Men's S-Works Tarmac Sagan Superstar Frameset

We had a clear aim for the 2018 Sagan Superstar Tarmac: to make the fastest bike on the market. In addition to road speed, we wanted to find the perfect balance of climbing and descending - all while keeping an aerodynamic edge over competitors.

In other words, we wanted to build a bike suited to the many adventures of triple World Champion Peter Sagan. He possesses a full hand of race-winning characteristics and served as the inspiration for our latest construction.

Using advanced aerospace composite software we were able to revolutionise our FACT 12r carbon. We were able to shed weight nearly 200 grams by optimising the shape of the frame. To put that into perspective, that's a 20% reduction on our previous models.

The perfect all-rounder needs to be super stiff with high levels of compliancy. We used our Rider-First Engineered technology to ensure the bike provides the right support at the right time. New road geometry enhances this experience and the combination of a responsive front end and a shortened wheelbase helps to deliver optimal power transfer.

By altering the shape of the seat tube and seat stays, we were able to improve compliance. A redesigned seat post allows further compliance built into the upper 120mm (away from the seat post clamp). As a final touch, tyre clearance up to 30mm translates to a 28mm Turbo Cotton on a Roval CLX 50 wheel. The final result More traction, less rolling resistance and greater levels of comfort. Not all races go smoothly and you'll thank us when you encounter those bumps in the road.

Nevertheless, we knew the likes of Three-Pete wouldn't settle for a reduction in speed so throughout the design process of the Sagan Superstar Frameset we always kept aerodynamics in mind. We searched long and hard for aero improvements that wouldn't impact on the hallmark features of our Tarmac range, with the process leading to the discovery of a number of possible alterations. We introduced a new fork shape before dropping the seat stays and changing the shape of the seat tube.

This iterative process led to a bike that clocked a time 45 seconds faster than similar rivals over a 40km test more than enough time to zip up the jersey and pose for the cameras.