Specialized completed the Tarmac SL9 range this week. The S-Works version launched at the end of June with two builds and a €13,999 price, which put it out of reach for almost everybody who watched it win races. Three new models now sit under it, and the entry point is €4,499.
The important part is what the cheaper bikes keep. Tube shapes, geometry and every aerodynamic feature are the same as the S-Works. What changes is the carbon and the parts hanging off it. If you followed the run up to this bike, our earlier piece on the SL9 leaks and spy shots covers where it came from.
The full range
- S-Works Tarmac SL9, €13,999. FACT 12r frame and fork, 687 g frame in size 56. SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Roval Rapide CLX III wheels, S-Works Power saddle with Mirror. Claimed complete weight 6.5 kg.
- S-Level Tarmac SL9, €10,499. New tier. FACT 10r frame with the FACT 12r fork, Red AXS or Dura-Ace Di2 with a dual sided power meter, Roval Rapide CL III wheels, Power Pro saddle with Mirror. Claimed complete weight 7.13 kg.
- Expert Tarmac SL9, €6,999. FACT 10r frame and fork, SRAM Force AXS or Shimano Ultegra Di2, Roval C38 carbon wheels, Roval Rapide stem with alloy bars. Claimed complete weight 7.55 kg.
- Comp Tarmac SL9, €4,499. FACT 10r frame and fork, SRAM Rival AXS or Shimano 105 Di2, DT Swiss R470 alloy wheels, no power meter. Claimed complete weight 8.14 kg with SRAM, 8.21 kg with Shimano.
Every build is electronic. There is no mechanical option anywhere in the range, which is worth noting if you specifically wanted a cable actuated race bike; our comparison of Di2, AXS and Campagnolo wireless covers where each of these tiers sits.
FACT 10r and FACT 12r: what the 135 g buys
The two carbon grades share identical geometry, identical tube shaping and identical aero design. The difference is fibre choice. FACT 12r uses more high modulus carbon to save weight, FACT 10r leans on intermediate modulus fibres. The result in size 56 is 687 g against 822 g, a gap of about 135 g at frame level.
Put that in context. 135 g is roughly one full bottle cage plus a multi tool. It is real, and it is also the smallest of the differences between an S-Works and a Comp: those two complete bikes weigh 6.5 kg and 8.14 kg, a gap of 1.64 kg. The wheels, groupset and finishing kit account for around 1.5 kg of that. The frame is not where the weight goes.
That is the argument for the S-Level in particular. It is an S-Works parts package on the 10r frame, and it lands 630 g heavier than the S-Works for €3,500 less.
The aero claims, and how to read them
Specialized built the SL9 launch around a single idea: that time to finish is the only metric that matters, rather than drag or weight in isolation. The published numbers behind it:
Versus the Tarmac SL8: 4 watts faster at 45 km/h, which Specialized converts to 28 seconds over 100 km
Weighted CdA: 0.2227 m²
Speed Sniffer head tube: 4 mm narrower than the SL8, a claimed 10 percent reduction in frontal area, made possible by a patent pending offset steerer that allows single sided brake hose routing
Win Fin rear triangle: an extended seat tube section closer to the rear wheel, worth a claimed 0.5 watts at 45 km/h
In its own simulation of a 100 km Grand Tour stage, Specialized puts the S-Works SL9 ahead of the Colnago Y1Rs by 34 seconds, the Cervélo S5 by 18 seconds and the Factor One by 63 seconds. The S5 is the interesting entry: Specialized credits it with a slightly better CdA at 0.2215, and still finishes ahead on the strength of a lighter bike.
Two caveats before you treat any of that as settled. These are the manufacturer's own simulations, run on the manufacturer's own course profile and rider model, and every brand that publishes this kind of comparison chooses conditions that suit its product. Nothing here is independently verified. Second, and more usefully, the aero features are shared across all four models, so the drag figures apply to a Comp as much as to an S-Works. The gap between the bikes is weight and components, not aerodynamics.
Specialized is marketing the S-Level as "the second fastest bike ever made", on the basis that the S-Works is the fastest. Read it as a positioning statement about their own range rather than a measured ranking of every bike on sale.
Practical specification
Sizes: seven, 44 to 61
Tyre clearance: 32 mm measured, with 4 mm of spare
Stock tyres: 700x30c, which typically measure around 29 mm on these rims
Bottom bracket: BSA 68 mm threaded
Stack adjustment: 35 mm via removable spacers
Geometry: essentially unchanged from the SL8, apart from a small adjustment on the 54 to improve toe clearance
A threaded bottom bracket on a 2026 flagship is good news for anyone planning to own the bike for years. The 32 mm clearance is adequate rather than generous by current standards, and 30c stock tyres are the right call; if you are deciding what to fit, our guide to road tyre sizing covers the trade offs.
One inconsistency worth knowing
Reported prices outside the euro differ between outlets. The S-Level has been listed at both £8,749 and £8,799, and the Comp appears at $4,500 in some reports and $4,200 for the Shimano build in others. The euro figures above were consistent across sources. If you are buying in pounds or dollars, confirm the number with the retailer rather than with a launch article.
What this means if you are buying used
A range expansion moves the used market more than a flagship launch does. When the S-Works SL9 appeared in June it was a halo product at a price that changed nothing for most buyers. A €4,499 Comp and a €6,999 Expert are different: they compete directly with what a good used Tarmac SL8 costs today, and that pressure tends to show up in asking prices over the following months.
Two consequences to think about.
If you are selling an SL8, the window where it holds its current value is narrowing. If you are buying, the SL8 becomes better value precisely because a new bike now sits alongside it, and the SL8 is a bike that won plenty on merit. It remains the frame that Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe and Soudal Quick-Step raced through 2026, as we noted in our guide to the Worlds bikes. The same logic applies a generation further back to the SL7, and to the Aethos if what you actually want is the light bike rather than the fast one.
Which model suits whom
Comp is the one that changes the conversation. You get the current race frame, the current aerodynamics and full electronic shifting for €4,499, and the alloy wheels are the obvious first upgrade rather than a deal breaker.
Expert is the balanced buy: carbon wheels, second tier electronic shifting, 7.55 kg. For most riders this is where the range stops making sense to spend past.
S-Level is for the rider who wants the top parts package and can live with 630 g. S-Works is for the rider who wants the lightest frame Specialized makes and is not weighing it against value.
Every bike we list is condition verified by our mechanics, ships worldwide with a one year Bikeroom warranty, and is covered by Bikeroom Rider Protection. Browse the Specialized selection, the Team bikes that come to us direct from World Tour squads, or the wider road bike range.
Not sure whether to buy the new bike or the previous generation? We are happy to help. Talk to our concierge.
Sources: BikeRadar, Specialized makes the Tarmac SL9 more affordable with three new models; road.cc, Specialized expands the Tarmac SL9 range; Escape Collective, Specialized reveals rest of Tarmac SL9 line; Cycling Weekly, Tarmac SL9 S-Level; BikeRadar, S-Works Tarmac SL9 launch.
