NEW Specialized Tarmac SL8 First Ride: 685g and faster than a Venge!?!

I got to to ride the brand new Specialized Tarmac SL8 and um, yeah it's on another level. An incredibly light frame that is claimed to be more aero than the old Venge, and boosted stiffness and comfort as well. It has all the makings to be the new benchmark road race bike. But how does it ride? And what exactly have they changed?

Supported by Saddleback

Content
00:00 Intro
1:25 Frame details
1:58 More aerodynamic
3:33 Lighter frame
5:09 Stiffness and comfort
6:02 Prices and Builds
7:08 Ride impressions
9:40 Box Hill Climbing challenge
12:19 Thoughts and observations

Follow me:

[MrRoyGS]

When I replaced my 7 year old Tarmac SL5, I really wanted an SL7, but could not justify the price or the group set choices availability. I ended up going with a Canyon Aeroad CFR with Dura Ace. 1k miles later and extremely happy with it.

[chrisdelaplante]

With each new bike they said it will be 10-20% faster ! In the future i think the bike will ride on itself without even pedaling.

[julianman]

..Over a long enough time line, with each iteration getting faster and faster, there will inevitably come a point in time where we will be able to get back from a ride before we originally left . Cant wait !

[daxmotis]

I dont hate it, but the previous gen looked better

[thereareese]

The marketing is strong with Specialized!

[Jeffrey_Wong]

I can't believe they actually officially called it the "Speed Sniffer"

[Thestig]

I'm so glad you got to make the first review video out there on the SL8 ahead of time. You are definitely the main YouTuber who deserves it. Best content/creator ever.

[supocarta]

Weight matters all of a sudden... except us non sheep have known this for 40 years...

[davidjenkins]

I do like they hit the UCI Limit out the gates, insignificant or not I like that's an out the box feature. I just bought an SL7 S Works and I am fomo'ing there's no two ways about it. Regardless of whether or not I'd ever feel the difference.

Thanks for the usual brilliant videos Dave.

[ozgurinsan]

Weight does not matter, until specialized releases a light weight tarmac. Now all of a sudden weight matters.

[ronitdebnath]

On most price points TCR is a better package. Maybe not at flagship level only.

[goodboyringo]

14, 000 for a bike ? I thought 3, 000 was a lot for a bike.

[malayneum]

with such weight i doubt it will survive a crash. something we average riders cant afford.

[SuperTaylor]

Didn’t help Remco much today 😂 .. seriously, looks good though, very nice intro to the bike 👍 Glad they finally cracking the weight conundrum

[LosGuardian]

Isit just me or does the fork design on the SL8 make it look like its installed backwards?

[sparkvideos]

Light weight always feels nicer even if it’s not necessarily faster

[davehogan]

I'm going to hold out for the SL9 which is 12% more aero, 8.65% more complaint and 12.227890% stiffer at 40kph going through helium gas

[tomrachellesfirstdance]

I notice they never say the venge vias, though. I do not think it would be faster than that. I remember a lot of people got annoyed when the last venge looked more like the sl6 rather than the vias which was a proper aero bike.

Dave, put a call to your windtunnel friends and see if you can borrow a venge, I don't understood how you can remove material from the frame make it slimmer put a small hump on the headtube and its faster than a venge? The next sl9 will be more aerodynamic than the shiv 😂

[golfnerd]

I'll buy one if I ever make it to a point in my life where I don't need to ask how much it costs.

[shreyass]

Can we normalise weighing the entire frameset with paint included, instead of just the frame!? I.e., the frame + fork + seatpost. Some bikes out there use an integrated seatpost and others don’t so comparing the two makes absolutely no sense.