Specialized SL9 - One bike to rule them all deep dive J's cycles

Yes, its finally here.

Specialized have been brewing up a storm in Morgan Hill, California. The result of that storm has just reared its head in the form of the Tarmac SL9.

One of the most anticipated bike launches of the year is upon us and we are not disappointed.

With the SL9 Specialized have focused on one main metric – Time to finish; what this means is wherever you are going on an SL9, you will get there faster.

So what has changed and why is it the fastest bike on the planet?

Tarmac SL9 rewrites the aerodynamics of the entire front half of the bike with a thinner Speed Sniffer, a dropped downtube, and the new Flow Fork, which work together to manage high‑pressure airflow more efficiently. At the rear, the Win Fin reshapes the seat tube and triangle around real race conditions, delivering meaningful aerodynamic gains when it matters most. A re‑engineered Aero Post further reduces drag in the zone most affected by pedaling airflow, completing a system designed for maximum speed in real‑world racing.

At 687 grams, the S-Works Tarmac SL9 frame stands alone at the top of the road aero category. Complete builds start at 6.5 kg—a number most climbing-specific road bikes and the UCI can only dream of.

Tarmac SL9 matches the exact compliance and stiffness targets of the universally loved Tarmac SL8.

So what does the tarmac actually ride like? We are lucky enough to have had some saddle time on the bike prior to launch and its safe to say we love it; The stand out features have to be how smooth the bike feels whist cornering and also how quickly it seems to pick up speed when changing pace & accelerating out of turns.

Its easy to get lost in the facts and numbers of a modern day superbike like this, especially as there is so much detail, most of which is readily available online but how do the numbers translate into what you will feel on that first ride and hopefully all of the rides thereafter; It just feels fast. To be honest every high end aero road bike does, however the SL9 somehow has shaken off that boneshaker race bike feel and just makes you want to add loop after loop on to your rides.

So Spec’s colours and options

Full Bikes are £11999 and available in Sram Red or Shimano Dura Ace options with 3 colour variants –

Satin Silver Dust / Gloss Chrome