lennyparis

Went for bike fit today and Venge is best geometry for my body with Tarmac a close second
Any thoughts on the 2 bikes?
Have not test ridden either yet as still snow on the ground here

Not sure I like the aero look of Venge

Both bikes have mid compact (have always ridden standard cranks) and 11-28 cassette (have usually ridden this cassette but want to switch to 12-25) so not sure components work for me

Dunbar

I thought the geometry on both bikes was identical. Some people think the Venge rides too stiff (lacks vertical compliance) and also doesn't climb as well as the Tarmac. I think all aero bikes are supposed to be lacking in the climbing department, not just the Venge.

lennyparis

Just noticed not all components are ultegra
Chain and cassette are lesser levels tiagra and 105

Dean V

Why wouldn't an aero bike climb as well? Is there some data on this?

Specialized2k10

The aero post on the venge compared to the tarmacs 27.2 seat post makes it a stiffer ride than the Tarmac.

eippo1

The Tarmac is designed for stage race type rides while the Venge is designed to be über stuff and aero for winning crits and sprints -- not for long days. This is from Speciaized horses' mouth

ThinLine

Component ways, I don't know why Specialized does this; lesser quality from a group like chain and cassette. Trek does it to.
It is usually also done with brakes within a group. These bikes are $3k+ and they nickel and dime us to save a few dollars, just give us the Ultegra FULL group..........heck, even BD will fully compliment a said group, most of the time.

Anyway, just a pet peeve, I would go with the Tarmac, more of a refined all arounder although a bit race oriented than the Roubaix.

aztimm

I tested a Tarmac and a Roubaix last year and went with a Tarmac. I haven't been disappointed, since last April I've put over 6,000 miles on the bike.

As I say for anyone considering 2 different bikes... test ride them both! Do a long ride with each, see how you feel after. How does each do with climbing, descending, speeds on flat terrain, etc.

BTW, I splurged and got the Tarmac SL3, w/Ultegra

lennyparis

Will test ride both to compare (probably also the new Madone)
Would it make sense to buy just the frame and build it the way I want rather than having a cassette, chain, handlebars and probably saddle and maybe even wheels that do me no good? Or is that not cost effective? Don't mind spending a bit more instead of getting stuck with components I don't need

neneboricua

I'd rather have the full group as well but they're trying to hit a particular price point. Chains and cassettes are easy places to save some money because they're components that wear out the fastest. So might not make a ton of sense to put top-shelf components on a bike (and thus increase that initial price point) that will need to get replaced in a year or so anyway. If you ride enough, you'll replace your chain at least a couple of times a year and your cassette maybe every 2 years, you can replace it with higher-end components.

dnuzzomueller

Hell when it comes to chains and cassetees I vote that everything comes with the dirt cheap versions. The more you ride, the more your wallet will appreciate it when you figure out that the "consumable" 300$ cassette and 90$ chain are best kept for that big event and that you might as well ride that 90$ cassette and 40$ chain as your daily drivetrain.

Oh yeah, and I have the Venge, very nice bike IMO, if only for the looks (Personally I think that aero bikes are dead sexy). I can definitely say it is a bit more "Lively" over the really rough stuff (And I am talking like Roubaix style crap roads), but honestly, between it and my cross bike, there is not that much of a difference. I would say: If you prefer the look of the Tarmac go with that, that bike has gone through far more iterations then the Venge and I have heard nothing but praise about that thing. For alot of people (Including me), the draw of the Venge is the aero-ness and the looks, if that doesnt mean much to you then go with the Tarmac.