Decades of experience building racing bikes. Countless examples of rider feedback, desires, and impressions. Seemingly endless calculations in Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Every frame, regardless of size getting specific fiber schedules and lay-up. One design that comes in right at the UCI weight limit with zero compromise between light weight and aerodynamics. This is the Specialized Tarmac SL7 frameset design, perhaps the most efficient and perfectly balanced race machine ever developed. The stories and accolades just keep rolling in, as do podiums and stage wins. Yes, the S-Works Tarmac SL7 is the top of the line, and lightest rendition, but the Tarmac SL7, which becomes the platform for the Tarmac Pro and Expert complete bikes, has the same design and engineering, with the difference being the grade of FACT carbon used, how it is applied, and a modest weight gain. The Tarmac SL7 is still fast, efficient and has among the best balance handling characteristics of any frameset made.

Specialized utilized their most advanced technologies and learned knowledge, such as their FreeFoil Shape Library to an all-new Rider-First Engineered™ frame, in delivering a race bike that is truly without compromise. The days of making sacrifices between "aero" and "lightweight" bikes are over. While it ins't really wrong to suggest the Tarmac SL7 is a combination of the Venge and the SL6, it isn't actually true or that simple either. Aero road has been a driving force behind Specialized's recent bike development and their design engineers have developed and tested many shapes and combinations to build their library of in-house resources. In their quest for tube shapes that deliver the fastest frame that the UCI rules allow, they took a page out of the Venge development book and utilized the FreeFoil Shape Library. Armed with a core book of optimized shapes, they turned to the Win Tunnel to plug these shapes into a modular test bike for more testing and validation. The result? A new Tarmac that’s the fastest they've tested- 45 seconds faster over 40km than the Tarmac SL6 (with Aerofly handlebar in test). The added benefit of having the engineering team and wind tunnel in the same place is central to this process, and to Specialized's success in numerous areas.

While aerodynamics were paramount to the Tarmac’s development, and to the development of all of Specialized race bikes, weight was the co-pilot on this optimal race bike journey. Previously “aero bikes” always compromised in the weight department, the more drag you reduced, the more weight you gained. With the new Tarmac, the design philosophy was to keep it at, or below, the UCI weight limit out of the box as a complete build, with no sacrifices to aerodynamics. Tools like isotopic FEA analysis, used in conjunction with the tubes shapes and some engineering wizardry by the best engineers in the industry, enabled Specialized to deliver a frame that weighs a mere 920 grams, consistently across sizes, without giving up a gram of aero, stiffness or ride quality while allowing for 700x32 tires. The primary ingredient in all this has been their FACT 10r Carbon, which was developed in house to provide a more cost effective combination of carbon fiber properties that are the foundation of the lay-up schedule and deliver the tubeset and junctions that make the SL7 design unique.

Continuing the quest to develop the perfect race bike, the internal team used Rider-First Engineered™ philosophy to ensure that the new Tarmac concept is the most balanced, best handling Tarmac yet, no matter the size. With an army of the world’s best test riders from Specialized's three World Tour Teams: Boels-Dolmans, Deceuninck-Quick-Step, and Bora-hansgrohe, they made changes to the Tarmac based on thousands of rider kilometers on the road. In response, a more balanced the ride quality between the front and rear end was targeted and achieved, so even the longest days in the saddle continue to be comfortable, without giving up anything to the Tarmac’s legendary handling and race-winning snappiness.

Finishing off the Tarmac SL7 frameset, the designers drew off their experience and proven systems of the Venge to apply simple integration to create a clean, fast cockpit that’s easy to live with. They've improved the routing for any configuration, mechanical shifting, traditional stems, round bars, etc., all while keeping its aerodynamic attributes. These same traits also make the new Tarmac easy to work on and easy to travel with. A BSC threaded bottom bracket system was integrated and found to test as well or better than other systems for stiffness and power transfer. The frame features a 12/142mm rear thru-axle and flat mount disc standard, which matches the SL7 FACT Carbon Fork, albeit with a 12/142mm set-up. The lightweight and upper-section compliant 2021 S-Works FACT Carbon Tarmac Seatpost is included, as is the Tarmac integrated stem, 6-degree, with detailed spec determined by frame size.