Spotted: All-new Specialized Tarmac SL8 seen at Soudal-QuickStep training camp

We’ve all kind of known a new Specialized Tarmac was in the works. In a world of regular product cycles that you can almost set your watch by, the current Tarmac SL7 has been on borrowed time for a bit now. Mutterings of a new model have been rife on WeightWeenies too, with a few clues to whet the appetite.

Now, with an almost ‘oh finally’ mood to proceedings amongst the associated cycling tech community, some actual spy shots of the bike have emerged. 

Naturally, this is all speculation, but from the images we can at least glean some things about the new model. We will get to that headtube in due course, don’t you worry. 

Aero business at the front, lightweight party at the back

So far, we only have a couple of pictures to go on, so drawing any concrete conclusions is never really possible, but they do give us some ideas as to the design direction, and the inspirations just by staring at it and leafing through old Specialized product catalogues. 

Specialized was perhaps not the first to create a ‘do it all race bike’ (I mean, it definitely wasn’t, as before aero bikes came along that’s what we all had), but with the high profile killing off of the Venge, it has certainly been at the forefront of the one-bike-only performance vanguard. Many other brands have coalesced around a more singular race platform in recent years, perhaps most notably Canyon with the new Ultimate, and Cannondale with the new SuperSix Evo, even if they do still have the Aeroad and SystemSix in their respective lineups. 

Perhaps preempting the marketing to come, we can expect the new Tarmac (unless this is some entirely new machine) to be lighter, stiffer, more aerodynamic, and more comfortable. 

We also expect that if it is indeed to be called the Tarmac, that Specialized will follow on from the SL6 and SL7 models, and call this the Tarmac SL8. 

Despite the dwindling of the all out aero bike era, improvements in aerodynamics will still likely be the highest priority, and that’s most evident at the front end. The Image of what seems to be a render rather than a photograph shows the bike equipped with what we assume is the new Roval Rapide cockpit, launched back in June; that’s an easy aero win over even a two-piece aero cockpit. The fork blades are deeper too, reminiscent of the now-defunct Venge. The most striking thing about the front end though is that bulbous headtube. Since the UCI relaxed its rules on tube depths we’ve seen ever-deepening headtubes; just look at the prototype Red Bull BMC for proof.

Most brands tend to extend the tube rearwards, leaving a flat face to break the wind. The new Tarmac however extends the head tube forwards of the steerer, but in a curved fashion. It’s not as extreme as Adam Blythe’s gold Genesis with a custom headtube extension, but it’s on the spectrum. It may be that the curved face acts more like a nosecone, breaking the wind more effectively than a flat face; only time and a press release will tell.

Moving rearward, the main triangle is a little more skinny than the SL7. The still-sloping top tube and the down tube are noticeably smaller in diameter, which is an easy win for saving weight but doesn’t leave you with as much material to sculpt that pesky airflow. The middle of the bike is messy though, in airflow terms, thanks to such unpredictable elements as the rider's legs, again suggesting that much of the aero gains will be won at the leading edges, and the weight savings rearward, or at least the savings to offset a more bulky front.

The seatpost too appears to be more svelte, perhaps in a bid to add comfort where it’s more easily won. The rendered image shows an inline model, but the spy shots from the team camp suggest a layback option is also on the cards. The seatpost wedge clamp position and design looks to be a clear carryover from the SL7, but the saddle clamp up top looks to have changed from a side-on bolt to a top-down version. With a smaller seatpost comes the dilemma of where to put the Di2 battery for those bikes not running SRAM or the new Super-Record EPS; will we see it shifted to the bottom bracket area as has been done on the new Cannondale SuperSix evo?

At the very rear end of the bike the stays, both seat- and chain-, are some of the thinnest I’ve seen. The seatstays are as thin as those on the ultralight new Factor O2 VAM, but the chainstays, so often noticeably bulkier, are pencilesque too, again suggesting that the aero is dealt with up front, and the weight savings towards the rear. This does pose interesting weight distribution questions, too, as it would appear that the new model will likely be slightly more front-heavy. Even with identical geometry this will have handling implications, which is perhaps why we’re seeing the Soudal-QuickStep team testing a fleet of them out not with the integrated cockpit but with round bars and traditional stems (praise be that you can still use this setup if you are that way inclined).

While Specialized has a habit of being pretty consistent with its geometry, it seems that maybe there are differences in fit on this new model that the pros need to dial in before committing to a one-piece Roval unit. Alternatively, of course, it could be that the more expensive one-piece cockpit is reserved for race bikes, whereas riders here are sticking with training bikes.  

Finally, while we don’t have a front-on view of the bike, the thinner seatstays do appear to have upped tyre clearance at the back. They appear to join at the very edges of the bottom bracket shell, with a similarly wide-set pair of seatstays that pinch in after they have passed the tyre. It’s unlikely that tyre clearance at the rear would have been increased without a corresponding jump up front. None of the Soudal-QuickStep team seem to be running anything monstrous, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see 32mm clearance.

For now, that's all I can decipher from two images. Naturally, we will share more as and when new information arises, but for now, you’ll just have to hold your breath for a release date and official news.