S-Works SL 2018

[ProfessorChaos]

No problem. I'm always glad to help when I can.

[liam7020]

No problem. I'm always glad to help when I can.

Your friend's frame is quite large - I'm assuming he placed the battery in the seatpost and used one or more EPS extension cables? Ta

[bas]

Has anyone here got one of these as well as the Venge Vias, or swapped to the Tarmac?
I love the Vias except for the brakes, rolls so well and super stiff.
I'm thinking that with a clean cockpit, aerofly bars and -17 stem the "aero" difference won't be huge.
While i don't live in the mountains the 500g or so difference is still meaningful.

Interested on thoughts between the two. At the moment its a Tarmac or Venge disc.
Thanks!

[ProfessorChaos]

I live in Texas and I did a fairly flat 2hr ride on both bikes a week apart with similar conditions. The ViAS was 3:30 faster, HR was 5bpm less both peak and average. On the speed side the average speed increased 1.4km/h. Both bikes were S-Works level. CLX50 on the Tarmac, CLX64 on the Venge. Similar fit on both bikes, and original round bar on the Tarmac. Aerofly bars are good for like 17sec over 40km if I remember correct, so that would be good for almost 30seconds at this distance.

[TonyM]

I live in Texas and I did a fairly flat 2hr ride on both bikes a week apart with similar conditions. The ViAS was 3:30 faster, HR was 5bpm less both peak and average. On the speed side the average speed increased 1.4km/h. Both bikes were S-Works level. CLX50 on the Tarmac, CLX64 on the Venge. Similar fit on both bikes, and original round bar on the Tarmac. Aerofly bars are good for like 17sec over 40km if I remember correct, so that would be good for almost 30seconds at this distance.

Not a scientific testing but good to know - and an impressive gap in favor of the Venge/ CLX64 IMHO

[bas]

Thanks for the reply. Even considering that the deeper wheels are slightly faster that's still a big gap. I was under the impression that difference in frame only was marginal, particularly when considering weight difference. Maybe not!

[morganb]

Have you seen much about the new Venge yet? My friend who works for Specialized told me that aesthetically its a huge improvement but didn't give me much other info beyond disc only, which was expected.

[ProfessorChaos]

Yeah it wasn't a scientific test by any means. It would have been better if I had a powermeter on both bikes. The SL6 Tarmac is said to be as aero as Gen1 Venge. The ViAS is a good bit faster than it as well. The handling is very similar. Especially, if you use the same wheels on each. The difference between the CLX64, and CLX50 is huge. 50's being more comfortable, as they are not as stiff. They have a lighter feeling about them in both spinning them up, and less input needed when turning. 64 speed cannot be understated, much the same with the ViAS. Comparing the Gen1 Venge to the SL6 is a better comparison. The SL6 handles better, is more comfortable, and lighter, but speed feels similar. The ViAS is just simply fast.

On a hilly course the Tarmac would be much closer, and using the same wheels changes the game. I put the 50's on my ViAS and it totally changed that bike. It felt more comfortable, lighter, and quicker handling compared to with the 64's. The brakes on the Tarmac are superb, in comparison to the ViAS they are a huge improvement in feel, and power. That being said someone brake checked me in a car yesterday on my ViAS and I didn't hit them. They work well, they just don't have the power and modulation you get with the direct mount brakes on the Tarmac.

I don't know anything about a new Venge other than ideas that the road product team manager told me last year that they were using has guidelines in the design process. A good way to get fired is to talk about future products before launch, so I can't share info about it if I did know something.

[morganb]

An average ride here is 800-1000ft of climbing per 10 mi, would you think a Tarmac would be faster over that kind of terrain? There are very few climbs over 8 minutes except on rides that are 6 or 7 hours long but lots of short steep pitches.

[ProfessorChaos]

The SL6 Tarmac is the best all around bike we've ever made. Ideally a SL6 with Aerofly handlebars, and whatever wheelset depending on the terrain is going to be your best bet in most situations. The aerodynamic advantages of the ViAS are hard to discredit in my experience, and will be my choice in almost all instances. They are a bit more to care for though, especially the rim brake version. For that reason, I almost never ride it in the rain or any bad weather. With the terrain you have if you could only have 1 bike, I would probably give the Tarmac the nod.

[hypercycler]

Anyone feels the DM ee brakes somewhat under power with the CLX wheels? After a few short rides I'm still not impressed by the braking performance then my other rim brake bikes (campy SR w/ bora ultra, SRAM red w/ Zipp NSW).

[spartan]

i had a pair of ee brakes. good braking for 190gm brakeset but they don't come even close to dura-ace 9x brakesets. only problem shimano's add 120gm extra weight.

[ichobi]

Yeah agreed. They work alright but lacking dura ace 9100 level of stopping lower. I rode mine in traffic all the time and got breakchecked often. Not crash once.


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[mbdurham17]

I have only been on a couple of rides since installing my ee however I can tell a noticeable difference in lack of power vs the Shimano 105’s I had installed temporarily waiting on the ee. That being said the ee’s are comparable to the sram red’s I had on my sl5. When I first rode my SL6 I immediately noticed how much more braking power it had with the direct mounts now it’s back closer to the center mounts


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[ProfessorChaos]

I've not ridden the DM ee's. I have their standard ee's on my 15 Venge. They work great, but the the 9100 DM brakes are amazing, totally next level. Best rim brake I've ever tried.