{"id":2111174,"date":"2026-08-25T16:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111174"},"modified":"2026-08-25T16:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:00:21","slug":"the-specialized-tarmac-sl9-gets-cheaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111174","title":{"rendered":"The Specialized Tarmac SL9 Gets Cheaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Tarmac-SL9-S-Level-4.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Logan Jones-Wilkins<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Published August 25, 2026 10:00AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Specialized has filled out its Tarmac SL9 line with a range of options from S-Level to Comp builds. All of the three additional spec levels are built off of a slightly cheaper, slightly heavier 10r carbon frame. The S-Level Tarmac SL9, in particular, is a top-spec build in most ways except the frame build and the wheelset.<\/p>\n

The Tarmac SL9 10r frameset has a competitive weight at 882 grams and uses the same 12r carbon fork to maximize the ride quality generated from the premium carbon construction. 10r builds also use the seat post from the Tarmac SL8 rather than the new bladed post from the S-Works level SL9.<\/p>\n

That said, all other aspects of the frame design of the Tarmac SL9 remain the same. Aerodynamically, the frame is the same as the S-Works spec. The only difference in the drag coefficient (or CdA) stems from the changes to the build components.<\/p>\n

Tarmac SL9 S-Level details\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Tarmac
(Photo: Specialized)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The S-Level Tarmac SL9 comes stock with top-spec components to offer a premium-level race bike at a $10,000 and $10,500 price point, respectively. The S-Level, which is new for this year\u2019s Specialized drop-bar bikes, is meant to offer an additional price point for premium builds. To achieve this mix, Specialized has outfitted S-Level builds with either SRAM RED or Shimano Dura Ace. Additionally, S-Level builds offer the sleek Rapide one-piece barstems to provide race-quality feng shui, but at a budget-minded price point.<\/p>\n

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This means that the ultra-premium parts like CeramicSpeed bearings, a Power Pro Mirror saddle, and Roval Rapide CLX III wheels are left off in favor of slightly more affordable alternatives. All of this nets out to a bike that cuts $3,500 off of the overall price while adding around 1.1 pounds and a few lesser components.<\/p>\n

Tarmac SL9 Expert and Comp details\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Tarmac
(Photo: Specialized)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Similarly, the SL9 Expert and Comp builds each swap components and parts for heavier, lower-quality parts to scale the price of build options between $4,000 to $7,000. Both build specs use the same Fact 10r frame with a 12r fork, and stainless steel bearings that the S-Level build uses.<\/p>\n

Beyond the adjustment down in groupsets that marks the most significant differences between the builds, both the Expert and Comp builds use two-piece cockpits. The big component difference between the two levels is wheels, with the Expert level builds using the Roval C38 carbon wheelset. The Comp build uses DT Swiss R470 alloy wheels instead.<\/p>\n

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In total, the Expert build weighs 16.64 pounds for a complete build, while the Comp weighs in at 17.95 pounds. Notably, there is no option to buy the SL9 10r frameset, as the bike will only be available as a complete bike at this initial release.<\/p>\n

The full Specialized Tarmac SL9 Specifications<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"Tarmac
(Photo: Specialized)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Model<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nFrame<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nFork<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nWheels<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nBearings<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nSaddle<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCockpit<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nWeight (lb)<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-Works Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 12r<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 12r<\/span><\/td>\nRoval Rapide CLX III<\/span><\/td>\nCeramicSpeed<\/span><\/td>\nS-Works Power Mirror<\/span><\/td>\nRoval Rapide<\/span><\/td>\n6.6 kg (14.55 lb)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-Level Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 10r<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 12r<\/span><\/td>\nRoval Rapide CL III<\/span><\/td>\nStainless Steel<\/span><\/td>\nPower Pro Mirror<\/span><\/td>\nRoval Rapide<\/span><\/td>\n7.1 kg (15.65 lb)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Expert Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 10r<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 12r<\/span><\/td>\nRoval C38<\/span><\/td>\nStainless Steel<\/span><\/td>\nPower Expert<\/span><\/td>\nSpecialized Two-piece<\/span><\/td>\n7.55 kg (16.64 lb)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Comp Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 10r<\/span><\/td>\nFACT 12r<\/span><\/td>\nDT Swiss R470<\/span><\/td>\nStainless Steel<\/span><\/td>\nPower Comp<\/span><\/td>\nSpecialized Two-piece<\/span><\/td>\n8.14 kg (17.95 lb)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Specialized Tarmac SL9 Pricing\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Model<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nDrivetrain<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nUSD<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nEUR<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nGBP<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nAUD<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-Works Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nSRAM RED AXS<\/span><\/td>\n$14,000<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac13,999<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a311,999<\/span><\/td>\n$21,500<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shimano Dura-Ace Di2<\/span><\/td>\n$13,500<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac13,999<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a311,999<\/span><\/td>\n$20,500<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-Level Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nSRAM RED AXS<\/span><\/td>\n$10,500<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac10,499<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a38,799<\/span><\/td>\n$15,500<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shimano Dura-Ace Di2<\/span><\/td>\n$10,000<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac10,499<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a38,799<\/span><\/td>\n$14,500<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Expert Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nSRAM Force AXS<\/span><\/td>\n$7,000<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac6,999<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a35,999<\/span><\/td>\n$10,200<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shimano Ultegra Di2<\/span><\/td>\n$6,600<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac6,999<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a35,999<\/span><\/td>\n$9,500<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Comp Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/td>\nSRAM Rival AXS<\/span><\/td>\n$4,500<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac4,499<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a33,999<\/span><\/td>\n$7,200<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shimano 105 Di2<\/span><\/td>\n$4,500<\/span><\/td>\n\u20ac4,499<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a33,999<\/span><\/td>\n$7,200<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

More information on the Tarmac SL9<\/h2>\n
\"Tarmac
(Photo: Specialized)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more information on the Tarmac SL9, check out our review from the release of the S-Works version this summer on our website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
Logan Jones-Wilkins<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Published August 25, 2026 10:00AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/spacialized-tarmac-sl9-gets-cheaper\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Tarmac-SL9-S-Level-4.jpg”] Logan Jones-Wilkins Published August 25, 2026 10:00AM Specialized has filled out its Tarmac SL9 line with a range of options from S-Level to Comp builds. All of the three additional spec levels are built off of a slightly cheaper, slightly heavier 10r carbon frame. The S-Level Tarmac SL9, in particular, is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-2111174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2111174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111174\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2111174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2111174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2111174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}