Specialized Tarmac SL7

If you’re looking for an off-the-shelf race weapon, you’ll find it here. A clear Best in Test! The Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 is the fastest race bike of the 2021 season… It is in a league of its own on the flats… However, strong crosswinds give it a hard time and anyone who appreciates a little more comfort…may have to think twice…

Compared to the SL6, there hasn’t been any improvement. On the contrary, the SL7 is less reactive, less comfortable and maneuverable… the weight of the complete bike…is higher. The price is exaggerated. I hope for an overall improvement in performance with the next SL8.

By far the ultimate racing bike. The most hyped bike of the year delivers on all parameters… It is stiff and responsive, quiet and fast on flat roads and it is well balanced.

We bow down and give the bike a five on the dice. This is simply one of the best bikes we have ever tested.

I have no hesitation in saying that this is the most versatile Tarmac ever built, which includes everything both a professional and an amateur could want: performance, lightness, speed, efficiency and comfort. I wouldn’t change a single component on this bike…

Aerodynamic, light, fast and extremely agile: The Specialized Tarmac S-Works SL7 achieved top values in all race model test categories. The handling, agility and balance are excellent. The equipment is very consistent.

The Tarmac SL7 can currently claim the title of the best racing bike in the world.

The brakes on SRAM’s top road bike group can no longer quite keep up with Shimano’s new Dura-Ace Di2; the Dura-Ace road bike disc brake can be better modulated and develops its full braking power faster in wet conditions.

How’s the ride quality? The descent is very nice. How about climbing? Not only is it simply not much different from the 6.8kg Venge, but unfortunately there was no drastic speedup on the SL7.

A fast bike rolling, descending, climbing. Pure pleasure. This model is in the middle of the range of the Tarmac SL7, which leads us to wonder what the top of the range will be like… Specialized has fulfilled its objective. This is without a doubt a no-compromise bike.

Specialized has managed to combine the best of all worlds: aerodynamics, weight, stiffness and comfort. It is the most all-round bike of this test…

The Specialized Tarmac SL7 marks a return to a one-bike solution for ambitious road cyclists. Equally good on flat ground as on downhills.

After this review, I’ll mount the Tarmac many more times. I’ll ride it a lot and enjoy it even more… In the Netherlands it is a great pleasure. This bike simply steers and rides wonderfully. It’s like it was made for me.

The geometry is made for racers, so the frame is very stiff and has great response under more aggressive acceleration. It reacts perfectly when quickly starting a sprint on the flat, but also when properly gripping the pedals uphill. It is stable on descents, nimble in sharp turns… This bike simply asks for speed absolutely everywhere.

A nearly perfect race bike. If you want the best, UCI-legal bike for getting from point A to point B as fast as possible on pavement—up, down, flat, or otherwise—I believe that bike is the Tarmac SL7.

If you’re looking for an all-out speed machine to make every ride faster, go get the new Specialized Tarmac SL7. And particularly, the S-Works… I’ve set higher average speeds for every ride I’ve done on it and enjoyed every minute of it. Maybe it’s because this bike made me want to be better. To be faster. Maybe that made me push myself.

I love the Venge, and don’t want to see it killed by its own sibling… the next Venge will chuck UCI regulations out the window and come back faster than ever. I’d like that… Until then, this will be my favorite Specialized road bike.

The Tarmac SL7 is a spectacular bike. There’s something about it that makes you want to just give’er. Top-end Tarmac SL7 models come with power meters. On Shimano builds… it’s a set of sensors from Canadian company 4iiii.

Welcome to ‘the singularity’. The Tarmac SL7 shows up with dual personalities—in the best way possible… The Roval Rapide CLX wheels…making the trademark “whoosh, whoosh” sound… Sprinting on the new Tarmac is akin to a supercomputer crunching numbers.

Just about the most important trend in racing bikes is the convergence of climbing bikes and aero bikes. Specialized’s Tarmac SL7 brings the best of both worlds. The Expert version was voted Road Bike of the Year 2021 by our jury!

Apart from its very high price, it is difficult to find fault with this bike. Quite honestly, no matter how hard I look, I don’t see any.

One of the very best machines ever created. With the Roval Rapide CLX wheels as standard on the S-Works bike, the first sensations are a bit supernatural. So we are speechless when confronted with all this debauchery of technology.

As far as pure riding performance is concerned, nothing was left to be desired… The outstanding qualities are the almost unleashed pace and the balanced, perfectly predictable handling. It’s a shame that the Tarmac SL7 Expert doesn’t yet have the convincing aero cockpit. Then all would be right with the world. There is nothing to seriously criticize.

Road behavior: this is where the Specialized Tarmac SL7 really impressed me. What is striking is the ease with which the SL7 accelerates and maintains speed, both on the flat and uphill. The more the speed and the effort increase, the more the qualities of the bike are appreciated.

Yes, it is a bike that caters to a competitive user base. It is also true that it allows you to go slow… the frame, no matter what size you consider, is always compact, a detail that affects its speed, responsiveness and agility. In fact, “you can turn it on a dime.” This sort of immediacy makes it quite fun.

What amazed us was the incredible ease that this bike has in reaching, and then maintaining, high speeds.

It’s justified for those who can and want to spend this much money. In terms of ride feel, for less money at Specialized itself there are bikes that offer a very good experience and performance.

We can assure you that this Tarmac SL7 raises performance on asphalt, simply, to another level. Extreme speed, rigidity well above average and lightness . They are the three quintessential ingredients of a good competition bike. The ingredients that precisely, on this bike, have been raised to a level that we had not experienced so far on any other bike.

In terms of riding experience, as long as you set the Tarmac SL7 at a familiar angle, this bike feels like an old friend who has been with you for a long time, and it doesn’t take time to get used to it…

It is very stable when cutting downhill and turning. The feedback of the whole bike is direct… It is light, tough, and exerts force directly. Rapide CLX wheels as standard …the inertia is fierce.

This iteration of the bike is full of pressure to ride… But if you care about light weight, you care about aerodynamic riding posture, then this kind of bike will really have an advantage, it only thinks about how to make the maximum efficiency conversion of the power of the rider, it is a very pure racing bike.

Everyone feels different, at least I feel comfortable to ride and have a direct and quick response, so that’s fine.

This champ is not afraid of a little wind. And he also likes it raw. The S-Works Tarmac SL7 is very light-footed… You can safely fight against the wind for a number of hours without feeling broken.

It is a wonderful bike for both the fanatical asphalt eater and the relaxed touring cyclist. Women-specific bikes are an outdated idea at Specialized. As a female tester I had a Specialized Mimic saddle mounted… I ended up with a weight of 8.1 kg, not super light actually.

The new Tarmac SL7 is a beast, a bike without compromises. It’s only when you ramp up the speed that you really appreciate the new Tarmac. Before I know it I’m riding a sloppy fifty an hour over the dike in a two-man breakaway.

The first impression is that of a true aero steed, where wattages are instantly converted into speed. After every turn, however, the trump card of light weight is thrown on the table. Compared to the SL6, this S-Works Tarmac SL7 is more direct in all areas, both in steering and pedaling.

This Specialized in the same version won this competition two years ago. Now – despite the identical frame and wheelset – it is out of the running. How is that possible? In all honesty: the price of this bike has greatly influenced the odds. The Tarmac SL7 Expert is the most expensive participant in this year’s competition.

If our test has made one thing clear, it’s that this Tarmac SL7 is not just an evolution of the SL6, but a confluence of the Tarmac and the Venge. We clearly recognized that urge for speed from our time with the Venge, but the weight and the increased range of action scream ‘Tarmac’.

Compared to the outrageously expensive top model, the inexpensive version appears sluggish when starting and also uncomfortable.

Despite upgrades, new developments, facelifts and much more, the new Specialized Tarmac SL7 remains true to its original characteristics and is still a real mountain goat.

The Specialized Tarmac SL7 Pro leaves almost nothing to be desired. It accelerates effortlessly both uphill and in sprints. The handling is razor sharp, but always controllable and predictable.

Other Mums have nice road bikes too and it was a pleasure to have speed dated one of them. The test drive with the new Specialized Tarmac SL7 Expert was like that one-night stand that you don’t want to let go home the morning after.

We’ve ridden the bike under the most adverse conditions – including heavy rain – and it didn’t emit a moment’s uncertainty, even on fast descents. After almost 1000 kilometers in the saddle, the face of the Tarmac as a “World Tour Racer” shows itself clearly: whether uphill, downhill or in a sprint – the bike is convincing across the board.

The new Tarmac SL7 is a great climber who is also at ease on the flat when it comes to hitting the pedals.

In actual races…riders can rest assured that the SL7 has few weaknesses in each speed range. The vibration transmitted from the steering wheel does not leave a good impression.

The sprint was great.

If the Venge is a gorilla hammer, the Tarmac SL7 is a fencing rapier!
If the Venge is pork bone ramen, the Tarmac SL7 is straight salt!
If the Venge is the summer solstice, the Tarmac SL7 is the winter solstice! (?)

When the agility brought by the light frame – and the flexibility that the Rapide CLX boasts – are combined, the only words that leak from the mouth are “Wow, it’s crazy”.

Compared to the Venge, which accelerates gradually, the SL7 launches with a bang. I have a notion that I may attack without caution and burn myself out.

I happen to have two all-round flagships. I bought a Tarmac SL7 last year and briefly compared it to the SuperSix Evo Ultegra I already owned… The SuperSix is a little harder and the Tarmac is a little softer… the SuperSix was 3 seconds faster …the power was 9 watts higher on average…as expected, there is little difference between the two bikes at the power level of the club.

Of course, it’s not like the Specialized SL7 is riding at 35 kph or providing 150W by itself. You have to pedal your own way, but remember that aerodynamic resistance increases exponentially in relation to speed, so even the smallest build detail counts significantly ….. and this build is very, very well thought out.

It rides well; agile, precise and confident, while the front end is never twitchy at any time, which makes for a pleasant and easy-to-ride bike.

I can state that the bike is fast and explosive. I also get a better effect on the bike when jerking and sprinting. Definitely aero and rolls great… I find this bike at least as fast even uphill. I think the bike is pretty too! The only thing that you should bear in mind is that this is not exactly a comfort bike.

The truth is that now, myself, as someone who would always change something on all the bikes I’ve tried… I wouldn’t dare touch a single screw, because it would be impossible to make it better, let alone faster.