Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7
£11,500 / T HE NE W ES T, A ERO INCARNATION OF SPECIALIZED’S FL AGSHIP R ACER
Specialized’s Tarmac is a benchmark for race bikes, one that’s crossed finish lines first countless times, including Tour de France and Vuelta victories. Specialized’s all-new S-Works Tarmac SL7 replaces both the previous SL6 and the aerofocused Venge, incorporating features of each into a race bike that’s designed to be both aerodynamic and light. We tested the halo S-Works model with SRAM Red eTap AXS; the SL7 is also available at the same price in a slightly lighter build with Dura-Ace Di2. Stiff, fast and fearsome
The SL7 is a fearsomely expensive, fearsomely effective speed machine that will delight go-fast riders with its ultra-stiff frame, sublime handling and engaging ride, but may just be too race-focused for more casual roadies. As its flagship, the S-Works Tarmac is built from
Specialized’s best FACT 12r carbon, resulting in a claimed frame weight of just 800g for a size 56cm.
The overall shape of the 2021 bike is similar to its SL6 predecessor, but Specialized has tweaked the aerodynamics, including a move to much neater cable routing that runs underneath the stem and into the upper headset cover. This system is designed to make everyday adjustments, such as changing the bar height more straightforward, but in the event that you have to replace the upper headset bearing, the brake lines will have to be disconnected.
On the frame itself, Specialized has primarily targeted the seat tube, seatstays and head tube for aerodynamic gains. There are truncated airfoil tube sections throughout, plus a pronounced hourglass profile to the head tube. Specialized has stuck with the SL6’s dropped seatstays, a non-traditional feature that many bike makers have embraced to increase rear-end comfort and lateral stiffness, and potentially make aero gains.
The S-Works Tarmac is a devastatingly effective, singularly focused ride, and climbing and sprinting on it are a joy
A key change from the SL6 is that clearances have increased, with the SL7 officially accepting 32mm tyres (on 21mm internal rims), a size that would have been unthinkable on a race bike a few years ago. Surprisingly, given Specialized’s enthusiasm for tubeless, the SL7’s Roval CLX wheels – excellent as they are and weighing just 1400g – are not tubeless-compatible. I’m more pleased that Specialized has ditched the press-fit bottom bracket in favour of a threaded unit, a move that will make home spanner-wielders and shop mechanics rejoice the world over.
A singular ride
I wholeheartedly reject the idea that bikes have a personality. You can’t get out of them more than you put in. Nevertheless, if the S-Works Tarmac were a person, it would be constantly egging you on, insisting you ride faster and hurt yourself more. It’s not one single characteristic that makes the bike like this, it’s the combination of a supremely stiff frame, a clean, integrated aesthetic and honking aero wheels that whoosh delightfully when you wind them up and give you the distinct impression that you’re going really goddamn fast. It’s a devastatingly effective, singularly focused ride, and climbing and sprinting on it are a joy.
Previous Tarmacs combined astonishingly direct power transfer with a remarkable degree of poise, and the SL7 continues in that vein. With the power of disc brakes at your fingertips and a front end seemingly devoid of flex, the riding experience is blissful, combining surgical precision with a feeling of total efficiency.
No expense spared
Specialized has spared no expense with kit. SRAM’s 12-speed Red eTap AXS, with its 48/35, 10-33 pairing, is generously geared for a racer and comes with a Quarq power meter; premium Turbo Cotton tyres complement the lightweight CLX wheels with their front- and rear-specific aero-profile rims; and the Aerofly bar, Tarmacspecific seatpost and much-loved short-nosed Body Geometry Power saddle are all excellent contact points.
There are spec details I’d tweak (I’d prefer a round handlebar and tubeless-ready wheels), but the complete package is a mouth-watering one and I’ve enjoyed riding the S-Works Tarmac immensely. On a real-world budget I’d look to the bottom of the range, perhaps the Expert model at less than half the price, with mechanical Ultegra and Roval C38 wheels which, although heavier, are arguably more future-proof because they’re tubeless-ready.
THE VERDICT
Provides as rapturous a ride as you’d expect from this flagship race bike ★★★★