Road Cycling - Specialized "Tarmac" - Article in "Business 2.0" Mag

I have scanned it and I hope it is readable...

Page 1 (http://www.litman.com/pixs/bike/biz%20article1.jpg) and page 2 (http://www.litman.com/pixs/bike/biz%20article2.jpg)

Cool article thanks.

An article written by a Fred for Freds.
The Tarmac is ok but not great. It rides ok but not great. It's light but not that light for a top-end race bike. 16.8lbs w/ full DA? Cannondale Six13 is sub-16lbs with the same setup.

Innovative use of materials? Sure, if you don't count all the bikes that have already been using carbon/alloy for the past few years (how many bikes bond carbon stays in aluminum frames?) or the Lemond Tete de Course (half carbon/half titanium), or the Merlin Cielo (carbon tubes/cnc'd ti lugs) or the Titus Exogrid (lasercut ti/carbon in one tube!) or LOOK (alloy lugs/carbon tubes), etc, etc. On top of the fact that individual lugs allow custom fitting which system do you think is better?

Specialized is good at trendy marketing and they make flashy stuff. The Tarmac is cool, but it ain't THAT cool. If it rode like a Merak or Vortex, or even a Six13 I would be impressed but it's typical Specialized: Trendy and overpriced.

The Specialized that most impressed me is the Roubaix. I'll take that over the Tarmac.

Funny,

I'm obviously a bigger fan of Specialized (I bought the Epic Disk & a Roubaix Pro over the last year), but the Tarmac has left me scratching my head also. I saw one at an expo recently & talked to the rep a bit & was left wondering where the Tarmac really excels (except for its limited availability). I originally thought it was niched as a climber's bike, but I guess its more a crit bike, although much too expensive for me to bang around a course!

An article written by a Fred for Freds.
The Tarmac is ok but not great. It rides ok but not great. It's light but not that light for a top-end race bike. 16.8lbs w/ full DA? Cannondale Six13 is sub-16lbs with the same setup.

Innovative use of materials? Sure, if you don't count all the bikes that have already been using carbon/alloy for the past few years (how many bikes bond carbon stays in aluminum frames?) or the Lemond Tete de Course (half carbon/half titanium), or the Merlin Cielo (carbon tubes/cnc'd ti lugs) or the Titus Exogrid (lasercut ti/carbon in one tube!) or LOOK (alloy lugs/carbon tubes), etc, etc. On top of the fact that individual lugs allow custom fitting which system do you think is better?

Specialized is good at trendy marketing and they make flashy stuff. The Tarmac is cool, but it ain't THAT cool. If it rode like a Merak or Vortex, or even a Six13 I would be impressed but it's typical Specialized: Trendy and overpriced.


Funny you should mention that - I would consider the Six13 trendy and overpriced too - sub16lb at the price with Cannondale's unique cranks and components? Buy a Giant TCR composite and throw on your regular DA and you'll have a lighter bike at the lower cost and without the alum lugs (which'll fatigue before the carbon tubes will).

Might be just me - but I find the Tarmac's design far more innovative than Six13's hacked up alum frame replaced with composite tubing approach.

Funny you should mention that - I would consider the Six13 trendy and overpriced too - sub16lb at the price with Cannondale's unique cranks and components? Buy a Giant TCR composite and throw on your regular DA and you'll have a lighter bike at the lower cost and without the alum lugs (which'll fatigue before the carbon tubes will).

Might be just me - but I find the Tarmac's design far more innovative than Six13's hacked up alum frame replaced with composite tubing approach.

Yeah, buy a 4-size TCR which doesn't ride even as good as a Tarmac. Cannondale offers what, 12 sizes? TCR has a crappy fork and the Six13 has a true full carbon Time/Cdale designed fork that is really nice. Cannondale has ALWAYS offered Si bottom bracket OR standard bb so you can use Shimano or Campy.

You consider the six13 trendy and overpriced too? So you agree the Tarmac is trendy and overpriced. The fact remains the Tarmac is nearly a pound heavier and rides worse.

As for frame failure, how do you know the Six13 will fail before the TCR? You don't know that besides the fact it's not even an issue with either bike.

From planetcycle.com (http://www.planetcycle.com/613/ExclusiveRide.html)

This is the actual real world weight - on our scale - of the SIX 13 with Campagnolo Record Group in a 55cm. This bike is exactly stock with these exceptions: Speedplay X-3 Pedals; an Elite Stainless Steel Water bottle Cage.

In case you can not read it, that reads 15lbs 14oz (15.8lbs). The scale actually jumping between the 13 ounce and 14 ounce as it hung.

http://www.planetcycle.com/613/images/Six13Scale.jpg

From cyclingnews.com (http://www.cyclingnews.com/shows.php?id=photos/2003/tech/shows/eurobike/maloney/SBCscale)

Specialized's cool new Tarmac Road bike weighs in a 6.86kg (15.12lbs) for the 54cm complete bike

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2003/tech/shows/eurobike/maloney/SBCscale.jpg

The Six 13 Record is $5500.00 which Planetcycle.com claims is 13% lighter than the Dura Ace model.

The Six 13 Dura Ace is $4200.00

The Tarmac Dura Ace is $4500.00

Hmmm...

4500 for the Tarmac. There is one born every minute.

Another vote for the TCR Composite. I rode the Six13 last weekend and it was just OK and that was he full Record equipped bike. I did like the FSA Kwing handlebars on it though.

BTW the TCR does have a full carbon fork and I can't figure out why you feel it is 'crappy'.

Another vote for the TCR Composite. I rode the Six13 last weekend and it was just OK and that was he full Record equipped bike. I did like the FSA Kwing handlebars on it though.

BTW the TCR does have a full carbon fork and I can't figure out why you feel it is 'crappy'.

The guy is probably trying to compare the TCR 2 (at 2grand - full Ultegra with TdF level cf frame and carbon fork with alloy steerer) with the 4000+ Six13.

Cannondale is just following the crowd with their Six13 - their CAAD7 makes sense, the Six13 seems like Cannondale trying to make something with carbon tubing just so they can say "we have carbon too" to the people who fall for marketing...

Six16 = alum lugged cf tubing (makes carbon's superior fatigue resistance meaningless because the alloy lugs will be the point of failure). Not particularly light, esp for the price too - add that with Cannondale's crappy customer service...