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Tarmac SL8 Pro

Shimano Ultegra Di2

5

10 Reviews

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

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.

#1 Again: 2023 Gran Fondo Awards
Voted Best Brand 5 Years in a Row

#1 Again: 2023 Gran Fondo Awards

The riders have spoken! For the fifth year in a row, Specialized has been crowned the #1 “Drop Bar Bike Brand” in the prestigious Gran Fondo Best Brand Awards for 2023. We innovate for riders, and year after year, our bikes are loved by the most discerning riders. Thank you!

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.

  • The Tarmac SL8 Pro delivers exceptional performance with a full Shimano Ultegra 8100 series Di2 groupset with power meter, Roval Rapide CL II tubeless-ready wheelset, and a Roval Rapide Handlebar with an SL7 stem. You’re ready to race out of the box.

Technical Specifications

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Frameset

Frame

Tarmac SL8 FACT 10r Carbon, Rider First Engineered™, Win Tunnel Engineered, Clean Routing, Threaded BB, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc

Suspension

Fork

FACT 10r Carbon, 12x100mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc

Brakes

Front Brake

Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170, hydraulic disc

Rear Brake

Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170, hydraulic disc

Drivetrain

Shift Levers

Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170, hydraulic disc

Front Derailleur

Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8150, braze-on

Rear Derailleur

Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8150, 12-speed

Cassette

Shimano Ultegra, 12-speed, 11-30t

Chain

Shimano Ultegra, 12-speed

Crankset

Shimano Ultegra R8100 with 4iiii power meter

Chainrings

52/36T

Bottom Bracket

Shimano Threaded BSA

Wheels & Tires

Front Tire

S-Works Turbo, 2BR, 700x26mm

Front Wheel

Roval Rapide CL II, 21mm internal width carbon rim tubeless ready, Win Tunnel Engineered, DT for Roval 350 hub, DT Swiss Revolution spokes, 51mm depth

Rear Tire

S-Works Turbo, 2BR, 700x26mm

Rear Wheel

Roval Rapide CL II, 21mm internal width carbon rim tubeless ready, Win Tunnel Engineered, DT for Roval 350 hub, DT Swiss Revolution spokes, 60mm depth

Inner Tubes

Turbo Ultralight, 60mm Front, 80mm Rear, Presta valve

Cockpit

Stem

Tarmac integrated stem, 6-degree

Handlebars

Roval Rapide Handlebar, carbon

Tape

Supacaz Super Sticky Kush

Saddle

Body Geometry Power Pro, hollow titanium rails

SeatPost

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

Seat Binder

Tarmac integrated wedge

Weight

Weight

7.16 kg (15 lb, 12.6 oz)

Weight Size

56cm

* 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
Crank Length165mm165mm170mm172.5mm172.5mm175mm175mm
Handlebar Width380mm380mm400mm420mm420mm440mm440mm
Stem Length70mm80mm90mm100mm100mm110mm110mm
Saddle Width155mm155mm155mm143mm143mm143mm143mm
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

5

10 Reviews

 

Great Bike .. with some caveats.

Great bike. (size 52) PROS: - Stiff yet comfortable, fast, responsive, all the things you'd expect from a specialized tarmac. - Ultegra Di2 works flawlessly. - Two piece headset is easy to work on. I've lowered the handlebar height as well as the stem length with no issues. Cons: - not home-mechanic friendly. Unless you have the tools and the know-how on how to remove a bottom bracket, route cables, bleed brakes, etc. it will be a challenge to work on. Meaning expensive trips to the mechanic if you want things changed. - 52 tooth big ring might be too hard for some people. - Roval cockpit is comfortable. I wish there was an option narrower than 38cm. - for Triathletes: finding some aerobars that work with the cockpit can be a pain. I've considered changing out the whole cockpit just to fit aero extensions on them. Overall, it's a good bike. If you're just using it to ride and you're not really a tinkerer it's solid.


Name:
Don

Helpful?

It's a weapon an absolute whip

My old bike was an SL6 which I had modified and was a pretty good bike and it went like stick BUT Comparatively the SL8 is a weapon! It took a little to get used too, my position was a little different but the first thing I really noticed was when I stood up in the pedals and put the power down and it wanted to whip whip left, whip right. Excellaration and power delivery is excellent, stability, smoothness and quietness sensational Love the Roval Rapide wheels matched currently with the S-Works Turbo tyres IT IS FAST! Reliably fast!


Name:
GMac

Helpful?

Amazin Bike

I love this bike I feel big differences compare with the toher bikes I have

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Name:
Carlos O.

Helpful?

Mindblowingly Awesome

Been racing 20+ years and have used many bikes, including a World Tour Bike from another American brand that's often compared to the Tarmac SL8. After 400+ miles in the saddle since purchasing, my mind is blown. The SL8 Pro is by far the best bike I've ever ridden and beats my previous ride in EVERY category. Somehow, the engineers created a bike that is stiff and snappy, while also extremely comfortable on less than perfect roads for 4+ hour rides. Descending is next level as the the SL8 tracks as if on rails. The CLII wheelset (swapped the 26mm stock tires for 30mm GP 5000S TR) winds up quickly and holds speed easily. I've been really impressed with how well the 51mm front wheel handles cross-winds vs Bontrager and ENVE sets that I've used in the past. I usually get blown around a bit ripping down the high speed windy canyons we have in SoCal but the SL8 has been rock solid and confidence inspiring. HIGHLY recommend this ride!

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Name:
Rob

Helpful?

Tarmac SL8 Pro

Amazing bike. Delivered as expected.

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Verified Buyer
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Name:
Jason D.

Helpful?

Fast, comfortable ride

I’ve had lots of racing bikes & several Tarmacs. The SL8 is stiff, comfortable (with 30mm tires), & fast. If you have issues, it won’t be because of this bike!

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Verified Buyer
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Name:
Stanley D.

Helpful?

Love my Tarmac SL8 pro

I’ve been riding my new SL8 for about 3 weeks now. Absolutely love it! So fast and smooth handling. Upgraded from a 2015 Orbea Orca. This bike is from a different planet compared to the Orbea. Wow!


Name:
James

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Love this bike

It feels like the Aethos and SL7 had a child - which is great.


Verified Buyer
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Name:
Philip

Helpful?

Awesome bike

I moved up from an SL6 and the changes with this bike are noticeable and make me faster. I love the bike and would highly recommend it.

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Verified Buyer
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Name:
David C.

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This thing is the real deal!

Put a few hours on it, love this bike!


Name:
Derek

Helpful?