Specialized Tarmac SL4

THE TARMAC SL4 MCLAREN IS SO LIGHT, STIFF AND SO EXPENSIVE WE ARE ONLY MAKING FIVE HUNDRED

YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT With a highly successful spring season behind us, we proudly add numerous victories to our list of incredible accomplishments in the pro peloton.

But it’s easy to forget that when we first jumped into the professional road game, over 10 years ago, we were seen as an American mountain bike brand which had no place trying to shake things up. Soon after Specialized started racing in Europe, I was out on one of my long “thinking rides.” It was this ride where I first came up with the Tarmac name and concept. We built several prototypes, which culminated in Italian racing legend Mario Cipollini racing the original S-Works Tarmac E5 in the 2003 Giro d’Italia, Tour of Georgia, and Vuelta a España.

In 2005 the first full-carbon Tarmac was born and raced by Team Gerolsteiner to victory in Stage 14 of the Tour de France and the San Francisco Grand Prix. I worked on that bike, and I’ve worked on every Tarmac since: the Tarmac SL, SL2, SL3, and now the all-new Tarmac SL4–our lightest and stiffest Tarmac ever. During these years, I’ve watched, sometimes from the team car, as the Tarmac has collected an astonishing number of wins, including the Tour of Flanders four straight times, a World Championship, a dominant 1-2 finish at last year’s Tour de France… and now the Giro d’Italia. I’ve personally worked with riders, ridden with them, and incorporated their feedback into each new iteration of the Tarmac.

Our new Tarmac SL4 is truly remarkable in its stiffness-to-weight ratio—a critical factor in racing performance—with a 19% improvement over last year’s industry-leading frame. With features like the King Cobra tapered head tube, one-piece BB/chainstay, and internal cable routing, we’ve distilled this machine down to the purest expression of racing performance.

The SL4 is the flagship of our road racing program. Alongside the Tarmac SL3, Roubaix, Shiv, and Venge, we offer the most dominant and complete race collection in the industry. While we know we’re still not always welcomed by traditionalists, we stopped listening to them a long time ago. Over 10 years ago, to be exact. We’re only interested in listening to the riders, so we can keep making the best and fastest bikes.

We are Specialized,

Chris D’Aluisio

Mark Schroeder

Luc Callahan

Kyle Chubbuck

Brent Graves

Robert Egger

Mark Cote

Simone Toccafondi

TARMAC SL4 FACT 11R FRAME KING COBRA HEAD TUBE ONE-PIECE BB/CHAINSTAY

TIMELINE Specialized introduces the S-Works Tarmac E5—a carbon/ alloy race bike, featuring the now-signature curved top tube. Only S-Works models are produced due to the high cost of production—this project raises the level of manufacturing to lay the groundwork for all carbon bikes to come.

JUNE First test samples of what will become the S-Works Tarmac E5 received; Giovanni Lombardi test rides new bike with Chris D in Santa Cruz mountains.

2001

2003

2003

2004

JULY Domina races on prototype of upcoming full-carbon Tarmac at select events.

2004

AUGUST

AUGUST

MAY

Based on rider feedback and his own racing experience, Chris D’Aluisio has the original idea for a race bike combining the stiffness of alloy—which at the time was stiffer than the carbon used on bikes—for BB and drivetrain with the compliance of carbon for top and seat tubes. Begins working on prototype frames.

Specialized’s Creative Director, Robert Egger, rides the Tarmac to it’s first ever win: the Specialized Lunch Ride.

Tarmac E5 is ridden by Domina Vacanze team, under riders like Mario Cipollini and Giovanni Lombardi in stages of the Giro d’Italia and the first Tour of Georgia; Chris D races bike to Overall win at Mt Hood Stage Race.

2004

2005 Tarmac is launched—our first full-carbon race bike.

TIMELINE JULY Select Gerolsteiner riders premier prototype of upcoming Tarmac SL at Tour de France; Georg Totschnig wins Stage 14 for Tarmac’s first Tour stage win.

2005

2005

JANUARY

SEPTEMBER

Quick Step begins new partnership with Specialized, will ride Tarmac SL along with Gerolsteiner.

Fabian Wegmann wins San Francisco Grand Prix.

2005

JANUARY

AUGUST

Specialized steps up presence in pro peleton by signing Gerolsteiner—team will ride the new Tarmac; frames delivered for testing.

Levi Leipheimer wins Tour of Germany, first multi-day tour win for Specialized.

2005

2006

2006

2006 APRIL

Tarmac SL is launched featuring new FACT AZ1 construction method. Through new Total System Integration engineers design frame and new S-Works crank as one integrated system—module becomes the lightest in the industry, giving birth to the SL name.

Tom Boonen rides Project Black alloy frame built with projected geometry for upcoming SL2, to race-test the new geo, and he wins E3 Prijs Vlaanderen in Belgium.

TIMELINE JULY

JUNE

In its second year, Tarmac SL and Quick-Step notch 39 wins.

1st Overall, Dauphiné Libéré with Leipheimer.

2006

2006

Select riders for Gerolsteiner and Quick-Step ride prototype of upcoming SL2 in Tour de France; Tarmac earns four stage wins at the Tour and the Green Points Leader’s jersey for Tom Boonen.

2006

2007

2007

2007

2007

MAY

AUGUST

JANUARY

SEPTEMBER

Two stage wins in the Giro for Gerolsteiner.

1st Overall, Eneco Tour of Benelux for Gerolsteiner, along with three stage victories for Quick-Step.

1st Overall at the Tour of Qatar.

World Championship for Paolo Bettini.

TIMELINE

2008

FEBRUARY

OCTOBER

Boonen wins Overall title and Points Jersey in Tour of Qatar on SL2.

Quick Step takes the Tarmac SL2 to over 40 wins on the season.

2008

2008

2008

JANUARY 1st Overall at Tour Down Under.

2009

APRIL Feedback from riders like Boonen gives credence to our philosophy that overall torsional stiffness and stiffness-to-weight are paramount in racing performance.

New SL2 is launched featuring a tapered head tube and new FACT IS construction to save weight and improve efficiency—as a result, overall stiffness and stiffnessto-weight numbers for complete module rank among the highest in the industry.

Victory at Tour of Flanders with Stijn Devolder (first of four consecutive wins at this prestigious Spring Classic for Tarmac).

2009

2009 FEBRUARY

After highly successful first season, the SL2 stays unchanged for 2009 but continues tradition of winning some of the biggest races on the calendar; Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank begin partnership with Specialized and immediately start winning on Tarmac SL2 alongside Quick-Step.

1st Overall, Tour of Qatar; stage win at the Tour of California with Frank Schleck.

TIMELINE APRIL Victory at Tour of Flanders with Stijn Devolder (2nd consecutive win there for Devolder and Specialized); Andy Schleck wins Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

2009

2009

JUNE

SEPTEMBER

1st Overall at Tour de Swiss with Fabian Cancellara.

2009

2009

Two stage wins at the Vuelta a España.

2009

MARCH

MAY

JULY

1st Overall at Critérium International with Jens Voigt; stage win at Paris-Nice.

Select riders on both teams ride Giro on prototype of upcoming SL3 (disguised as SL2); Best Young Rider for Quick Step.

Two stage wins at the Tour de France plus 2nd Overall for Andy Schleck.

2009

2010 SL3, the fifth version of the race-proven Tarmac, is launched to the public. Stemming from rider feedback, improvements to the layup/ manufacturing techniques, such as a new one-piece, carbon OSBB/ chainstay, yield large increases in lateral and torsional stiffness, while also saving weight. Team Astana now riding Tarmac along with Saxo Bank.

*Over 60 wins in the 2009 season between Saxo Bank and Quick-Step.

TIMELINE JULY Once again our teams assist with development, with key riders testing SL3 bikes at Tour de France featuring technology designed for what will be the next generation of Tarmac; SL3 goes 1-2 in Tour de France—Specialized’s first-ever victory there—with Alberto Contador winning and Andy Schleck in 2nd; Tarmac nabs three stage wins in the process.

PMS 7408c CMYK: 0/25/95/0 PMS 7413c CMYK: 0/53/100/4 PMS 369c CMYK: 59/0/100/7 PMS 356c CMYK: 95/0/100/27 PMS Cool Gray 04c CMYK: 0/0/0/24

SHEEHAN GRAPHiCdESiGN

2010

2010

JULY THE NEXT GENERATION OF TARMAC IS HERE! Continuing the winning pedigree for the Tarmac family, the all-new Tarmac SL4 is launched.

Upgrades result in an amazing 19% increase in stiffness-to-weight ratio over previous model, as well as a 16% increase in overall stiffness.

RICH BLACK CMYK: 50/40/40/100

2011

APRIL Fabian Cancellara wins Tour of Flanders (3rd consecutive for Tarmac); Victory in E3 Prijs Vlaanderen.

APRIL Tarmac continues its reign over Tour of Flanders with its fourth-straight victory, this time under Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Nick Nuyens—Specialized is only American bike company ever to accomplish this feat.

World’s #1 ranked team HTCHighroad begins partnership with Specialized, joining Astana and Saxo Bank-SunGard racing on Specialized bikes. Teams continue winning with victories at: Tour Down Under, Tour of Qatar, Paris-Nice, Tour of Catalunya.

2011

2011

2011

2011

MAY

JULY

Alberto Contador dominates the Giro d’Italia on his SL3 with the Overall victory and two stage wins.

Following the highly successful release of the S-Works + McLaren Venge—and years of collaboration between the two companies—Specialized debuts a prototype S-Works + McLaren Tarmac SL4 at the Tour de France

*More than 55 wins between Saxo Bank and Astana in the 2010 season

TECHNOLOGY

STIFFNESS The overall torsional stiffness of a bike is the single best determinant of its acceleration and handling. So nothing was spared in making the SL4 the stiffest frameset and complete module possible, without sacrificing ride quality. The high-modulus carbon frame, with massive top and down tubes, is constructed in our most advanced FACT IS method: The frame is divided into four monocoque sections (plus dropouts)—with carbon fibers running continuously from tube to tube within each section—for more precise optimization of tubes shapes, sizes, and joints. With advancements like our King Cobra head tube, strategically placed ultra-stiff pitch fiber, internal ribbing, and tweaks to seatstays and fork, we were able to create the stiffest race bike on the market, and realize an amazing 19% increase in stiffness-to-weight ratio over last year’s industry-leading SL3.

TORSIONAL STIFFNESS (N*m/deg)

WEIGHT We could have made the SL4 lighter, but we refused to compromise the explosive acceleration or sharp handling Tarmac riders demand. So we shaved every gram possible—it remains one of the lightest framesets in the industry—while maintaining these essential ride characteristics. The new head tube design means less material and a smaller, lighter lower bearing. We also save material through our proprietary internal ribbing in the head tube and BB, while the new hollow carbon front and rear dropouts are feather light but remain stiff and durable. Throw in an impressive 10% weight reduction in the fork plus our uber-light S-Works crankset and the complete module weighs in at a scant 1995 grams.

FRAME MODULE SYSTEM WEIGHT (g)

KING COBRA HEAD TUBE Our proprietary King Cobra tapered head tube has allowed us to achieve the best of all worlds: save weight, increase torsional stiffness, and improve vertical compliance. Through “wrapping” super oversized down and top tubes partially around the tapered head tube, thereby eliminating flat surfaces and smoothing transitions, we’ve stiffened and strengthened these critical junctions so much that we are now able to use a narrower head tube (only 1-3/8” at the crown, down from 1-1/2”). This of course also means less material in the head tube and a smaller bearing, resulting in considerable weight savings. Finally, the narrower, 1-3/8” head tube/crown interface means no sacrifice in ride quality.

ONE PIECE BB/CHAINSTAY With FACT IS construction on the SL4 frames, the bottom bracket and chainstays are constructed as one piece, optimizing weight and stiffness in this critical and highstress area, improving acceleration, efficiency, and handling. The oversized BB and chainstays are molded together creating a single unit, rather than bonded together after molding, along with the carbon BB shell. This super strong and stiff unit is seamless from the BB to the dropouts, eliminating potentially weak junctions. This design resists deflection under extreme pedal loads for improved power transfer.

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SEATSTAYS The new seatstay design features a significantly wider stance which improves lateral stiffness. Plus specifically-engineered, dual-taper shaping near the bridge optimizes overall brake performance.

CARBON DROPOUTS Front and rear hollow carbon dropouts provide a stiffer interface with the wheels for improved handling and efficiency. The front and rear dropouts also feature co-molded steel inserts for added durability when taking wheels on or off. Rear dropouts are also designed to allow for cable routing through the seatstays.

INTERNAL CABLE ROUTING Rear brake cable is routed through the top tube and both derailleur cables run through the down tube, with the rear cable continuing through the chainstay. This protects the cables from the elements and road grime, assuring optimal shifting and braking performance with lower maintenance. It also keeps this frame looking as sleek and sexy as possible!