{"id":502775,"date":"2026-06-30T13:46:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/502775\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T13:46:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:46:38","slug":"specialized-claims-the-new-tarmac-sl9-is-faster-than-the-colnago-y1rs-and-cervelo-s5-when-using-the-only-metric-that-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/502775\/","title":{"rendered":"Specialized claims the new Tarmac SL9 is faster than the Colnago Y1Rs and Cerv\u00e9lo S5 when using “the only metric that matters”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Specialized has officially announced the release of the new S-Works Tarmac SL9, which it claims boldly is \u201cthe fastest road bike ever made\u201d.<\/p>\n

Launched as its most aerodynamic road bike ever, Specialized says the Tarmac SL9 offers a 4-watt aerodynamic improvement at 45kph, or 28 seconds saved over a 100km Grand Tour-style stage, compared to the outgoing Tarmac SL8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rather than going full-aero and reviving its Venge aero road bike platform<\/a>, Specialized has stayed true to the lightweight-all-rounder formula of the Tarmac.<\/p>\n

Complete builds with an aero cockpit and wheels start from 6.5kg, for the \u00a311,999 \/ $14,000 \/ \u20ac13,999 S-Works Tarmac SL9 with SRAM Red AXS<\/a> (size 56).<\/p>\n

At a launch event in northern Spain, Specialized also showed off a climbing build with its Alpinist components that weighed only 6.1kg.<\/p>\n

To find out how it rides, read my first-ride review<\/a> of the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 AXS, otherwise keep reading for all the details of this hotly anticipated new bike.<\/p>\n

One bike to rule them all
\n\"SpecializedThe Tarmac SL9 is Remco Evenepoel’s new road bike. <\/p>\n

As with the recently launched Crux 5<\/a> gravel bike, the key performance metric Specialized kept in mind when designing the Tarmac SL9 was what it calls \u201ctime to finish\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is, says the brand, \u201cthe only metric that matters\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lionello Bardina, Specialized\u2019s lead aerodynamicist, says: \u201cAnyone can go after making the most aero bike, the lightest bike\u2026 The only thing that matters is getting to the finish line the fastest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedThe Tarmac SL9 is claimed to be uncompromising in terms of weight and aerodynamics. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

To determine what the \u2018fastest\u2019 mix of parameters is \u2013 whether that\u2019s aerodynamic efficiency, weight, stiffness, ride quality and so on \u2013 Specialized says it uses complicated performance modelling to simulate race outcomes.<\/p>\n

These simulations are based on \u2018real\u2019 races, including key sections of races such as the Tour de France<\/a> and Tour de France Femmes<\/a>, Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge and the 2026 world championships road race course in Montr\u00e9al, and a \u201crepresentative 100km course\u201d made to replicate the conditions often experienced during Grand Tours.<\/p>\n

Specialized says its models take into account as many details as possible, including a rider\u2019s input (their power), as well as their mass, the mass of their apparel, and even environmental conditions such as weather, wind and air density.<\/p>\n

The results show the Tarmac SL9 consistently finishes ahead of key competitors such as the Colnago Y1Rs<\/a>, the Cerv\u00e9lo S5<\/a> and the Factor One<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Specialized concedes the Cerv\u00e9lo S5 is more aerodynamic than the SL9 \u2013 with a weighted CdA (m\u00b2) of 0.2215 compared to 0.2227 \u2013 but says this \u201csmall aero advantage\u201d is offset by its increased weight, which Specialized puts at 7.44kg.<\/p>\n

In comparison, Specialized says the Tarmac SL9 can hit the UCI\u2019s minimum bike weight limit<\/a> of 6.8kg ready-to-ride \u2013 meaning with pedals, bottle cages, a bike computer mount and so on \u2013 thanks to a 687g claimed frame weight (with the lightest RTP Raw Carbon \/ Gloss Amethyst Frost paintjob).<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedSpecialized says Demi Vollering could have won the 2024 Tour de France Femmes had she been riding an SL9 rather than an SL8. Specialized<\/p>\n

Specialized claims the S5\u2019s weight penalty becomes a disadvantage on any climb steeper than 1.4 per cent.<\/p>\n

It also says that while the SL8 remains competitive with the existing competition, Demi Vollering would have been 14 seconds faster on the decisive final stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes were she riding the SL9.<\/p>\n

In theory, this would have seen her clinch the overall victory at that race by nine seconds instead of losing it by four.<\/p>\n

\"\"Specialized says its race simulations show the Tarmac SL9 is the fastest bike across a variety of race-defining scenarios. Specialized
\nSmall changes
\n\"SpecializedThe fork has been deepened and reshaped to improve its aerodynamic performance. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Although the performance claims are big, the changes to the bike itself are relatively small.<\/p>\n

The main updates to the frameset come in the form of subtly redesigned tube shapes around the leading and trailing edges.<\/p>\n

The fork, for example, has been deepened by extending it forward to meet the \u2018speed sniffer\u2019 head tube.<\/p>\n

The rear of the fork is also shaped to flow more cleanly into the down tube, which has also been remodelled subtly to meet it.<\/p>\n

The head tube has also been narrowed by 4mm, cutting down on its frontal area by 10 per cent. Specialized has achieved this by using a ‘patent pending offset steerer’ that enables both brake hoses to run on one side of the steerer tube.<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedThe rear of the fork and down tube are sculpted for a smoother, more aerodynamic transition. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"SpecializedThe head tube is 4mm \u2013 or 10 per cent \u2013 narrower than before. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

This sees the bottom half of the fork\u2019s carbon steerer tube offset slightly from the upper section.<\/p>\n

The upper portion of the steerer remains round and 1 1\/8in, meaning cockpit compatibility is unaffected.<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedSpecialized has created an offset steerer to enable the brake hoses to pass on one side and the head tube to be narrower. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

At the rear of the frame, Specialized has extended the rear of the seat tube to hug the rear wheel more closely. Specialized calls this the ‘Win Fin’.<\/p>\n

This change was made because Specialized determined that pro riders typically discard their rear bottle during key moments of races, such as breakaways and sprint finishes. Because of this detail, Specialized determined it could add material in this area for a small aerodynamic gain of half a watt (at 45kph).<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedSpecialized calls the new seat tube structure the ‘Win Fin’. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"SpecializedThe S-Works Rapide seatpost is also said to confer significant gains to the overall performance of the bike. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

A new seatpost, called the \u2018S-Works Rapide\u2019, also gets a slimmer, deeper top section, which Specialized says \u201csignificantly enhances the aerodynamic performance of the entire frame, without losing its compliance\u201d (although it doesn\u2019t put a number on this).<\/p>\n

The design reminded us of the aero seatpost Mike Burrows designed for the original Giant TCR<\/a> way back in 1997, which featured a slim aero section on top of a round insertion section.<\/p>\n

Specialized also notes the new S-Works Rapide seatpost is backwards compatible with the Tarmac SL8, so it could be a good upgrade for those who don’t want to replace their entire frameset (pricing TBC).<\/p>\n

These changes all result from Specialized\u2019s use of a full-body mannequin in its own wind tunnel, as well as validation with real riders such as Remco Evenepoel.<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedThe Tarmac SL9 was developed with input from testing in Specialized’s wind tunnel. Specialized<\/p>\n

Bardina says \u201cData without riders is precise and repeatable but ultimately meaningless\u201d, because bikes don\u2019t ride themselves. The problem with \u2018real\u2019 riders, however, is they aren\u2019t robots and have a habit of moving during tests, which can mess with the data.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the mannequin\u2019s position is off by even half a centimetre, it can make a bigger drag difference than swapping the bike it\u2019s riding\u201d, so Specialized uses a \u201cmilimetre-accurate laser projection system\u201d to ensure consistent positioning of the mannequin between bike swaps.<\/p>\n

It also notes it uses a strut to support the mannequin rather than the bike\u2019s handlebar, because changes in handlebar width can influence the results (narrower bars tend to be faster), and Specialized says it wants to measure \u201cbike drag, not rider drag from bar width\u201d.<\/p>\n

Specialized Tarmac SL9 range, pricing and specifications
\n\"SpecializedThe range is topped by the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 AXS. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Specialized is offering six builds for the Tarmac SL9 range at launch, starting with the Tarmac SL9 Comp Di2 at \u00a33,999 \/ $4,500 \/ \u20ac4,499 and finishing with the flagship S-Works Tarmac SL9 AXS at \u00a311,999 \/ $14,000 \/ \u20ac13,999.<\/p>\n

There are also two S-Works frameset options, a \u2018standard\u2019 one costing \u00a35,499 \/ $6,000 \/ \u20ac5,999 and pro team replica versions costing \u00a35,499 \/ $6,000 \/ \u20ac5,999.<\/p>\n

\"SRAMThe flagship build gets a SRAM Red AXS groupset plus a host of high-end components from Specialized and Roval. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Curiously, there are no \u2018S-Level\u2019 builds available, as there are with the Crux 5, meaning there\u2019s a fairly large step down from the S-Works builds to the Expert builds, at \u00a35,999 \/ $7,000 \/ \u20ac6,999.<\/p>\n

The S-Works framesets use Specialized\u2019s premium Fact 12r carbon layups, while the non-S-Works ones use Specialized\u2019s cheaper Fact 10r layup. Specialized says S-Works 12r frames are \u201cjust about 135g lighter\u201d than 10r frames, which would put a size-56cm 10r Tarmac SL9 frame at roughly 882g.<\/p>\n

There are seven sizes in the range, from 44 to 61cm, and the geometry is largely identical to the outgoing Tarmac SL8, save for the size 54cm, where Specialized made \u201ca small adjustment to increase toe clearance with the front wheel\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"RovalThe Roval Rapide cockpit carries over from the Tarmac SL8. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media
\n\"RovalThe wheels are also from Roval. Flagship builds get the Rapide CLX IIIs, with carbon spokes. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Many of the other components on the flagship S-Works builds are carry-overs from the Tarmac SL8, including the Roval Rapide integrated cockpit up front, the existing Roval Rapide CLX III wheels<\/a> (with carbon spokes), Specialized\u2019s Cotton TLR tyres<\/a> and its S-Works Power EVO with Mirror 3D-printed saddle.<\/p>\n

As before, the Tarmac SL9 also gets a BSA68 threaded bottom bracket<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedTyre clearance on the Tarmac SL9 remains at 32mm front and rear. <\/p>\n

Tyre clearance remains the same, at 32mm with 4mm to spare. All models in the range ship with 30c tyres as standard, although in our experience, Specialized\u2019s tyres tend to size up a little smaller than much of the competition.<\/p>\n

At last year\u2019s Tour de France<\/a>, for example, most of the 30c Specialized tyres we saw measured around 29mm wide on Roval Rapide CLX III rims.<\/p>\n

\"SpecializedIs this the fastest road bike ever made? Specialized thinks so.\u2026 Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Specialized has officially announced the release of the new S-Works Tarmac SL9, which it claims boldly is \u201cthe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":502776,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-502775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}