All About the New Specialized Tarmac SL8 Frame on Zwift

Zwift’s latest update includes the welcome addition of several new bike frames, including two versions of the highly respected Tarmac SL8 from Specialized. We’ve already covered the S-Works version, and today we’ll cover the non-S-Works version, which Specialized refers to as the Tarmac SL8 Pro on their website:

On Zwift, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.86+ to see the Tarmac SL8 in Zwift’s Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 35+ with 700,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop (the same text as the S-Works version):

“Nothing is faster than the Specialized Tarmac SL8 thanks to the bike’s synergistic combination of aerodynamics, light weight, and ride quality previously thought impossible. After eight generations and over two decades of development, it’s more than the fastest Tarmac ever – it’s the world’s fastest race bike.”

In real life, the S-Works Tarmac is a bit lighter than the Tarmac SL8 pro, and also ~$6,000 more expensive. But how do the two compare on Zwift?

See our master list of all frames in Zwift >

It’s rated 3 stars for aero, 4 stars for weight, like a handful of other top newish all-arounders. But a 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, so we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!

Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm Carbon wheelset.

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

The Specialized Tarmac SL8 is slippery, trimming 60.7s off our baseline Zwift Carbon frame over an hour of flat riding.

That puts it within 2.3 seconds of the game’s fastest frame, and 1.2 seconds behind the S-Works version of the same bike. Considering that our tests have a 1-second margin of error, one could reasonably lump this frame in with the other fastest frames in terms of performance on flat roads.

Climb Performance

The S-Works Tarmac is currently the fastest climber in our tests, at least at 4 W/kg. The Specialized Tarmac SL8 holds its own, though, coming in 4th overall in terms of climbing performance, just 7.5 seconds behind the S-Works version over an hour of climbing.

This Specialized Tarmac shaves 48.5 seconds off of our baseline Zwift Carbon’s time on an hourlong climb.

Upgrading Your Specialized Tarmac SL8

Like all frames in Zwift, the Specialized Tarmac SL8 can be upgraded in five stages. As a high-end race bike, each of the five stages results in a performance improvement. The S-Works Tarmac SL8 upgrade stages are as follows:

1. Ride 200km, pay 100,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
2. Ride 260km, pay 200,000 Drops for a weight reduction
3. Ride 320km, pay 350,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
4. Ride 380km, pay 500,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
5. Ride 440km, pay 750,000 Drops for a weight reduction

You can expect a fully-upgraded Specialized Tarmac SL8 to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hourlong climb vs the “stock” Specialized Tarmac SL8.

Conclusions

The Specialized Tarmac SL-8 is beaten by the S-Works Tarmac SL8 in all areas but one: affordability!

While the S-Works version requires level 40+ and 1,750,000 Drops to purchase, the Specialized Tarmac SL8 can be purchased at level 35+ for just 700,000 Drops. Apart from the wildly attainable Canyon Aeroad 2024 (level 10, 1,100,000 Drops), this Tarmac is the only frame in the top 5 of our stacked percentile rankings that isn’t unlocked at level 40.

Will riders choose to buy the more easily attainable Tarmac, or wait another 5 levels for the more expensive, slightly faster version?

Regardless of this Tarmac you choose, this much is true: you’ll get no color slider. #sadtrombone

Questions or Comments?

Will you be buying this Tarmac? Why or why not? Share below…