Specialized Tarmac Mid Compact 2013 - my new bike

[mzz]

Specialized Tarmac Mid Compact 2013 (Tarmac M2) - red color - with Shimano Sora STi shifters
Size 56

Wheels DT Axis 1.0:
Front: 1345g
Rear: 1655g
Total with tires: 3000g
Tires are ESPOIR Sport 700x23C - weight: 330g / each
Inner tube: 90g / each
Skewers: 95g / each
Total wheel set weight: 830 + 1140 = 1970g
Official weight is 1950g (source)

Wheels FSA RD88 (I changed to these after crashing Axis 1.0 on pothole):
Front: 1300g - 70g lightweight tube - 95g skewer - 330g tire = 835g
Rear: 1570g => 1075g
Wheelset approx: 1910g


---- WEIGHT SUMMARY: 9,4 Kg or 9,2 Kg.. not sure exactly, I changed the wheels and it dropped to 9,2 Kg ----

Wheels: 1970g ... (Zipp 303 tubular, 1152g without skewers - would save 800g)
Skewers: 190g / pair ... Aest Titanium QR01 are 40g (35 USD, 700 CZK for 150g less) or J&L Ti/Titanium QR Skewers (27 USD)
Tires: Espoir Sport 660g / pair!!! ... Ultremo ZLX 200g + ZX 160g = 360g (saves 300g)
Inner tubes: 140g / pair (original once had 180g)
Casette: CS-HG50 9 speed, 12-27 = 260g
Pedals: Shimano SPD PD-M520 pedals = 380g ... Shimano A600 SPD are 290g (1500 CZK for 100g less)
Seat: Body Geometry Riva 143mm = 365g!!! (official says 275g, but this one has GEL padding and is not available to buy)
Seat Post: Specialized Carbon 350mm = 240g (cutting would save like 20g)... eXotic Seat Post has 160g (1500 CZK for 80g less)
Chain: KMC X9 = 260g

=> 4655g to go...

Frame & fork: Tarmac SL2 size 56 = ? - guess 1600g
Handlebars: Specialized Comp Alloy = ? - guess 300g (carbon ones would save just 100g)
Stem: Specialized 10 cm = ? - guess 200g (carbon one would save 50g)
Shifters: Sora = ? - guess 500g / pair (105 shifters are 492g)
Brakes: DT Axis = ? - guess 400g / pair ... Planet X Brakes have 205g (price 90 GBP, 2700 CZK for 200g less)
Crankset: FSA Gossamer BB30 (52/36, 172.5mm) = ? - guess 1000g (SRAM RED is 670g, so that would save like 300g)
Front Derailleur: Sora = ? - guess 100g
Rear Derailleur: Sora = ? - guess 250g
Cables, handlebar tape etc: ? - guess the rest, 390g


CUTTING IT DOWN (estimates):
So, upgrading seat (-200), brakes (-200), pedals (-100), skewers (-150) => 8550g
COST: 6.500 CZK = $350 for 650g
Next would be wheels (-800) and tires (-300) => 7450g
COST: 35.000 CZK = $1800 for 1100g
Crankset (-350), derailleurs (-150), seat post (-80) => 6850g
COST: 15.000 CZK = $750 for 600g
Handlebar (-100), stem (-50), cassete Recon (-150) => 6550g
COST: 7.000 CZK = $350 for 300g
Shifters Dura Ace (-120)
COST: 10.000 CZK = $500 for 120g (what a deal) => 6430g ... and that'd be the limit.


MORE INFO:
- YouTube video


Here are some photos:

[teufelhunden222]

she is really 20.7 lbs?

[mzz]

she is really 20.7 lbs?

Correct.
I was expecting less, I don't understand why it weighs so much...

[veganeric]

Weight reduction:
1) Probably first thing to change are tires - each 210g (supersonics with tube)
2) Wheels - 1550g
= 1970g... would save 1090g, making the bike total: 8,4 Kg

I'd like to hear more about this 880g wheelset with tires.

[thisisbenji]

Damn that thing is heavy, I always thought my Crux was heavy. Your close to the weight of my commuter. The good news is you only have one way to go from here. I can't believe they put Sora on a Tarmac, I'd expect at least Apex.

Anyways I'd start with the wheels if I was you. I'v been on a $250 pair of Neuvation R28SLs for the last three years that weigh in at about 1500g for the set. I wouldn't get the lightest weight tire you can find unless you plan on racing a lot or like to change flats. Gatorskins are good choices.

Weight reduction:
1) Probably first thing to change are tires - each 210g (supersonics with tube)
2) Wheels - 1550g
= 1970g... would save 1090g, making the bike total: 8,4 Kg

I'd like to hear more about this 880g wheelset with tires.

Where are you getting 880g from? He says 1550g in your quote.

[Bianchi10]

what else???

EVERYTHING else! Lol thas a heavy girl

[veganeric]

I measured total weight 9,4

Weight reduction:
1) Probably first thing to change are tires - each 210g (supersonics with tube)
2) Wheels - 1550g
= 1970g... would save 1090g, making the bike total: 8,4 Kg

Where are you getting 880g from? He says 1550g in your quote.

9.4kg-1090g does equal roughly 8.4kg (closer to 8.3 actually), as he said. To save those 1090g from his 1970g wheels+tires, his new wheels+tires must weigh 880g. I'm sure it was an innocent mistake. I was just poking a little fun, hence the .

[thisisbenji]

Right... but his current wheel set + tires/tubes is around 3000g, so if he went to 1500g wheels and 200g tires with light tubes, that would be the 1000g savings.

[mzz]

Damn that thing is heavy, I always thought my Crux was heavy. Your close to the weight of my commuter. The good news is you only have one way to go from here. I can't believe they put Sora on a Tarmac, I'd expect at least Apex.

Well, I could go for 105, but decided to save $500...
I am glad there's no SRAM, because I tested SRAM RED on SL4 and was suprised how bad it actually felt (for me personally)... keep missing shifts (wanted to go up, it went down...), slow up shifting etc... I'd go Sora anyday.

Anyways I'd start with the wheels if I was you. I'v been on a $250 pair of Neuvation R28SLs for the last three years that weigh in at about 1500g for the set. I wouldn't get the lightest weight tire you can find unless you plan on racing a lot or like to change flats. Gatorskins are good choices.

I just broke the original wheels on a pothole and bought similar wheels (FSA RD88)... shame, I know, eventually I just didn't feel like spending more money

Good point, I'd probably go Ultremo ZLX (not ZX) and see how that works.

[Dallez]

I saw your bike (model) at my LBS last week when I was getting my steerer tube cut. I know it's heavy but it's probably a fair value given the price I saw, 1650 which gives a good carbon frame (sl2) to upgrade over time.

I went through a similar exercise with 2010 Allez. About the same starting weight.

Your assumptions are correct and basically that is where I would start.

SRAM Red cranksets are on closeout all over the web. You can get one for less than $200 right now. That might save you 200g but we don't know your current crank weight. Don't worry about mixing a SRAM crank with Shimano, it works fine. I have 105 with a Red Crank.

Next is cockpit...handlebars, seatpost, and stem. I spent $250 and got a zipp sl stem, zipp carbon bars and a deda superhero seatpost. You just have look around the web. Saved me about 250g.

I got a Specialized Romin saddle and saved well over 100g.

I got Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Wheels and even though they are heavy by WW standards, I still shed nearly a pound between the wheels and new tires and tubes.

My bike sits in the high 17s at the moment. By the time I switch to an all SRAM drivetrain and new pedals, I will be in the high 16s.

Wheels and tires are your biggest bang for the $. I made a spreadsheet of all my expenses and weight savings and it really does equal about: 1g saved for $1 spent.

[mzz]

Thanks for commenting.

[veganeric]

Right... but his current wheel set + tires/tubes is around 3000g, so if he went to 1500g wheels and 200g tires with light tubes, that would be the 1000g savings.

Doh! You are correct. I thought he was saying his current wheels are 1970g and he was going to drop 1090g from them.

[mzz]

she is really 20.7 lbs?

Guys, I am sorry for incorrect information... It's not 9.4 Kg, but 9.2 Kg (20.3 lbs)

I don't know where I made mistake, but I measured again several times now to be 100% sure.

[mzz]

SPECIALIZED SEATS / SADDLES TESTING
Specialized measured my sitbones at 12 cm. I ride in jeans!


Riva Road 143mm - heavy at approx. 350g, but very comfortable, very similar shape to Toupe, but there's so much padding and flex... the negative side though, it has sharp edges which are destroying my pants when I paddle

Toupe 143mm - nice looking, but very hard especially at nose... after 10km my butt was in pain, not sitbones and not the sensitive area, but something between, which is a good thing I guess - might need to do more testing.

Fizik Arione - very long and weird looking seat... I loved the free movement of my thighs, but the seat was narrow (approx. 130mm) and I constantly felt the pressure in the middle, where are all the sensitive nerves.

Romin Pro 155mm - (I was told this is correct size for me, as Romin are sized up)
This seat was perfect at first... it had no padding, but the moment I sat on it I was enthralled...
The wide nose was very comfortable in agressive positions.
I thought I have found my saddle, better than Riva Road, although Romin has basically no padding and carbon rails.
Unfortunately, after just 10 minutes my sitbones hurt extensively.
I tryed to get to drops and pedal harder, which eased the pain, but just slightly.
At home, I couldn't sit on a chair!

Romin Evo 155mm (weight 237g instead official 212g - source)
This one is noticeably narrower nose, so it isn't as comfy in drops as Romin was, but we're talking minimal difference.
It has more padding, but in reality the difference is not that visible as on picture... they look pretty much the same.

It doesn't hurt sitbones like Romin Pro, but it puts lots of pressure on same spots and kind of spreads it all over, so you are not that uncomfortable, but you feel it when off the bike... like if I stab you with a pen or I put something heavy on your hand and rest it there for a day... both things are bad.
I'd say the pressure on the sitbones is 70% lower than with Romin Pro.

I kept this seat, but after 1 month of everyday riding I started to have this neural pain in my butt, whether I was sitting or just lying on the bed... it was like rays of pain going through a nerve in my butt in specific intervals , took few days to disappear.

It wasn't at my sitbones, but like at the bottom of a butt... so I noticed that while pedalling I actually don't like how wide that seat is, and remembered Arione, which offered that free movement of thighs.

I switched back to Riva Road and just couldn't believe how comfortable that seat actually is.

Phenom 143mm - this narrower version actually felt better to me, seems not that rounded as Romin, so I had no issues with thighs movement... however it put the exact pressure on sitbones as Romin did.
The padding is somewhere between Romin and Evo, so not very padded.


Fizik Antares Versus - nice quality and finish, but other than that nothing special... the seat is totally flat... I was actually surprised how hard this seat is!
Something like Romin I guess... I was expecting comfortable (padded) seat, but NOT REALLY.
It didn't look special on the bike either and for the weight I think it's ridiculously expensive.
I rode in jeans and it was bearable... most of the pressure was in the middle part of the seat, NOT sitbones and NOT sensitive middle parts, but like outside of these parts.
I've done a ride with padded pants also and it was much better.
It still offered free movement of thighs like Arione, but I could feel my sitbones, so it fitted me much better.
This seat is pretty much same as Toupé or Riva Road, but slightly narrower (just few mm, but I felt the difference).

After going back to Riva Road I felt it's 100% same but 200% more comfortable.
Seat returned and journey continues.

[mzz]

I did Selle Italia ID Match and they measured my pelvis, thighs, flexibility, and it came I am S3 group, which means very narrow seats.

It's funny because in Specialized Body Geometry they measured just my sitbones and said I need widest seat

Well, I think I eventually found THE seat!

Selle Italia Superflow 130 - 189g - it's well padded (slightly better than Toupe and Antares Versus I tested) - enough padded for me to ride in shorts without padding... not so padded as Riva Road obviously, but I am fine so far.
The shape is similar to Arione, but it seems wider, because Arione felt like it was right in sensitive area.
The weight is between middle to sitbones, depends on angle... horizontally or more upward, makes difference!
It is also very smooth.
Lovin it.