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NARRATOR: Rainbow stripes, Belgian monuments,
Grand Tour victory--
Specialized has reigned supreme at the very pinnacle of road
racing for almost two decades.
Through epic days and with heart-stopping speed,
the Tarmac and Venge have written legendary scripts
in the high mountains and finish lines across the globe.
It all started with a mission to create the fastest
bikes in the world, the continued
obsession of a simple philosophy, innovate or die.
But racing has become a trade-off, forcing riders
to choose between weight and aerodynamics,
and our riders asked us a simple question.
Why do we need to compromise?
NICOLAS COOSEMANS: I think everybody looks forward
to something new.
Like that's what we need to improve, to get better.
And you know for sure when you go with something new,
it has to be better, and I believe it is.
NARRATOR: The idea was simple, a race bike with no compromises
for weight, aerodynamics, or ride quality, the fastest race
bike for any course.
That idea became the goal and the start
of a completely new challenge.
RICARDO SCHEIDEOKE: What Specialized
provides, what the professionals of Specialized are able to do--
it's quality more than quantity.
A bike that can combine the best of the Venge
and the best of the Tarmac is the dream for everybody.
At least you have to change in your setup
knowing that the performance is not compromised.
It's just the perfect scenario.
NARRATOR: We once again collaborated with the best
athletes in the world.
This established trust, built over more than a decade,
is what helped us in developing the Tarmac and Venge to be
the winningest bikes in the world
because in order for a bike to be the fastest on the road,
every rider must have complete faith in it.
These relationships have defined the targets
for ride quality, aerodynamics, and stiffness
that each bike needs to win.
Through aerodynamic experience, earned
during years of Venge development,
and the knowledge gained of composites and manufacturing
in the time of Tarmac development,
the previously-imposed boundaries on race bikes
gave way, bringing us to this, the lightweight handling
and ride quality of the Tarmac with the aerodynamic
performance of the Venge.
ANNA VAN DER BREGGEN: It's always this bike from now on.
SUBJECT 1: Yeah, yeah, one bike to choose from.
ANNA VAN DER BREGGEN: And it's light, and it looks cool,
so I can't wait to ride it tomorrow.
KASPER ASGREEN: I definitely think
it's a very complete bike, and it's a huge improvement
to the Tarmac.
I never really rode the Tarmac much,
and I feel like, with this bike, I would
ride that setup a lot more.
NARRATOR: To be successful in the crucible of European racing
means to be successful on more than just mountain
passes and smooth pavement.
The Flemish cobblestones are a test
every Tarmac must pass, one that demands compliance
to ride up and over, aerodynamics
to keep the pace on and off the stones,
and optimal weight, acceleration, and handling
to master the incredibly steep pitches.
The best riders in the world have
proven to be an integral part in the development
of this new bike, applying more than two years of riding
and testing with our teams in Europe
and at our California Innovation Center.
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KASPER ASGREEN: Sometimes a difficult choice
for the Tarmac or the Venge, but now we
don't have to choose anymore, and you can just
go for one bike.
NARRATOR: These incredible riders
pushed us to make the cable routing simpler and lighter.
They demanded integration with ease of adjustment
and flexible fit options.
They helped us to deliver a bike that's
easy to live with day after day, year after year.
We knew we had achieved our goal when rider after rider
asked us the same question.
How soon can I race it?
It was in December of 2019 that we
were able to return to our teams who went to training camps
and show them the result of all of their input,
of our engineering teams tireless optimization,
and of our never-ending commitment to innovate or die.
Some have called it the brass ring, others,
the holy grail of race bikes.
We call it the all-new Tarmac SL7.
SUBJECT 2: The hardest part of this process
was getting the bikes back after they were on them
and telling the riders that they couldn't ride them again
for another few months.
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SUBJECT 3: I felt already in love.
It's really, really stiff and still really light,
so I just want to try doing the race now.
NARRATOR: Whether you race at the highest
level on the biggest teams in the world
or simply for local glory, you'll
never have to compromise between aerodynamics, weight,
and ride quality again.
The tarmac SL7 is truly one bike to rule them.