I have a 2010 CR1 Pro and love it.

It rides great, has a great BB, and spins up well. All of those things mentioned could probably also be said of the Tarmac Expert. The Scott does a couple things better than the competition:

- As a complete bike it tends to be spec'ed better (better wheels over similarly priced models out)
- Lighter (if not the lightest) bike than almost any other bike in the same price range
- Stiff BB, compliant rear end. Perfect combo IMHO. In terms of compliancy along the range of bikes I testrode: Compliant --> Stiff (Cannondale SystemSix, Trek Madone 4.5, Scott CR1, Specialized Tarmac)

Negatives:
- Paint smoothness.... not that great. I assume, part of their NET process that omits the top-layer cosmetic layer, also serves to smooth out irregularities. The outer-most surface of the Scott frames has some very subtle "wave" to it. Its not bad, I can take pics, but if you want butter-smooth paint and joints, the Scott is not your winner here. It makes up for this in lightness and I will take that any day.
- Warranty - Specialized has a lifetime warranty and a wide network. Scott is smaller and offers only a 5 year warranty.