Tarmac Pro v S Works

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Alexbn921
Posts: 751
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:39 pm

by Alexbn921

I got to ride bikes back to back at Sea Otter this year. I got a good lap around Laguna Seca on a Specialized Roubaix Pro, Gaint TRC, Pinarello dogma, BMC TimeMachine Road. They had a nice mix of electronic Shimano, Sram and mechanical Shimano. All had disk brakes. I liked the super smooth mechanical Shimano over the Di2. The buttons seemed too small, but I wasn’t used to them either.

I ended up getting 60% off a 2017 Roubaix S-work Boonen edition Frameset that I couldn’t pass up. The difference in ride from the 2020 Pro to the 2017 S-works is very subtle and mostly down to the wheels. Does my bike feel livelier and snappier? Yes, but it has a better build on it. The new bikes are so good that identical builds on the different frames will feel almost identical.

With that said though, the older Comp frames rode like complete crap! Same goes for some years of the S-Works tarmacs. They where super stiff boards with no give at all. They lacked life, while punishing you for every imperfection in the road.

Get out and demo some of the bikes you want to buy. Nothing beats some seat time. It might also change your perspective on bike setup as they will all be configured differently. I enjoy trying out new bar shapes and testing different saddles.
Ride fast Take chances

by Weenie


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GothicCastle
Posts: 304
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:52 am

by GothicCastle

Jugi wrote:
Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:02 pm
I firmly believe wheels and tires have the biggest effect in riding feel when comparing two frames as similar as a Tarmac Pro SL6 and an S-Works Tarmac SL6..
This


Campervan
Posts: 179
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:45 pm

by Campervan

I'm in a simialar dilema;
S-works disc frame, s-works stem/bars, ultegra di2, hunt 30 wheels kmc chain supacaz cages £6400 - lovely purple to match my Venge pro
or
Tarmac pro axs £6500 - not sure on the colour
or Tarmac Pro di2 £5100 - hate the colour.
BMC Granfondo 02 105
Scott Scale 940
Boardman CXR 9.4 cxr CX/gravel mongrel
Btwin 540
Specialized Venge Pro Disc

Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:37 am
I'm in a simialar dilema;
S-works disc frame, s-works stem/bars, ultegra di2, hunt 30 wheels kmc chain supacaz cages £6400 - lovely purple to match my Venge pro
or
Tarmac pro axs £6500 - not sure on the colour
or Tarmac Pro di2 £5100 - hate the colour.
What year is your Venge Pro?

Campervan
Posts: 179
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:45 pm

by Campervan

Shrike wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:38 pm
Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:37 am
I'm in a simialar dilema;
S-works disc frame, s-works stem/bars, ultegra di2, hunt 30 wheels kmc chain supacaz cages £6400 - lovely purple to match my Venge pro
or
Tarmac pro axs £6500 - not sure on the colour
or Tarmac Pro di2 £5100 - hate the colour.
What year is your Venge Pro?
The current purple one. However it has been written off so the GF has said to use it on gentle wides with her, and get a new bike to do my fast rides on and I like to climb fast, fast bunch rides (20mph average+)
BMC Granfondo 02 105
Scott Scale 940
Boardman CXR 9.4 cxr CX/gravel mongrel
Btwin 540
Specialized Venge Pro Disc

samarskyrider
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:14 pm
Contact:

by samarskyrider

Campervan wrote:I'm in a simialar dilema;
S-works disc frame, s-works stem/bars, ultegra di2, hunt 30 wheels kmc chain supacaz cages £6400 - lovely purple to match my Venge pro
or
Tarmac pro axs £6500 - not sure on the colour
or Tarmac Pro di2 £5100 - hate the colour.
I'd say go with S-works since price difference with Pro is very nominal, but you get nicer frame


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:55 pm
Shrike wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:38 pm
Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:37 am
I'm in a simialar dilema;
S-works disc frame, s-works stem/bars, ultegra di2, hunt 30 wheels kmc chain supacaz cages £6400 - lovely purple to match my Venge pro
or
Tarmac pro axs £6500 - not sure on the colour
or Tarmac Pro di2 £5100 - hate the colour.
What year is your Venge Pro?
The current purple one. However it has been written off so the GF has said to use it on gentle wides with her, and get a new bike to do my fast rides on and I like to climb fast, fast bunch rides (20mph average+)
Jeez! Really hard luck.. feel for you. Know what it's like to write off a new bike..

If you were buying over again from scratch and could only have one bike, which would you go for now that you've had time with the Venge?

Campervan
Posts: 179
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:45 pm

by Campervan

Shrike wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:13 pm
Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:55 pm
Shrike wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:38 pm
Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:37 am
I'm in a simialar dilema;
S-works disc frame, s-works stem/bars, ultegra di2, hunt 30 wheels kmc chain supacaz cages £6400 - lovely purple to match my Venge pro
or
Tarmac pro axs £6500 - not sure on the colour
or Tarmac Pro di2 £5100 - hate the colour.
What year is your Venge Pro?
The current purple one. However it has been written off so the GF has said to use it on gentle wides with her, and get a new bike to do my fast rides on and I like to climb fast, fast bunch rides (20mph average+)
Jeez! Really hard luck.. feel for you. Know what it's like to write off a new bike..

If you were buying over again from scratch and could only have one bike, which would you go for now that you've had time with the Venge?
Without a doubt I'd have another Venge. However ONLY in the sparkly purple. As I have one for occasional gentle use I might as well get the other bike I was trying to decide on buying when looking early this year. So I will be in the fortunate position of the having the Venge & Tarmac. It's also why I'm looking at Hunt 30's ... ohhhh or Hunt 40/50 decisions decisions.
BMC Granfondo 02 105
Scott Scale 940
Boardman CXR 9.4 cxr CX/gravel mongrel
Btwin 540
Specialized Venge Pro Disc

Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:25 pm
Shrike wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:13 pm
Campervan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:55 pm
Shrike wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:38 pm


What year is your Venge Pro?
The current purple one. However it has been written off so the GF has said to use it on gentle wides with her, and get a new bike to do my fast rides on and I like to climb fast, fast bunch rides (20mph average+)
Jeez! Really hard luck.. feel for you. Know what it's like to write off a new bike..

If you were buying over again from scratch and could only have one bike, which would you go for now that you've had time with the Venge?
Without a doubt I'd have another Venge. However ONLY in the sparkly purple. As I have one for occasional gentle use I might as well get the other bike I was trying to decide on buying when looking early this year. So I will be in the fortunate position of the having the Venge & Tarmac. It's also why I'm looking at Hunt 30's ... ohhhh or Hunt 40/50 decisions decisions.
Yeah Hunts are seriously hype right now 8)

Going to be interesting down the line to see how you compare the Tarmac and the Venge. Will give you a poke some time down the line :P

Bordcla
Posts: 250
Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:42 pm

by Bordcla

I have a friend who is very well connected to all kinds of people in the bike industry. One such person is an engineer in a California university who carried out studies on bike materials. In a nutshell, in a test where the frames were blacked out as much as possible and built identically with same wheels and ancillaries, tire pressures, etc. Riders of all calibers (including seasoned riders and pros) were by and large unable to tell apart steel from aluminium from carbon... Thus, certainly could not feel differences between different grades of carbon.

This guy's recommendation is: buy the cheapest frame that has the features and geo you like (in this case, the Expert level frame) and invest in good wheels, tires and a lighter group if budget will allow. Basically goes 100% against the beaten-to-death saying of "buy the best frame and save on the rest".

Also saves you a bundle if you destroy your frame in a crash... How would you feel scrapping your $4.5K S-Works?

That made me question my choices quite a bit...

Hexsense
Posts: 3269
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:41 am
Location: USA

by Hexsense

Alexbn921 wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:09 pm
With that said though, the older Comp frames rode like complete crap! Same goes for some years of the S-Works tarmacs. They where super stiff boards with no give at all. They lacked life, while punishing you for every imperfection in the road.
Reading this as i ride Specialized Allez Sprint.
This is not good for my wallet.
Bordcla wrote:
Thu Aug 01, 2019 7:39 pm
I have a friend who is very well connected to all kinds of people in the bike industry. One such person is an engineer in a California university who carried out studies on bike materials. In a nutshell, in a test where the frames were blacked out as much as possible and built identically with same wheels and ancillaries, tire pressures, etc. Riders of all calibers (including seasoned riders and pros) were by and large unable to tell apart steel from aluminium from carbon... Thus, certainly could not feel differences between different grades of carbon.
This post save me from going in debt.

Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

Bordcla wrote:
Thu Aug 01, 2019 7:39 pm
I have a friend who is very well connected to all kinds of people in the bike industry. One such person is an engineer in a California university who carried out studies on bike materials. In a nutshell, in a test where the frames were blacked out as much as possible and built identically with same wheels and ancillaries, tire pressures, etc. Riders of all calibers (including seasoned riders and pros) were by and large unable to tell apart steel from aluminium from carbon... Thus, certainly could not feel differences between different grades of carbon.

This guy's recommendation is: buy the cheapest frame that has the features and geo you like (in this case, the Expert level frame) and invest in good wheels, tires and a lighter group if budget will allow. Basically goes 100% against the beaten-to-death saying of "buy the best frame and save on the rest".

Also saves you a bundle if you destroy your frame in a crash... How would you feel scrapping your $4.5K S-Works?

That made me question my choices quite a bit...
I'm currently riding a relatively cheap aluminium bike and I forget it's not carbon. My previous 3 bikes have all been carbon. It does have a carbon fork though. I remember test riding the missus' Bianchi Via Nirone some years ago and that thing was complete ass. Don't know if it was the cheap fork and finishing kit etc but it was absolute hell. Utter junk. Every tiny bump on the road would be reverberated 10 fold through you. Sold the thing shortly after.

After playing around on this aluminium gravel bike for 6 months now I know I would buy an aluminium race bike, I'd just have to see something nice enough.

Alexandrumarian
Posts: 795
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:34 pm
Location: Romania

by Alexandrumarian

I started with a 1200e alu Canyon. Over time I changed bits and pieces, carbon this carbon that culminating with carbon tubulars and then a super light carbon frame on which I paid 2300e. Lately I was saving for the Sworks Tarmac. A few days ago I crashed going very fast over some mud near the side of the road and the frame broke hitting a kerb. I put all the nice parts back on the old alu frame and I must say it rides at least as nice as a top carbon frame with normal/average kit (alu bars and stem, lower level wheels). Overall bike feels nice enough, I couldn't care less about the extra 600 grams and I sure as hell don't want to sink more thousands in a new frame. Not for a while anyway :roll:

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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Shrike
Posts: 2019
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:08 pm

by Shrike

What's going to be even more interesting, for me at least, is to try 28mms. I've just fitted a pair this afternoon, stolen from the missus' bike. Near pair of 4000sII's. Look like balloons :P

Really itching to take them on a big ride at lower pressures to see how comfortable the ride is. I know some people rave about it, but I've always been a bit put off.. just thought they'd be slow, or sludgy feeling. Will see I guess, but part of me is hoping they're fast and way comfier than anything I've been on before, even on this cheapo alu frame :lol:

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