar tape. What a great bike!

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Very responsive, stiff, but carbon definitely absorbs the road vibration. I like that the ultegra cables now route under the brake hoods instead of out the side like before. Much more comfy. The new ultegra hoods are more ergonomic as well. Ultegra performs flawlessly as usual. SL3 frame rocks and matte finish has gotten a lot of "cool" comments already.

None so far

2011 Tarmac SL3 Expert. Just bought about a week ago and am very impressed so far. Took out on a fairly hilly 45 mile ride yesterday, and you can really feel a difference on the hills. Cannot wait to try it out in a race this spring. Have not tried a full out sprint, yet, but I suspect the huge one piece bb will respond very nicely. This is definitely a nice bike. Will update after riding for a couple of months.

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Very Fast
Very Stiff
Looks Awesome
Light Weight

None so far!

This review is for a 2011 Specialized Tarmac Expert SL3. I purchased the bike less than a week ago and before this I was riding a Trek 2100 aluminum and carbon frame with Ultegra groupo and Bontrager Race X Lite Wheels. I have ridden the Specialized Tarmac less than a week however what I can tell you is that this bike is the smoothest ride I have ever been on by far. I tested every bike you can think of and this bike was not the cheapest however it gave the best value, best ride, best local shop support, and it also looks very cool for 2011 with the new matte finish paint on the SL3 frame!

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Trek 2100
Specialized Allez Elite