Over 1/2 of the savings are from the bars and wheels, according to what I have read (and most of that is the cockpit).
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How much more aero are the new Roval Rapide CLX compared to the “old” CLX 64s?
Thanks! I did have to buy the turbo cottons separately as they didn’t come with the bike. But, I felt like this bike deserved the gum walls.
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I would love to know if you actualy could mount the “new Tarmac” stem on the SL6 and hide the cables in the same way like on the SL7 - get this nice aero bit and more comfy frame 
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S works is 12r
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yeah, makes sense. tbh i wouldn’t be surprised if the bars/wheels accounted for more like 75% of the aero gains that are claimed
it’s cool that we’re getting back to just a “Racing Road Bike” category that seems to be a balance of attributes instead of the 3 subcategories though. I’m glad specialized, trek, giant, and cannondale all have bikes in these categories and the optimization really falls down to component choice. Put lightweight wheels on, light bars, boom it’s a climbing bike. Put aero bars on, swap in some deep section wheels, boom aero.
If you’re planning to race, go for a brand’s race but not fully dedicated aero bike. I’m talking about Tarmac, BMC Teammachine, Canyon Ultimate, etc.
If you still want to err on the side of comfort, try to go for a model with dropped seat stays.
For those who read German. Tour did the first official test series. Highest score of a 1.4 for the SL7.
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For the uninitiated…what is the significance of 1.4, and how does it mark against all other bikes? Venge, Aeroad, etc?
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that would be nice! pretty sure the brake cables enter the frame at a different location (down tube and fork on SL6 and top of head tube on SL7). so while you could probably mount the stem, the cables would still be external from the stem to those entry ports and you’d still have to leave enough extra cable to turn the handlebars.
Thanks for the pics!
The tires look amazing btw.
Generally does it look more black or does the red significantly show?
Did you do any other upgrades? How do you like the bike so far?
Did some Google Translate on the page:
" With a good 210 watts , which have to be applied to overcome the wind resistance of the bike at 45 km / h, the Tarmac SL 7 is close to aero racing bikes like the Cannondale SystemSix, Cervélo S5, Canyon Aeroad, Specialized Venge and Giant Propel, which come to values between 203 and 208 watts. Aerodynamically, the Tarmac SL7 is on the same level as the Pinarello Dogma"
Here is what they test:
| Drag | 210 watts | 1.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight complete bike | 6,890 grams | 1.7 |
| Steering head rigidity | 98 Nm / ° | 1.0 |
| Lateral rigidity fork | 53 N / mm | 1.0 |
| Bottom bracket stiffness | 58 N / mm | 1.3 |
| Spring hard seat post | 156 N / mm | 1.7 |
And that ends up being total of 1.4 if I understand it correctly…
In German, but you can skim to get an idea of other scores: (might be good to mention that I don’t know if the testing was done exactly the same, but they do seem to compare these scores to the ones given to the new Tarmac)
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It never really looks black. More like deep red wine (almost purple-ish) in dark light or inside. You need to get sunlight on it for the red to pop out. But when it does, it looks great. I love riding it so far, but I was coming from an Allez sprint - not from an SL6. No other upgrades except the Turbo Cottons. I will probably get a longer stem, the same Tarmac one, but longer.
Testing is the same. They have one test format they apply to all in order to be able to compare the bikes. Take from it what you want.
That’s cool man, looks stunning. What about your impressions? It’s a bike you love to ride or you need to get use to it?
What is the scale though? and what do they represent? The Tarmac came in at 1.4 which is lower than the venge at 1.7. I would presume a higher score is better, but that doesn’t seem to be the case?
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Lower is better!
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Thanks!
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I loved it as soon as I got on it. Everything works for me. The geo is what I like (though I will need to adjust the stem length/height), the saddle works for me. I was riding in some decent wind this morning, and no issues with the deep wheels. The handling is spot on. I was riding an Allez sprint before which has a similar geo, and this is definitely more compliant. I am a Shimano fan, but never ran Di2, so this is obviously great, and the brakes are so much better than my rim brakes on carbon wheels. I mean, not everyone will like it, but for me it is perfect.
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its the German school system from 6 (terrible) to 1 (super). So not to shabby when they manage a 1.4. They have an article in which they explain how the various things they test are included in the calculation of the final figure / rating.
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