2023 Specialized Tarmac SL7 Expert

2023 Specialized Tarmac SL7 Expert

• ‘Aero is everything’—Specialized have been preaching it for years and it’s still the driving force for the new Tarmac. 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 utilised their FreeFoil Shape Library. Armed with a library of optimised 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 Expert that’s faster than before—33 seconds faster over 40km than the Tarmac SL6. No compromises, just pure speed.
• While aerodynamics were paramount to the Tarmac’s development, and to the development of all of Specialized’s 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, their design philosophy was to keep it at, or below, the UCI weight limit out of the box, with no sacrifices to aerodynamics. And with the help of the FreeFoil Shape Library, tools like isotopic FEA analysis, and some engineering wizardry by the best engineers in the industry, we delivered a frame that weighs a mere 920 grams, without giving up a gram of aero, stiffness or ride quality.
• Continuing their quest to develop the perfect race bike, Specialized used their Rider-First Engineered™ philosophy to ensure that the new Tarmac is the most balanced, best handling Tarmac yet—no matter the size. With an army of the world’s best test riders from their three World Tour Teams — Boels-Dolmans, Deceuninck-Quick-Step, and Bora-hansgrohe — they made changes to the Tarmac based on their thousands of kilometers on the road. They balanced the ride quality between the front and rear end, so even the longest days in the saddle continue to be comfortable—all without giving up anything to the Tarmac’s legendary handling and race-winning snappiness.
• Building on the learnings from the Venge, the new Tarmac utilises simple integration to create a clean, fast cockpit that’s easy to live with. Specialized have 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. It’s a win-win.