# 2016 Tarmac Build Procedure/Cable Routing



## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

So I bought this new-in-box, never built frame from a gent who said he changed his mind after buying it, and went for something else. My last bike was a 2011 S Works Tarmac with Campy Chorus, one of my favorite bikes of all time. So I figured this would be a good follow up.

But upon starting the build, I see the internal cable routing isn't totally intuitive. I see videos online for the 2012 and 2014 bikes (up to the SL4) but not for the SL5/aka "not SL5" model.

Picture #1: BB shell once I removed the cover plate. There was a piece of masking tape in there that looked like it would hold guides in place - but there was nothing in there. Are there supposed to be cable guides here?

If there are no removable guides, how are cables routed under the BB? Cut the long teflon liner into pieces?

Picture #2: The parts that arrived in the box, apart from the obvious ones (headset cap, barrel adjuster, etc.)

I'm guessing some or many of these are for a Di2 build that I don't need (Campy Chorus) but can anyone explain some of the others?

1. ?
2. ?
3. ?
4. Spare cable port cap? Already one on the rear brake port
5. ?
6. The SL4 used "top hats" at every cable port per Specialized's video. Does the "5" use them? This appears to be (1)
7. Guessing plugs for Di2 build
8. Di2 port plug? Rubber
9, 10, 11. ?
Does cable guide #15 go at the rear derailleur? Only one of these.

Thanks for any help.


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

Here is the Specialized Internal Cable Routing PDF link published for 2015 and new Tarmac:
https://media.specialized.com/support/collateral/0000040986_R1.pdf

Its pretty self explanatory I believe if you read through it. You install a 200mm and 300mm sheath over the bare cable as it routes around the bottom of the BB under a plate that should be provided to close off the exposed cove. You should employ the ‘California Cross’ cable routing…aka Left shift enters the right downtube port in front and Right shift enters the left downtube port in front of the bike. The cable cross inside the downtube where the exit at the bottom of the bottom bracket where you install the sheaths and then route to front and rear derailleurs.
Post with any questions and I will try to help.


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

Thanks 11spd! Just what I was searching for. Looks like I'm just missing a single "top hat" and the anti-rattle liner and donuts for the rear brake, though I can fab that up from my parts bin.

Just for kicks, do you know what parts #2 or 3 are in my photo? I've heard that the seat post clamp can fall out and get wedged in the seat tube when loosening the clamp, and that dealers install a "collar" to stop this from happening. If these are stops for a Di2 battery, I might stuff one down the ST to do the same thing.


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

Glad to help Sablotny.
Cool build. I have mechanical Chorus on a Roubaix and you won't be disappointed. Works flawlessly btw even with FSA K-wing internal routing of cables through handlebar.

I would say good call on grommets #2 & 3. Size wise I believe they are Di2 related like other unrecognizable parts and those grommets are probably for wire routing if not battery retention within the seat tube or post for a battery.

Once you get her together, please come back with a pic review and comparison to your old bike. I am interested in any perceived performance difference...how you feel about the seat collar clamp etc. What kind of BB conversion you are going with for your Chorus crank?...presuming your new Tarmac is BB30...what Spesh calls OSBB. Are you going Praxis sleeve designed for Campy Crank to BB30?

Best of luck with the bike...always exciting to build something new....especially as great of a bike as Tarmac + Campy....basically what Nibali won the TdF on a few short years ago.


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

*Aaargh so close*

Almost ready to roll but:

1. 7x8mm rails of my Prologo Scratch do not fit the a) round or b) 7x9mm clamps provided with the seatpost. Nose rocks a good inch up and down. Might have to go saddle shopping

and 2. Front derailleur won't click/stay in the big ring. Limits are set correctly, cage can sweep over big ring - but it won't stay there. Like its missing its last detent. New shifter out of the box, may be broken. Read a thread where a guy was able to disassemble his and found the end of a spring had slipped off its perch. 

15.5 pounds, just add bar tape.

PS - I did the C-Bear BB for my last 2011 Tarmac. It was a true *bear* to press in, thought I was going to crush the frame. But it functioned perfectly and came with ceramic bearings. This time I used the Praxis UT BB, much easier to install. News to me: Specialized dropped OSBB (62mm wide) in 2014, this is regular old BB30 (68mm wide). I could have just used Campy BB30 cups, but at least the two halves of the Praxis BB screw together to lessen the chance of creaks.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

Sablotny said:


> Almost ready to roll but:
> 
> 1. 7x8mm rails of my Prologo Scratch do not fit the a) round or b) 7x9mm clamps provided with the seatpost. Nose rocks a good inch up and down. Might have to go saddle shopping
> 
> ...



Nice bike... really like.


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

A beauty…Congrats!
OK…so front derailleur won’t stay in outboard position to keep chain on the big ring:
Before you tear down the shifter…and you can find a tutorial on youtube…but way before that….
You need to play with cable tension. Most times if the cable won’t hold tension against the outboard front derailleur stop, cable tension is wrong. What that means is…the position of the detent inside the shifter, does not correspond with where you have the travel set in terms of cable tension.
You may in fact not be too the last click of the front derailleur…common. You maybe just shy of the big ring ‘trim’ click.
So what you need to do…is count the clicks from all the way inboard to all the way outboard. Then, remove the cable from the pinch bolt of the front derailleur and count all the clicks in the left hand shifter available. You are likely caught just before the click fully engages…that is if the shifter isn’t broken. 
Reinstall the cable with your cable adjuster slightly opened up…so you have more latitude to create tension in the cable that will reposition the click that will hold the front derailleur against the stop.
Above is where you start. If the cable won’t hold the derailleur outboard against a repositioned click or different click, then yes, the shifter must be torn down or set back to Campy.
Good luck.


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

Thanks for the encouragement 11spd. I had the shifter in my hand and was ready to take it apart, then figured I'd give it one more shot. Cabled it up for the 3rd time and blam - it works. Don't know if the cable anchor wasn't set properly or what, but I think its time to ride now!


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

Always great news when you don't have to take apart a Campy shifter. 

After you ride it a bit, please share your impressions. I am curious if you can discernibly feel two generations of further refinement..if the bike rides notably different with the same group and wheelset?


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## taodemon (Mar 17, 2014)

Bike looks great. 

I'm on a 2017 SL5 sworks and if feels pretty different to my dads sl4 (could be the different wheels in that case) and my first gen venge. Neither of these were s-works bikes though, the sl4 being a 9r frame and my venge being a 10r. With the venge I just moved the components over to the sworks tarmac and only the frame changed along with some minor components (seat/brakes). It definitely feels snappier and more responsive compared to the venge especially out of the saddle on climbs. 

My guess is that components being the same I probably wouldn't have noticed quite as big a difference from my dads 9r slr frame to my sworks (vs the difference from venge) and the same probably applies to older gen tarmacs but I am curious as to what Sablotny's impressions are as well.


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

taodemon said:


> Bike looks great.
> 
> I'm on a 2017 SL5 sworks and if feels pretty different to my dads sl4 (could be the different wheels in that case) and my first gen venge. Neither of these were s-works bikes though, the sl4 being a 9r frame and my venge being a 10r. With the venge I just moved the components over to the sworks tarmac and only the frame changed along with some minor components (seat/brakes). It definitely feels snappier and more responsive compared to the venge especially out of the saddle on climbs.
> 
> My guess is that components being the same I probably wouldn't have noticed quite as big a difference from my dads 9r slr frame to my sworks (vs the difference from venge) and the same probably applies to older gen tarmacs but I am curious as to what Sablotny's impressions are as well.


Thanks for sharing your observations about the different nice bikes you have owned taodemon and congrats on building such a great bike.


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

Went out for a short shakedown ride yesterday. Both the frame and Campy feel like old friends. On the frame side, if I had one nit to pick on my SL3, it was that the front end was a little fast and twitchy, especially noticed on high speed descents. I would purposefully wrap my bar tape thin to keep a tight grip on the reins. The front of the [not]SL5 feels a little less twitchy, but it could be the tires. I'm rolling DT Swiss PR1400 wheels with 25mm Schwalbe One tubeless, which blow out to 28mm on these rims. 

For the Chorus, I love the Power Shift multi-gear up and down _braaap _shifting. With the 2012 though, shifting just one gear was tough - I usually got 2. The new Campy has very positive detents and selecting a single up or down shift is easy. The DT Swiss wheels came with a Shimano freehub, so I'm using a Dura Ace 11-28 cassette. Works great, and actually a good thing - Campy cassettes are about double the price of Shimano cassettes, no matter how many steel or Ti cogs you desire. I like the design of the deep Campy spline better, but no complaints with Shimano cassettes.

Not in love with the curve of the Zipp Contour bar yet, but maybe I'll meld over a longer ride this weekend.


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

The knock on the SL3 Tarmac based upon pro feedback was...the SL3 was a big step up in stiffness from Tarmac SL2...but the SL3 was considered too harsh a bike to ride by pros...or a bike many though had a rough ride. Basically pros wanted the ride of the SL2 but the response of the SL3. They wanted more vertical compliance. Many people believed the SL4 Tarmac was a watershed....great balance...a very comfortable aggressive race bike with good ride that responded out of the saddle right now. No doubt Spesh made the SL5 even better.
When bikes get to this level, technical progress is hard to come by and why I was curious what you thought. Yes, wheelset and tire choice and pressure is big....even handlebar shape you mentioned changes perception. 
Beautiful bike and ride safely.

PS: how tall are you? Your Tarmac looks like 56cm with 120mm stem. Bike set up looks just right.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

11spd said:


> PS: how tall are you? Your Tarmac looks like 56cm with 120mm stem. Bike set up looks just right.


I agree... that bike just looks proper. Well done, mate! Chapeau!


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

"Your Tarmac looks like 56cm with 120mm stem. Bike set up looks just right."

Dang, I need you to pick my lottery numbers! Yes on both counts. I'm 5'-11" with a 32" inseam. Have a single 5mm spacer under the stem, think the HT was shortened by about 5mm from my SL3, but I figure even my aging body will get used to it. Looks are more important than comfort no?


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## 11spd (Sep 3, 2015)

Sablotny said:


> "Your Tarmac looks like 56cm with 120mm stem. Bike set up looks just right."
> 
> Dang, I need you to pick my lottery numbers! Yes on both counts. I'm 5'-11" with a 32" inseam. Have a single 5mm spacer under the stem, think the HT was shortened by about 5mm from my SL3, but I figure even my aging body will get used to it. Looks are more important than comfort no?


 I have a calibrated eye based upon being around bikes too many decades speaking of calibrated eyes and you run a hint more drop than me on my Roubaix. 

Beautifully proportioned set up based upon your pretty standard leg length for a guy 5’11”. Not TdF racy but a fit you can still get down low and fly. 

I dig that frame with Campy. Looks awesome.


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