I mentioned in a previous video how the Craft Racing Works CS5060 wheels were a bit unstable in the crosswind. Particularly the front wheel because of how light it is. This was an issue on both my Giant Propel and Tavelo Attack framesets. However, this has not been an issue on SL8. Perhaps the SL8 has in fact been engineered in a wind tunnel to account for this, or just maybe my bike position/geometry offers more stability. Who knows. But the wheel stability is much better on the SL8 than my other frames. Contact Panda Podium to order a set for yourself.
Had similar issue when I was riding my supersix (latest gen) with 60mm HED Vanquish wheels. I have some gnarly winds around me up in the mountains. Gusts that push the front of the bike unpredictably. I've ridden these mountains with high winds before with 60mm wheels so I was a little confused how much I was getting blown around. Since I switched to my SL8, with same wheelset, no issue at all. Ofcourse there's some push but nowhere near as bad. I think it's mostly the headtube. It makes a huge difference. All these aero giant deep / aero headtubes actually hurt your speed and stability in cross winds IMO.
the reverse feedback strength in the steering from wind input is mostly related the the rake & trail (tip in sensitivity) all other things being equal. But total mechanical arm reach (steering leverage) and weight bias front:rear also play a huge role. the other note is carbon spokes all suck in the florida 20+mph cross winds. they really do grab the wind
Thanks for letting me take a block spin on this bike, 100% agree with you, this bike rides like I was rubbing my hands against finest silk...keep up the great work!!
Thanks for the introduction of Speedy Decal! I just got my same Tarmac SL8 pro with this matte blue and I was just looking for a good decal as I wanted white logo. This was perfect timing! I just purchased white color decals
Future weight weenie ideas: 1. Swap the current saddle for my 97g AliExpress fully carbon saddle 2. Change the Rival cassette to Sram Force 3. Upgrade the cockpit to an EXS Aerover system. That's about a 200 gram net savings. However, I just don't expect performance to change by doing any of this.
it's an aesthetic hit but swapping the tires for the all black GP5000 will save you ~80g. you could possibly consider the Michelin Power TT tires too if you're running TPU tubes. They only come in 25mm but will blow out to about 28mm on your CRW wheels. Also have the benefit of the fastest rolling clincher tire available and save about 150g over those cream wall GP5000's. lastly, maybe hit Joe up and see if he will let you review a Cybrei or Skypivot crankset! another 150g to be saved there :p
Sur mon sl7 sworks j’ai monté le pédalier cybrei version capteur de puissance et plateaux carbone/pedales look carbon ti ,200gr de moins par rapport à mon dura ace/assioma. Le vélo fait 6.96 kg avec support garmin,deux portes bidons et pedale en taille 58. J’hésite à passer sur les craft car j’ai des rapide clx2 et j’ai peur que ce soit moins bien.
Nice job Patrick. What I like about your channel. Is the range of products you've tested and the different price points in the market. You have done a tremendous amount of legwork to catalogue this information. Everyone may not have or want to spend for western brands. The performance they can get from lesser known brands is "good enough". 👍🏾
Thanks for the video, I’m planning to ride an SL8 tomorrow. Tried the Trek SL7 Gen 8 this weekend, got the Pinarello next weekend. I wasn’t even looking at the SL8, but can’t deny all the amazing reviews I have seen on it. I’m not even on your level to even understand some of the things you have done, but it’s gonna be a fun learning journey. Appreciate your post…
I watched your other vid where you bought the sl8 and now I’m looking to get my own. I was not that convinced about that blue frame though. The decals were a very nice touch! The more I look at the beauty you built the more I like it
I have the exact frame (mine is the stock build from Specialized with Ultegra and Roval wheels) and what you say about speed is absolutely true. In my previous bike I only engaged the maximum gear available in certain situations... with this one I find myself looking for a smaller cog very often as the bike gets and maintains speed very easily. Great bike indeed.
Nice work, loving the 'everyman' (and woman, and.. and...) build, appeals to the techie roadie within most of us. I've been looking at anything but the SL8, wanting to be a bit different, but after this vid I think I'm gonna have to give it a go! Btw, beard looks smooth!
Amazing review! I have the s works model and I've got to say the same thing: best bike I've ever ridden . There is just a minor aspect that I feel strange: do the wheel gets centered at the front fork? Mine is 1 mm closer to the DS and it looks It was by design. Does it happens the same at yours? Thanks and keep your amazing content!
Awesome insight and depth in your vid! Very entertaining and informative. Been absolutely loving my Tarmac SL8, first road bike since my 2017 Giant TCR and it’s astronomically better in all roadie ways.. Climbs, Flats, Descents, Corners.. All the things! Good stuff and new Sub over here 😎🤌🏼
Hey bike_somm I have a 2017 TCR Advanced. I love how the bikes snap and handling. How comfortable (road noise and bumps) is the SL8 ride compared to the TCR?
@@paulweber624 yo, great question and all I can say is strikingly similar in all the best ways.. climbing, cornering, efficiency! But with all the greater benefits, Aerodynamic, Lightweight, and Compliant.. all the while allowing for 32 size tires in terms of frame clearance. All in all probably the best choice I’ve made for a new road bike considering all the other companies and options.. this is truly one bike to rule them all for my roadie needs and wants 🚴🏼💨🙌🏽😎
Patrick i ended up purchasing the sl8 frameset today. In the past my focus was on seka spear but i have to admit due to the price, sl8 is the safer better choice (more reviews , easier to purchase) However the spear in terms of looks seems more attarctive
@@damodamo7219 thanks man. I’ve been dragging my feet making that comparison video, because I know it’s going to take some work. And is a very important video. Thankfully it’s in the works!
Decals look great! Wow….have to keep this in mind for next bike. Just riding an sworks sl6….can imagine to switch to your sl8 frame. Sl6 is for me also the best road bike I have had until now….comfort and speed
Damnn, finally 👏👏👏. You make me get a propel bro. Hope im not changin to a tarmac because of this 😂. Btw any tips for the propel steerer? So i can avoid what you experienced. Thanks
That build looks sharp! 👌 SL8 shares the same design philosophy as the Strada which also has really skinny seat stays. Had my Strada for 4 years now, I've have hammered the crap out of it and it's still spot on. Took a KOM of Ben Healy on it today 😎
@@PatrickLino I think we all know this is just a roundabout way of me letting everyone know I just took a KOM off a world tour rider 😅 Seriously though, the bike looks epic, you've got me wanting an SL8 again!
Great vid, thx. Exactly the config I’m going for 😎. SL8 in deep purple, SRAM Force 1by, but with an 48 tooth ring (hope that the carbon-ti ring fits the 1-by, another few grams for you 😉) and an EXS cockpit. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪.
Great video! How does it compare to the Allez Sprint. I’m trying to understand if it’s worth making the jump from Alloy to Carbon. Is the ride feel / aero worth it?
Of course - it should be better than the others.. I guess the more difficult question is -- are the improvements worth the additional money? What does an SL8 frameset cost? $3,500? It's a lot but still comparable various others. I just saw - the older SL7 is on sale. q full bike with 105 Mechanical and aluminum wheels is $3,000. That seems like a great price for a Specialized and I'd buy that over a lot of other options That said, I am a bit surprised that you say most all of the other frames you have don't even compare. I have a TCR and also have a really cheap gravel frame (like a $400 frameset) and with the same wheels doing the same road riding, the cheapo frame compares quite well (including doing timed tests up a long climb at similar power)
I was surprised too. I was not expecting the SL8 to feel that differently from my other bikes (regardless of price) but it's tangible. My Giant Propel is also very fast, but handles speed differently than the SL8. Perceived comfort is better on the SL8. Perceived stiffness is better on the Propel.
@@PatrickLino ye, like giant tcr but tcr has same stack to reach. If you do divine stac reach you get around 4,08 in gisnt tcr/propel but in sl8 you get 4.16.
Awesome build Patrick!! I'm thinking of building one up too in the watermelon paint. How does this compare to the Allez Sprint? I know, it's carbon to alum and there's virtually no comparison but what about the fit etc? Which one feels snappier? Is it massively more comfortable than the allez? cheers
Patty rank them. Tarmac SL 8, Giant Propel, Winspace T1500 series, Yoeleo R12, Allez Sprint. If I had to guess the Tarmac is #1 but what are the rest? Also in your opinion is the SL 8 Fact 10r frame worth $3500?
The SL8 Fact 10r is worth it if you value the aforementioned things in the video. To be light, stiff, yet comfortable and fast is a very difficult thing to do. The Chinese brands can usually get 2 or 3 of these things correct. But not all four. So the price of the SL8 is justified from that perspective.
@@PatrickLino I think you have some of best content out there and thanks for the quick replies and honest reviews. I mentioned before I had a T1500 and now have a T1550 but also have a MY22 Scott Foil RC and I would agree that for my bikes the T1550 rear with those Zero SL bars are just super stiff, granted I was able to get even a mid tier Force D2 build with pedals and cages at 16.34lbs so IMO weight has never been the problem for the T1500. I think the rear stiffness borderlines on Cannondale SystemSix territory where for some people the comfort is prohibitive. Even my last gen MY22 Foil RC has a vastly more comfortable rear end compared to the T1500 series so I can't imagine the SL 8s comfort level. I have dulled down the rear feedback by going tubeless and changing the saddle to a super comfortable yet beefy SWORKS mirror saddle but that has pushed the weight with pedals and such to 17.11lbs. Any plans on doing some of the newer WInspace frames or you pivoting to more big brand Western brands now and focusing on ride content or just other direct to consumer Chinese parts that are non frame related?
@@jrasero23 I just dropped an unboxing video on the new Winspace SLC 3.0 frame. Go take a look! The bike has already been built, and can be seen on my IG. Full review of that coming soon.
Hi. Will there be a long term review soon? I am concerned about the lightness of this frame (it must be really thin in some places) and how does that affect its longevity? I would like to buy this bike but with the intention of using it for more than 5 years. I also read on the forums about a problem with the front fork (there is also at least one video on YT). Has anything like this happened to you?
Thanks for watching. No issues with my front fork. A super lightweight (disc) frameset with the intentions of using 5+ years probably isn't a shrewd idea. While I'm sure the frame will be fine over time, there are better and more robust options on the market if durability is your priority. Which it seems to be. This is the reason why Chinese brands can't compete with Western brands in terms of weight. A heavy bike will be more durable.
Didn’t like the Matte color on the bike but those decals that u put on their just made me fall in love with the bike. i was leaning towards the black one but i think ima re consider. Beautiful bike 💪🏽
Crazy that Specialized has made a second tier frame that’s is better than basically every other companies top end frame. The pro is the best value in the industry.
Great looking bike. I feel the SL7 probably looks more balanced tho. The ‘Aethos like’ rear triangle of the SL8 diminishes the look a faction although I’m sure it adds compliance
Interesting what it is that makes the Tarmacs (Sl7-SL8) rate so highly for ride quality. Obviously, most bikes are built in China, so you would presume the carbon technology used is the same and geometry should be easy to copy. So you wonder what the secret ingredient is for ride quality. Specialized had their wind tunnel, so it isn't a surprise for a lightweight bike that the aero aspect is well sorted and would be an advantage, particularly over Chinese brands.
My guess is 1. Actual consideration to the carbon layup 2. Frame construction consistency despite high production volume 3. They aren't using cheaper more readily available carbon like the budget brands. I'm told the price difference between (real) T1000 and T1100 is exponential. At least for now I guess.
@PatrickLino it would be interesting to know if certain brands might not use the same volumes of the more expensive carbon in their layups. I guess saying it has the more expensive carbon doesn't mean they used the same volume. As you note, once brands like Exceed or Tavelo start to factor in the same costs as the other brands their value benefit starts to deminish.
@@morrisizing I'd also like to know what percentage of the retail price goes to both marketing and R&D. For major Western brands that is. If the Tarmac SL8 frame costs $3500, employees probably getting 30% discount, where does that leave the remaining $2500?
Plein de gens en ont marre d’entendre tout le temps que les vélos de route Specialized sont les meilleurs mais malheureusement pour eux c’est la vérité. J’ai eu un sl6 sport,une sorte de premier prix chez eux,il était super et très leger ,ensuite un sl7 pro,une vraie bombe et enfin un complet sworks dura ace 2023 et vraiment c’est un vélo incroyable,ultra rapide d’un confort remarquable,il filtre le sol comme aucun autre . J’ai eu d’autres vélos mais vraiment les Tarmac sont vraiment au dessus du lot ,légers rapide accessibles à n’importe quel niveau.je ne pourrais jamais revenir sur un autre vélo,surtout que la géométrie me colle à 100%. Il y a plein de vélos performants mais aucun n’est aussi bon partout c’est ainsi …
@@RubenRakow I would recommend comparing both the 56 and 58 to your current bike. Everyone has different needs and flexibility. A professional bike fitter is also a fantastic idea 👍🏾
i have an allez sprint that i replaced everything on and made it about the nicest allez i could own, and i have been on the fence about whether the tarmac is that much better - because they seem to have basically the same geometry? so your comparisons between the two are very interesting. thank you for this.
Congrats man, you are now riding the BMW equivalent of road bikes. I take it the sworks would be the Ferrari eqivalent? The pro version frameset being twice the price of winspace t1550, is it twice as good? As said in another forum, I hope winspace takes the oppertunity to send you its latest t1550 so you can note the differences from t1500 and rate it in terms of your other bikes
The SWork version is lighter because the carbon is thinner. I can't imagine anyone being able to tell the 100-140g difference between the two SL8 versions. Once you hit the $1600 price point and beyond, the price-to-performace ratio is diminished.
i wonder why i haven't been able to get along with TPU tubes yet. had a few ride now ones that I went through pretty quickly. just haven't been reliable. must be installation issues. I suspect the tube is getting twisted up. just ordered some more from wheel science for another go at tpu.
Specialized Tarmac has destroyed the competition since the SL6 S-Works came out, which I owned. Before that, they had good geometry but were heavy and not aero.
@@mcgarvy7 Budget wasn’t a consideration. My objective was to build a very customizable bike with niche components. That and because I need 140mm stem. I got a great deal on the groupset too, so it probably came out to be both cheaper (and lighter) in the end.
This bike is flexible like spaghetti! Get a stiff bike like Scott, pinarello. Don’t pay attention to light weight! The lighter the bike the twitchy it is.
My particular SL8 frame is not flexy. And certainly not twitchy. Perhaps your particular experience has been different however. There are no wrong answers when it comes to personal experiences. Thanks for watching! - EDIT: I also own a the current Giant Propel Advance Pro which is incredibly stiff.
Thanks a lot... Do you refer to olographico-27,as the olographico-27 from Speedydecal catalog, once you click for the colors and you open HOLOGRAPHICO 27 and there is the blcka SL8 SWORKS??? Am I correct? Thanks
I have the same frame fully built with (cages, pedals and computer) at 15.01lbs, Im actually glad when others im riding with or racing against don't have this frame, its that good. Enjoy!.
As you mentioned stiffness - a lot of people don't realize it has the exact same stiffness and compliance as an S-works, your paying extra for the thinner tubing to cut weight. I would rather a bit more stout frame and carefully choose my components to cut weight. I even added splashes of oil slick Ti bolts to cut weight further throughout the setup.
