The World’s Fastest Race Bike
Nothing is faster than the Tarmac SL8. It blends aerodynamics, featherweight design, and ride quality in a way that once seemed impossible. After eight generations and more than 20 years of development, this isn’t just the fastest Tarmac ever – it’s the fastest race bike in the world. The only question is: are your legs ready for it?
Speed Above All
Winning races isn’t just about being aero or light – it’s about speed. That perfect balance of aerodynamics, weight, stiffness, and compliance is what the Tarmac SL8 delivers.
Specialized’s Ride Science team ran real-world race simulations, and here’s what they found:
16.6 seconds faster over 40km
128 seconds faster over Milan–San Remo
20 seconds faster up the legendary Tourmalet climb
Aero in Everything
Specialized put aero where it actually matters – the leading edge. The result? Their most aerodynamic road bike ever (yep, even faster than the Venge).
Speed Sniffer nose cone: a sharper, lower-drag head tube shape.
New aero seatpost: designed to cut through turbulent air around your legs.
Doesn’t victory smell sweet?
Minimum Weight, Maximum Aero
Borrowing lessons from the ultra-light Aethos, the Tarmac SL8 hits the UCI minimum with a full aero setup.
Frame weight: just 685g – 15% lighter than the SL7.
Clever frame shaping means fewer carbon layers, more efficiency, and no compromises.
(Fun fact: Kasper Asgreen even raced a 585g Aethos frame in a Tour stage…)
Goes Like Hell, Rides Like Heaven
Performance gains don’t stop at weight. The SL8 is:
33% stiffer-to-weight vs. the SL7
Stiffer at the pedals, more precise at the bars
6% more compliant in the saddle for next-level comfort
With Rider-First Engineering, every size delivers the same legendary handling. Add in 32mm tyre clearance and you’ve got speed, comfort, and versatility all rolled into one.
Beyond Gender
Forget the outdated “men’s vs women’s” bike thing. Rider needs vary more between two blokes than between a man and a woman. The Tarmac SL8 is built for every rider, full stop.
Model Highlight: Tarmac SL8 Comp Di2
Ready to race (or just fly up your local climbs) straight out of the box:
Full Shimano 105 Di2 groupset
DT R470 tubeless-ready wheelset
SL7 stem + Specialized shallow drop alloy handlebars
All the performance. None of the faff.