[Music] the sl7 is a very successful race bike and we wanted to make a big
step forward with the SLA we didn't want the evolution we really wanted to say okay
we put all together what we have learned from sl7 from ethos and put in one new big package
thank you [Music] yeah we really challenged ourselves because we want to have it all
we said okay we want a bike faster than the bench lighter than the ethos very comfortable
and super good ride quality especially on the on the downhills of course that's a dream because if
if you set the mark super high almost unreachable then you you know you can't follow traditional
rules you have to do something completely new you have to break all the rules of today to
make that come true so our goals were really like we wanted to best in each category of
what is the quality for race bike uh we started with write analytics it's a complex software
where we work with the pro teams to analyze what bike would make them faster in each race
so basically we simulate the race tracks and then we we can simulate it's a lighter bike faster
it's a more aerodynamic bike faster and then we can determine what is the perfect bike overall
so with that software we were able to exactly set the targets about how much error do we need and
how much lightweight do we need that's the static point that was basically our point in the air we
say okay this is where the bike should end up to [Music] engineer you you're always excited
to get new things started you always want to experiment new ideas and new techniques in the end
that was a necessity for the tarmac Escalades we didn't do that because it was fun we did that
because it was just a necessity the conflicting targets kind of imposed a new process and forced
us to work in a different manner than what we were utilizing on atos or on the sl7 we created
this new process and we created essentially this combination of very complex tools so in the FEA
environment which is our virtual test lab but also into cfd environments which is our virtual wind
tunnel we were able to iterate much faster than if we had to create physical samples that essentially
gave us the freedom to do whatever changes were required on the frame design but also in the
layup to create the best performing machine that was precisely where the targets were set
thank you there are a couple of things that were sort of you say that in English taboo things that
you don't do because nobody does okay so if you go and propose this kind of modification to the
manufacturer or to the older and positive engineer it will come back to USA no no we don't do that in
this industry and you say why let's give it a try no no takes too long we were able to convince you
know skeptical people with evidences this is the way to go we have to do that we have to try it but
there are a couple of very fundamental things in this bike that have not be attempted before
that led us to a much higher performance and were never attempted because because nobody dared to we
have a new knowledge now racing is a big part of what we do at Specialized and we're really proud
of partnering with and supporting some of the best athletes in the world athlete input really drives
us to making the bikes better and making sure that we deliver exactly what the rider is asking for
our athletes really believe in the one bike to rule them all philosophy yet they
pushed us hard every day to make the bike that little bit faster and even lighter than before
foreign bike racing is a lot of psychology as well and if you know you're on you know
on a very competitive on the best bike that definitely helps you a little bit so I think
if you have no doubts that definitely helps to win vibrations I always had the feeling
that I'm like in front of my competitors when I have the fastest bike [Music]
on the fastest bike that we we've ever had available to us now we can
we can simplify things with just one platform that we know is it works in
all conditions it works in climbing it works in the Crosswinds in the classics
the last one was already almost perfect I think it's even better again at the speed of course you
need to measure that in the tunnel but it feels fast okay the back is it's more comfortable I had
a couple of bumps on purpose and you can really feel that it takes it better at the back and I
also have the idea that it takes it a little bit better at the front the partnership we have with
with specialized is is really unique we are so deep into the development of the of the
product and we have so much influence on on the products it's just good fun for me to be a part
of and I think it makes us all better it creates better bikes and makes us faster out in the races
yeah some people have this idea that there's this one guy who has that idea and then makes things
come true in reality bikes are so complex today that to make such a fantasy like we had together
this fantasy of this crazy bike but to make it come true you need a huge group of Highly highly
talented experts this bike is so close to what's possible from physical boundaries what we have
that you need the best expert in cfd you need a best expert in aerodynamic understanding you
need the best expert in structural design you need the best expert in FEA you need the best
expert in layup you need a best expert to bring it all together you need the best manufacturing
you need then the best quality control it's like if you miss one of these links your whole chain
breaks it's really like you need this big team and and the challenge is so high you need these crazy
guys you know you need like a team of crazy men and women who who wake up in the mornings think
about that and how kind of how can I make that come true otherwise today it's it's it's not
possible to to make such a crazy bike without a big team it's just it's an illusion these tools
you have them in it's it's pretty common in in the bike industry to have cfd or FEA I think
what is unique at Specialized is that we have the ability at each step of this process to verify the
predictions of the software in the wind tunnel in Morgan Hill but also in our test lab and the
numbers that we get from the wind tunnel and the test lab were basically some further data
acquisition that we're validating the choices of the design team but also of the product team
and saying good to go thumbs up we're on a good path let's continue let's further
refine the shapes that further refine the layup until nothing left is on the table
I feel really confident in the corners like Daniels feel really really good I feel safe I
feel warm with the bike and also like when I'm sprinting I feel like that every bottle stroke
is like bam good bike is a combination of like super Arrow super light super fast and every
little thing just a little bit more better it's just again a step open so a nice bike
where the wind hits the frame we have our nose cone so this is the Leading Edge is moved to the
front and the reason for that is that our down tube flows into our top tube like on the ethos
if the camtale would be here that whole section would start to breathe under steering loads
that would mean we have to add a ton of material so to keep that light we have
the same concept and the ethos that the down tube forces flow beautifully in the top tube
but then by moving the nose comb to the front of the bike we have the full Arrow benefit
then the top tube is in the wind shadow of the head tube that's great this section is
also very aerodynamic and then continuously goes into the other shape so when you look here that
the BB basically is copy paste ethos the lower section of the C tube from here down copy paste
ethos down tube copy paste ethos the chain stays the chain stays are in the windshield of the BB
and the C tube so no Arrow disadvantage 100 ethos and the seed stays we used a tiny cam tail so the
seat says are super aerodynamic and then we have our C tube which is a full aerodynamic profile
in comparison to sl7 we narrowed the C tube a lot for a higher Aero benefit so also our seat
post is a lot narrower we have not that very deep section to allow a lot of comfort for such a bike
so we get basically the most of it we get here weight of the ethos here full bench aerodynamics
and here we get comfort and we want that you feel really great and have fun after five hours
okay the the first ride on sl8 actually was one of the most emotional rides I ever had
in my life so I headed our local Hill and on the first section which is quite steep I thought oh
yeah that feels like Athos yeah that's great and the second uh half of the hill is more fast so I
could feel the arrow benefit and I was like wow we did something but then there was the downhill
and I was like normally it takes me three or four rides because it's a very technical
downhill till I feel comfortable and and on isolate the first turn it was like and the
second turn because they're normally on on this turn because it's very rough and brutal
tarmac and I have to correct in the turns you know with this lady was like I felt a lot more
connected to the tarmac and then I felt like a carving knife so after the third corner I
was going full speed down and and I was leaning over in turns like like there's no tomorrow and
then I I I hit the bottom and I started to laugh for the next five kilometers I couldn't stop it
foreign [Music]
foreign