Specialized Unveils the Tarmac SL9, Promising a 14-Second Edge for the Fastest Road Bike
Specialized has launched the S-Works Tarmac SL9, a new flagship aero road bike with a deeper Flow Fork, a curved Win Fin seat tube and a narrower head tube/seatpost. It leverages the Equation of Speed—a physics-based, Formula 1–style simulation—to optimize aerodynamics, weight, rolling resistance and other factors, claiming time advantages on major courses (e.g., 14 seconds faster than the SL8 on the last 80km of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes) and similar margins on other routes. The bike reportedly weighs about 6.5 kg in full builds (687 g frame) and starts at around $13,500–$14,000 for the SL9, with tyre clearance around 32 mm (30 mm on the top-spec) and a narrowed cockpit; at launch only the S-Works model is revealed, with more models to come later.