Originally Posted by
msu2001la
Somewhere else on the internet, someone is complaining that their new $$,$$$ bike came with a heavy/cheap saddle that is garbage and they immediately had to go spend $$$ to buy something decent.
On a more serious note - Specialized likely sees a marketing opportunity by including their top-flight S-Works saddle on their flagship S-Works bike. Seems like it would be tough to sell this saddle as a stand-alone item if they acknowledge that it isn't good enough for their own bike.
It's hard to see what benefit there would be for Specialized to sell a more base-level version of the S-Works Tarmac. They already sell the frameset if you want a custom build.
Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why they do it. But it's not ideal for the buyer unless that specific saddle happens to be exactly the one they want. Other components (excluding pedals) are much less personal. There isn't anything else on an S-Works build that I would be looking to swap, but the saddle would be 50/50 at best. I've swapped out the saddle immediately on the last 2 bikes I've bought. Haven't swapped out any other components on either bike. I don't think I'm unusual. Most experienced cyclists will have their preferred saddle choice, just as they do with pedals.