Still one of the best in class, but there are some caveats…
Words SAM CHALLIS
The Specialized Tarmac SL8 launched at the 2023 World Championships, bagging a gold in the women’s road race under Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, and accompanied by a raft of claimed performance advantages over the popular SL7.
Among these claims is a reduction in weight, with the SL8 frameset coming in around 120g less than an equivalent SL7, plus it is said to be comfier and stiffer too. The biggest claim, however, is that the Tarmac SL8 is finally more aero than the Venge the last Tarmac supplanted, with the new bike being 16.6 seconds faster over 40km at 45kmh than the old version.
On the face of it, this appears to be big news, and it was rather exuberantly reported on by various media outlets (Cyclist included; revisit the first-look feature I wrote on the new Tarmac last issue for evidence). Having now had the opportunity to ride and assess the bike properly, my enthusiasm for the SL8 update has become a little more circumspect. The platform has definitely taken a step forward, and so remains a superb all-round race bike in a more modern guise, but the new design does introduce some discussion points that temper my ‘have cake and eat it’ first impressions.
Slippery customer
Let’s start with the new bike’s aerodynamic efficiency. In order to get that 16.6-second advantage, the Tarmac SL8 needed to be around five watts more aerodynamically efficient than the SL7. Specialized states the Roval Rapide cockpit is responsible for around 80% of those aero gains, which means that the SL8 frameset itself may only be around one watt better off than the SL7 frameset it replaces, despite noticeable tube alterations such as the Speed Sniffer nose cone on the head tube and slimmer back end.
While the bike does still feel like it holds high speed with less effort than I’d generally expect – an attribute no doubt helped by the deep-but-light Roval Rapide CLX II wheels – potential customers looking to upgrade from an SL7 may be better off simply swapping the Roval Rapide cockpit onto their existing bike.
That way they’d even have the advantage of choosing the dimensions of the bar/stem, which isn’t a luxury afforded to those buying the new bike complete because unfortunately there is no option to customise spec on Specialized’s website. Having said that, it should also be noted that competent Specialized dealers should be able to make the required changes ahead of purchase if the bike is bought through a more
