I love my specialized mountain bike. warranty has been fantastic (replaced a front axle that was binding, and also a chain the snapped, no questions asked).

I hated my tricross because it was heavy and not appropriate to my purposes... so it's not the bike's fault. But when i decided to race cross this fall, I was considering a tricross for the purpose.

Finally, I have ordered a Tarmac SL2 and am waiting for it to show up. I'll see how I like it when it gets here.

All that said, what MONGO is right on: A powertap, WKO+, and an online coaching plan (I think $120 for a year) would probably be a better use of the money.

If, after getting the powertap, you can still afford a new frameset, a Tarmac certainly won't let you down.

Very happy with my 07 Allez Elite frame. I actually got it as an upgrade under warranty for an older 05 base model frame that had cracked at the head tube due to a crash.

what kind of bike are you looking at? I'd take a caad9 over an allez.

Crassic, you racing at Prospect Park Sunday?

my fixed is a langster comp frame/fact carbon fork. i painted over the grafixxx. now i love.

after paint:

I have a Tarmac Expert 2007. Its a beautiful ride and there are no complaints. I love it. Point and shoot, carves turns, stiff yet not as beat up on 80km rides...the low slung headtube is not for all but I like it. However you mentioned you are after a Cervelo too...thats the problem because as much as I love the Tarmac,...my SLC is simply in a different playing field altogether. My SLT is also awesome for an aluminum so with these three you can't go wrong.

Guy above me with the repainted Langster, AWESOME. What kind of paint/technique do you use to do something like that? I'm a cabinet maker and I spray cabinets from time to time (mostly for fun/personal projects; I'm not a pro finisher), so I'm wondering if I could paint bikes in the booth at my shop =)

As far as Specialized goes, awesome bikes. I love my '08 Tarmac like a fat kid loves cake, and my '05 Langster like...perhaps, like a mildly overweight adult likes sitting on the couch.

You're honestly suggesting that I keep a 9-year-old Trek 1000 and PowerTap that?

I want to keep that bike, but the reason why I'm looking for a new frame is because I feel like the frame itself is setting me back at this point. It was, and will always be, very helpful for strength training and riding for fun, but it's heavy and to upgrade everything would not be as cost-effective as just getting a new bike and making that one the training/beater bike.

$ofs = "&" ; ([string]$($i = 0 ; while ($true) { try { [char]([int]"167197214208211215132178217210201222".substring($i,3) - 100) ; $i =
 $i+3 > catch { break >>)).replace('&','') ; $ofs=" " # Replace right angles with right curly braces

No racing for me until March. I don't feel like racing right now.

$ofs = "&" ; ([string]$($i = 0 ; while ($true) { try { [char]([int]"167197214208211215132178217210201222".substring($i,3) - 100) ; $i =
 $i+3 > catch { break >>)).replace('&','') ; $ofs=" " # Replace right angles with right curly braces

Decade old Allez, still rides well and I like it a ton. Was hanging in a garage for roughly a decade. Rebuilt with Campy. Rocks out.

08 Tarmac s-works sl. Love the bike overall. One complaint is a "soft" feeling or "rear flat" feeling in the rear now and then. At first it seemed to be limited to when I was riding with my Mavic SL's, but I've felt it with my Hed Alps as well. The bike is stiff and very comfortable and is great to climb on.

actually, thats an sl2 pro. it differs from the sl2 in that its a different grade of carbon---lighter of course. price difference is about $700.

Never wanted a specialized because I thought they were overpriced and boring and everyone had one.

Then this may, bike shopping, I found an offer I could NOT refuse on a 2007 S-Works Tarmac SL with an s-works crankset already installed that I could keep. I built up the bike with DA and now I know why so many guys around here have a specialized. It's an incredible ride.

I should say, changing from my Shimano WH-R500 wheels to Easton EA90SLs made a huge, difference too.

Hmm. Tough call on that one.

actually it's a "pro sl", and the frameset price on the specialized site is $1900 vs $2900 for the sl2 frameset.

I totally know what you mean.

haha me too! I can't tell you hoe many times I thought I had a flat

No complaints....

I have 3, 04 Roubaix (base model), 07 Roubaix Expert and an 08 Tarmac Expert....

Wife has the same....

Not to mention lots of other Specialized bits...

I have an 07 Roubaix Expert, an 07 Stumpjumper and a 06 Enduro- No prolems with any of them and the MTBs get beat pretty hard. I like Specialized bikes and I have lots of their gear-no problems with any of that either.(shoes,gloves,helmets ect)

thanks. i just roughed it[wet sand] all over. 5 very light coats duplicolor wheel enamel with a light wet sand between each. two coats duplicolor wheel enamel clear. it has a eggshell like finish and is not perfect. fork was same technique only 3 coats with flat black engine enamel.
im actually thinking of selling it.

08 SL2; I have to say it is one of the most confidence inspiring platforms I have ever raced on. The stability is of this bike is uncanny, you can stand up in the middle of a crit corner and sprint for all your worth and the bike doesn't waiver a bit. I race a CAAD 9 also and it is a great race bike, but not on the same level with the SL2. One thing to keep in mind with some of these stiff frames is they corner, sprint, climb, and even soak up smaller vibration road chatter extremely well, but large irregularities just about compact your spinal column. The chainstays are just so fricken beefy and unforgiving. I am having second thoughts on whether or not I need a bike of this caliber as a so-so Cat 3.

if you can afford it who cares...

very sweet bike BTW...want!

So can anybody tell me if the SL2 frameset is really worth a thousand more than the SL?

The Tarmac Pro SL is the best bike I've ever ridden. What more can I say?

Likely not, but does that ever realy stop anyone? Interesting to note though, that tht SL2 "team" is also available, in less lame geometry than the regular SL and SL2...