S-Works Tarmac FrameseT

It's fair to say the previous Tarmac was a bit of a superstar. It's hard to argue with the brilliant Grand Tour and World Championship victories it helped to deliver.

You might be wondering why we felt the need to tweak such an exceptional machine, but at Specialized we realise the importance of continuous innovation. We weren't afraid to break tradition when designing and constructing the frame of our new S-Works Tarmac and we're very happy with the results.

We used advanced aerospace composite software to create a new FACT 12r carbon frame that barely troubles the scales. It's our most advanced material to date and optimisation of both the shape and schedule has allowed us to shed nearly 200 grams. You'll certainly notice this 20% reduction on the upper slopes of your next big climb.

We wanted a construction that was both super stiff and wonderfully compliant. We hit this goal through the use of our Rider-First Engineered technology; you'll feel the difference at all the right times. After speaking with our pro riders we revamped the geometry and this data-backed insight has led to further improvements. We altered both the front end and the wheelbase to create the perfect combination of instantaneous response and optimal power transfer.

With stiffness in charge of delivering speed, we switched our focus to compliance to create the perfect all-round experience. The seat post builds compliance into the upper 120mm, where clamping won't be a concern. Up to 30mm of tyre clearance translates to a 28mm Turbo Cotton on a Royal CLX 50 wheel. These subtle changes in design come together to deliver less rolling resistance and improved traction.

We know how highly our WorldTour teams value speed when they're out on the road and so we kept aerodynamics at the forefront of our design process. We didn't want to compromise what made the Tarmac so popular so challenged ourselves to discover ways to add aero for free. This is when we discovered what could be gained through dropped seat stays and a d-shaped seat post and seat tube; a bike that's approximately 45 seconds faster over 40km.