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S-Works Tarmac SL8 Frameset

3.8

4 Reviews

Nothing is faster than the Tarmac SL8 thanks to a combination of aerodynamics, lightweight,…

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1974 to 2024: A 50-Year Tradition of Innovation
Pedal the Planet Forward

1974 to 2024: A 50-Year Tradition of Innovation

As Specialized celebrates its 50th Anniversary of innovating to improve riders’ lives, we have our sites set on the next half century and creating the future of cycling. Join us as we look back at five decades of innovation so we can continue to Pedal the Planet Forward together.

One Bike to Rule Them All
Tarmac SL8

One Bike to Rule Them All

The engineering obsessed Germans at Tour Magazine declared the Tarmac SL8, ‘the best road bike in the world’. Reaching the previously unimaginable rating of ’1.3’ *- the highest Tour score ever - Tarmac SL8 beats every competitor. Or, as these serious, data driven journalists put it, ‘No other racing bike functions better as a complete package.’

S-Works Tarmac SL8 Team Replicas
Made in Racing

S-Works Tarmac SL8 Team Replicas

Straight from the World Tour to you! Ride the gorgeous S-Works Tarmac SL8 frameset our pros like Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic, and Demi Vollering will race all season long. This is One Bike to Rule Them All, but hurry—very limited quantities mean these won’t last.

Aero In Everything
Our Most Aero Race Bike Ever

Aero In Everything

After a decade of working in the Win Tunnel, our engineers put aero where it matters, not just where it looks good. The result? A new Nose Cone called the ‘Speed Sniffer’ helps the new Tarmac SL8 be 16.6 seconds faster over 40km than the Tarmac SL7. And yes, more aero than the Venge.

Minimum Weight, Maximum Aero
685 Gram Frameset

Minimum Weight, Maximum Aero

We saw how the lightest production road bike in the world - the Aethos - could marry blistering response in the mountains with a supple, all-day ride. The Tarmac SL8 took those learnings from Aethos to be easily built at the UCI minimum with a full aero set up.

Goes Like Hell, Rides Like Heaven
Stiffer and Smoother

Goes Like Hell, Rides Like Heaven

The Tarmac SL8 delivers a massive 33% improvement in stiffness to weight vs the SL7, all while being 6% smoother in the saddle. With World Championship proven geometry and 32mm tire clearance, it adds up to an unprecedented ride quality.

Tarmac SL8 x Demi Vollering
The Tarmac SL 8 White Paper
The World’s Fastest Race Bike

The Tarmac SL 8 White Paper

Our Ride Science team tests our solutions versus the competition before a pedal is even turned. Through complex simulations of real world race routes with identical real world data, our Ride Science team knows the Tarmac SL8 is the fastest race bike ever made.

Aren’t You Glad Some Kids Stayed in Science Club?
Front Loading Development

Aren’t You Glad Some Kids Stayed in Science Club?

Creating a bike more aerodynamic, 15% lighter, with a 33% improvement in stiffness-to-weight than the 4X World Championship winning Tarmac SL7 took more than an obsessive commitment to Innovate or Die. Our engineering team created an entirely new process.

Made in Racing
Demi and Remco

Made in Racing

Since day one at Specialized, the rider has been the boss, so the best all arounders in the world - Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering - had a hand in developing and refining the Tarmac SL8. Ultimately, we co-created the fastest race bike in the world.

Product Details

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Nothing is faster than the Tarmac SL8 thanks to a combination of aerodynamics, lightweight, and ride quality previously thought impossible. After eight generations and over two decades of development, it’s more than the fastest Tarmac ever - it’s the world’s fastest race bike. Your legs up for it?

Aerodynamics or lightweight alone don’t win races - speed is what matters. Delivering that speed requires creating an uncompromising combination of aerodynamics, lightweight, stiffness, and compliance. Through race simulations using real world data our Ride Science team knows the Tarmac SL8 is the fastest race bike ever made on the routes that matter - 16.6 seconds faster over 40km, 128 seconds faster over Milan San Remo, 20 seconds faster over the legendary Tourmalet climb.

  • AERO IN EVERYTHING: We’re putting aero where it matters - the leading edge - not just where it looks good. In the process we’ve created our most aerodynamic road bike ever. Yes, it’s more aero than the Venge. Clean air is optimized for maximum advantage with the Tarmac’s new nose cone - the Speed Sniffer. By moving the steer tube back - the tube that determines head tube width - the leading edge of the head tube can be much sharper, delivering a much lower drag shape. Utilizing new UCI rules, the Tarmac SL8 has the narrowest, most aero seat post we’ve ever made ensuring fast moving, dirty air around the legs can flow back more cleanly. Doesn’t victory smell sweet?
  • MINIMUM WEIGHT, MAXIMUM AERO: Tarmac SL8 took learnings from Aethos to be easily built at the UCI minimum with a full aero set up. The team delivered a mind bending, scale tickling 685 gram frame - 15% lighter than the Tarmac SL7 and lighter than anything on else on the World Tour*. With the ability to make lightweight a top priority in the down tube, seat tube, and rear of the bike lessons from Aethos were applied. The frame’s shape carries load so efficiently that extra carbon stiffness layers become redundant. *Unless of course you count the time Kasper Asgreen raced our 585 gram Aethos frame during a Tour stage.
  • GOES LIKE HELL, RIDES LIKE HEAVEN: With massive gains in stiffness-to-weight - an improvement of 33% over the SL7 - the Tarmac SL8 takes legendary handling, aggressive responsiveness and World Championship proven geometry to the next level. The bike is stiffer at the pedals, more precise at the bars, and combines it with a compliant ride in the saddle that sets a new benchmark for race bike comfort. Thanks to our Rider-First Engineering, every rider, regardless of size, gets the same unprecedented ride quality and handling. In the saddle the Tarmac SL8 delivers 6% more compliance, floating over rough road with a supple feel unique in the high strung world of race bikes. Tarmac’s proven geometry and 32mm tire clearance are identical to the SL7, ensuring easy adaptation and the versatility to run higher volume tires when needed.
  • BEYOND GENDER: There can be more difference between two male cyclists than between a male and female. Gender alone doesn’t provide nearly enough data to specialize and that means creating male or female bikes is arbitrary and outdated. Every rider can get the next level advantage of Tarmac SL8. It’s time to go Beyond Gender.
  • 68mm threaded bottom bracket, flat mount disc brakes, and no-hassle seamless integration — the S-Works Tarmac SL8 Frameset is the ultimate starting point for your dream build.

Technical Specifications

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Frameset

Frame

S-Works Tarmac SL8 FACT 12r Carbon, Rider First Engineered™, Win Tunnel Engineered, Clean Routing, Threaded BB, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc. 685g frame.

Suspension

Fork

S-Works FACT 12r Carbon, 12x100mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc

Cockpit

SeatPost

S-Works Tarmac SL8 Carbon seat post, FACT Carbon, 15mm offset

Seat Binder

Tarmac integrated wedge

Weight

Weight

1.41 kg (3 lb, 1.7 oz)

Weight Size

56cm, as pictured

* Weights based on production painted frames as pictured. Actual weights will vary based on colourway, frame size, and component variation. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Geometry

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44495254565861
Seatpost Length300mm300mm300mm380mm380mm380mm380mm
Stack to Stem509mm522mm535mm552mm573mm599mm620mm
Reach to Stem363mm372mm377mm381mm393mm400mm406mm
Frame Stack501mm514mm527mm544mm565mm591mm612mm
Frame Reach366mm375mm380mm384mm395mm402mm408mm
Head Tube Length99mm109mm120mm137mm157mm184mm204mm
Head Tube Angle70.5°71.75°72.5°73°73.5°73.5°74°
BB Height266mm266mm266mm268mm268mm268mm268mm
BB Drop74mm74mm74mm72mm72mm72mm72mm
Trail71mm63mm58mm58mm55mm55mm52mm
Fork Length, Full370mm370mm370mm370mm370mm370mm370mm
Fork Rake/Offset47mm47mm47mm44mm44mm44mm44mm
Front Center572mm574mm577mm579mm592mm606mm613mm
Chainstay Length410mm410mm410mm410mm410mm410mm410mm
Wheelbase970mm973mm975mm978mm991mm1006mm1013mm
Top Tube Length, Horizontal496mm509mm531mm541mm563mm577mm595mm
Bike Standover Height723mm735mm746mm768mm786mm808mm834mm
Seat Tube Length433mm445mm456mm473mm494mm515mm545mm
Seat Tube Angle75.5°75.5°74°74°73.5°73.5°73°
Geometry

Rider Reviews

3.8

4 Reviews

 

Overcooked the rear end compliance.

The rear end of this thing isn't far from a gravel bike in the amount of flex and rebound. It's pretty disconcerting. The concept is dumb in any instance, like if you've ever ridden a gravel bike the flex of the frame doesn't protect you from jarring surfaces, the flex and rebound just knocks you off your rhythm. I just built one of these with high expectations (coming from an SL-6) but have found a number of disappointments. They make their compatible and very cool (cable routing) "42" bars 41cm wide. Why? Now I have to go find actual 42 bars. The 3D Romin saddle is strangely wide in the middle and hits my inner thighs, otherwise a nice saddle. The frame is light and the bike is otherwise amazing to ride. My S-Works fandom has waned dramatically with the inexplicable choices in the newest version of the frame and accompanying components.


Name:
Erik

Helpful?

SL8

Like riding on a cloud in heaven, I am in love.

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Verified Buyer
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Name:
Todd C.

Helpful?

SL8 is off the hook!!

I recently purchased the Specialized SL8 and I'm beyond happy with my decision. I'm an avid cyclist, and have been looking for a bike that is lightweight, comfortable, and offers superior performance. The SL8 is all of those things and more. The lightweight frame along with Sram Force axis groupset make the bike so fast and responsive, and the geometry is comfortable for long rides. I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase. I would highly recommend this bike to anyone looking for a high-performance bike. The SL8 one of the best bike I've ever owned, and I'm sure it will serve me well for many years to come.

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Name:
Jibus

Helpful?

Heavier than advertised

Purchased 54cm frame that measured 701g (all bolts removed!) Expected a better result from Specialized


Name:
Forest

Helpful?