For the past few months I’ve been in the market for a new road bike. Don’t get me wrong, my current 2006 Trek Madone has taken good care of me for the past two years, but as I’ve developed my road riding style, I’ve come to wish for a different ride and feel.
 
Two bikes that caught my attention for 2008 are the Pinerello Prince Carbon and the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL2. I’m sure that both are highly capable machines, but paying a few thousand more for the Prince gives me serious reservations. But damn that thing is sexy. I’ve been reading a lot of press and listening to first-hand experiences of the SL2 tests and I think I’ve found my next bike.
 
Specialized talks a lot about vertical compliance and when I test rode a 2007 Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL I realized that my Madone doesn’t have any of it. My Madone is a stiff bike and I can feel every road imperfection. In contrast, the Roubaix SL did a good job in absorbing the same stuff.
 
On my Madone, when I get out of the saddle for a hard sprint my rear tire can hop at least two inches side-to-side. On the Roubaix, the rear tire stays planted to the ground. It looks like the geometry is a bit more dialed in. And the funny thing is that the Roubaix didn’t feel any less stiff during those sprints. I’ve read and heard the that the Tarmac SL is stiffer that the Roubaix, but still has vertical compliance that’s better than the rest of the competition.
 
I’m finding that I love sprinting and climbing. I think that the new 2008 SL2 will be the perfect machine to help me become more proficient in those disciplines. I just read the following article in the November 2008 issue of Bicycling and I’m sold. (I’ll be swapping the Roval wheels for the new Mavic R-Sys clinchers).
 
Go ahead and read this article from Bicycling:

 

I’ll be blunt–this is one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden. In every circumstance, on all kinds of roads, it behaved exactly as I desired–like a perfect, high-performance extension of my body that was at the same time reasonably forgiving.

 
A few highlights: the SL2’s frame is extensively shaped, with tube diameters and wall dimensions that change radically throughout. the top tube is curved, like a leaf spring, to be more vertically compliant, and also wide, to resist twisting forces. The mind-blowing steering is precise, instant, never twitchy. To achieve this, the SL2 has a tapered steerer tube with a 1 1/8-inch bearing at the top and a larger, 1 1/2-inch bearing nested inside the steerer tube, aligned with the junction of the down tube. This shifts fork loads directly to the frame. The one-piece bar-and-stem combo, called Barmac, helps as well, and together, these elements make the SL2 feel as if it were forged as a single piece.
 
The SL2 has a huge down tube and bottom-bracket area, and an integrated BB design with bearings that reside in the frame that allow exceptional power transmission, but the ride isn’t close to harsh. The Body Geometry saddle and Zertz inserts in the seatpost mute some sting, and the aforementioned tube shaping allows Specialized to build in more vertical compliance. One fly in this otherwise tasty dish: The SL2 S-Works comes with house-brand Roval Rapide SL Carbon clinchers. We found these somewhat flinty, and for comparison mounted a set of Fulcrum’s Racing Light Carbon clinchers, which yielded a more compliant ride. Last word: This bike will be even lighter than listed–our test rig had SRAM’s Force, but when the SL2 goes on sale it will sport the new, lighter Red group, which we review on page 97.
 
–Michael Frank
 
HITS: Superb steering and power transmission
MISS: House-brand Roval wheels need refining
PRICE: $8500
WEIGHT: 14.45 lb. (54cm)
SIZES: 49, 52, 54 (tested), 56, 58, 61cm
COMPONENT HIGHLIGHTS: SRAM Red shifters, brakes and derailleurs; Specialized S-Works FACT carbon crank (53/39), Barmac integrated stem and bar, Body Geometry Toupe Team saddle
INFO: specialized.com