# Why is my 07 Tarmac so heavy...??



## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

Hey all, Just wanted a few thoughts on Tarmac weights being competitive with other bike companies. I recently bought a 2007 Tarmac Expert 54 cm. The bike was a bit over 18 lbs with no pedals?!?! I have since swapped out the ultegra shifters for Dura ace (accident related) I now have DA rear derailer with front shifter/brake levers and ultegra everything else. I dont understand why it's so heavy??:mad2:


----------



## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

Why did you buy it, if it was so heavy? Surely you test rode it before purchase and were able to decide in person.

Is the weight of the bike preventing you from making it to the tour or something? I don't think 18 is that bad. I ride a 20+ lbs steel Bianchi right now. And it's fine. 

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about it. And if it's just too heavy for you then sell it and buy a lighter bike.


----------



## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

Arm...lol. I am just curious how it specs out with other models..I like Specialized very much as a company and have rode their MTB's for years. When I made the switch to road I just stuck with what I knew and decided what bike I wanted within the Specialized line. I am just wondering how they spec out compared to a Trek Madone or others in that 2500-3000 price range. If you had a bike under 20+....I believe you'd be ridng the tour. You should'nt sell youself short.


----------



## Roadplay (Jan 2, 2007)

My 07 SWorks Tarmac weighs right at 16 lbs with pedals. This was weighed on my bathroom scales, so the actual weight may be more or less, but its close. I don't remember, but for every model up you go the weight drops 1 to .5 lbs. I had a 2006 Roubaix Elite and Expert that weighed about 19lbs and 18lbs respectively. I think the Tarmac Expert’s weight is competitive with other brands in the same price range, some heavier, some lighter, but the ride quality is tough to beat, IMO.


----------



## cpark (Oct 13, 2004)

edesros168 said:


> Hey all, Just wanted a few thoughts on Tarmac weights being competitive with other bike companies. I recently bought a 2007 Tarmac Expert 54 cm. The bike was a bit over 18 lbs with no pedals?!?! I have since swapped out the ultegra shifters for Dura ace (accident related) I now have DA rear derailer with front shifter/brake levers and ultegra everything else. I dont understand why it's so heavy??:mad2:


Not sure what is your targeted weight but here is my guess,

1) Mavic Ksyrium - think it's 1800 grams+. swap them out for a custom set of wheels - Tune hubs/Nio 30 rims/CX-Ray spokes and it will drop about 1 pound.

2) Swap out the rest of Ultegra part and probably save about 1/4 to 1/2 pound(?).

3) swap out stem, bar, seatpost, saddle, tire, tube and tape - save another 1/2 pound(?).

The question is do you want to invest this kind of money knowing it won't make the bike that much faster? Only you can answer that question. 18lbs is pretty light...


----------



## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

edesros168 said:


> Arm...lol. I am just curious how it specs out with other models..I like Specialized very much as a company and have rode their MTB's for years. When I made the switch to road I just stuck with what I knew and decided what bike I wanted within the Specialized line. I am just wondering how they spec out compared to a Trek Madone or others in that 2500-3000 price range. If you had a bike under 20+....I believe you'd be ridng the tour. You should'nt sell youself short.


I'm on the verge of getting a Tarmac or Roubaix Expert. I'm quickly becoming a big Spec fan. As I'm sure you know you've got a great bike there. Better wheels for better wheels sake would probably be a good overall upgrade. Some perhaps for weight savings, and some for better performance. 
Overall as I'm sure you probably know there's a big price to pay in cycling to save a little weight. So if your wallet is heavy, drop it on the bike.

Personally I'm looking at the fit and ride of the bike I purchase rather than the exact weight. On that note though when I test rode the Roubaix Expert with Rival and shop pedals it came in at around 18.5. 

As per the price range, my guess is that between 2500 and 3000 they are all going to be fairly close. And to get a significant drop, a 1.0 lbs or more you'll need to spend a lot more.

Anywho....good luck with the bike. If I came off as snappy forgive me as I'm at the end of my taper for a marathon this weekend.


----------



## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

OP: Are you sure about the accuracy of your scale? It does seem a tad bit heavy. My '06 Roubaix Pro comes in at 17.2 lbs as ridden (i.e., with bottle cages, pedals, etc.).




> My 07 SWorks Tarmac weighs right at 16 lbs with pedals. This was weighed on my bathroom scales, so the actual weight may be more or less, but its close.


That is about right. My '08 Tarmac SL with pedals and cages is 15.85 lbs with all Dura Ace (even crank and 7850 SL wheels) and some weight weenie-ish parts: Zipp SL bar and Speedplay Ti Zeros. Weighed on a "Ultimate" bike scale.


----------



## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

Oh you wont be dissapointed...it's a wonderful bike. I love it and I thinkt he Specialized line looks better than all the others anyway. I can't say much for ride quality as opposed to others havent tried many. But I love my Tarmac!


----------



## S-Works95 (Jan 15, 2007)

*The Real Question?*

The real question is how much do you weight? Not trying to be funny or mean. I have an S-works Roubiax, that is a low 16 lbs. The truth of the matter is everyonce in a while i still need to step on to the bathroom scale and be honest with myself. Before you go spending $$$$$$$, trying to shave grams off of your bike, consider saving $$$$$, by giving up alcohol, fast food , unhealthy food and other things that are keeping you from reaching you ideal weight. I have top of the line S-Works Bikes in both road and Mountain. One thing i can tell you is that a bike will never be better than the person riding it. Be careful not to be come a gear head. 

If you weight over 200lbs when you are in shape, I personally would not recomend Dura Ace anyway. Ultegra would be a better value for you. The ultegra had a more solid construction for a larger rider. Again I have a a 16 lbs 2007 S-Works Roubiax with Dura Ace Shifters, Cass., Front and Rear Derailures, FSA K-Wing bar with the Ritchey Carbon Stem, Heck I even have the Zero Gravity brakes. Don't get me wrong I love my bike. The light weight of the bike makes climbing easier, but it does not make it easy. Truth of the matter is that i could have made my bike atleast a 1 lbs lighter, by doing so diffrent parts, but i wanted a bike that was not only light but, comfortable and durable. If you had purchased your 18lbs Tarmac about 5 to 7 years ago, your bike would be consdered an all dura Ace bike , and the bike would have been 2x to 3x more than the cost you paid today. Belive it or not , your Tarmac is better now than bike that where ride in the Tour de France 5 to 10 years ago at a fraction of the price, just pull out an old cycling magazine, and look. S a matter of fact your Tarmac is probaly just as good if not better than my 2003 S-Works E5. 5 years makes a huge diffence in cycling technology.

I ride with a group of guys who all have very expensive bikes. Colnago C 40's, S-Work Tarmac's, Cervelo's, Look 585's. You name it, if it cost over 5K you will see on our group ride. The funny thing is each week the guys that get dropped are not the ones with the lighest bikes, but the one who spend more time looking at Cycling gear and buying cycling gear, instead of training, riding, and living a healthy lifestyle. A bike does not ride it self. If i don't train, i will get dropped by a guy on a 1k bike. It has happened , and will happen again if i do not stay on top of my game. 

DON'T BECOME SO MUCH OF A GEAR HEAD THAT YOU DO NOT BECOME A RIDER

Just wait for things to wear out on your bike, and trust me they will. And then replace it with a lighter but more quality made part. Yes, my bike is only 16lbs, but it is the most comfortable bike I have ever owned, and I still have my S-Works E5 (Cippo Zebra Stripe paint job). The bike was light and fast, but it use to beat the crap out of me, and give me back pain, after about 2 hours in the saddle.

The one thing I would say if you just have to buy something in your quest to build a lighter bike go with a nice wheelset, tires , and tubes. Getting less roational weight mass, will make you faster. But again take in account you own personal weight. I choose the annivesary edition of the mavic ksyurium ES. I love them, they are light weight, but yet strong enough, that I can use them as a training and race wheel. I ride with guys that are over 6 feet tall, weight over 215 lbs, and those wheels have stayed perfectly true for them.

Hope that helps, remeber ride you bike and have fun.


----------



## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

Excellent post S-Works. You make points that we should all keep in mind as we shop and read and research bikes.


----------



## Beanland (Aug 28, 2007)

Second that Armadillo, great common sense approach from Sworks have been beating myself up for 3 months on specifications how long do you save up research etc.
Fact is I can only just afford the Specialized Comp but it fits me well(6'2-190lbs)realisation is lose 8lbs in weight(without turning into stickman) by buying the bike put the time in and watch the times drop.


----------



## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

True true, I agree with the above posts for sure. When I started cyclying I couldnt go for 5 miles without stopping. I weighed 228 lbs at 5' 7"..I am now 175 and still dropping. believe me if anyone knows what weight loss can do off a person it's me. I am still new and have the mentality if I am slow I want it to be my fault not my equipment.


----------



## meanderingmtbiker (Nov 12, 2007)

edesros168 said:


> When I started cyclying I couldnt go for 5 miles without stopping. I weighed 228 lbs at 5' 7"..I am now 175 and still dropping.


Wow, congratulations Edesros. Its amazing to hear how people can transform themselves. Keep on truckin!:23: 

MeanderingMTBer


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

meanderingmtbiker said:


> Wow, congratulations Edesros. Its amazing to hear how people can transform themselves. Keep on truckin!:23:
> 
> MeanderingMTBer


I second that emotion. Keep up the great work!! :thumbsup:


----------



## simplton (Nov 3, 2007)

edesros168 said:


> True true, I agree with the above posts for sure. When I started cyclying I couldnt go for 5 miles without stopping. I weighed 228 lbs at 5' 7"..I am now 175 and still dropping. believe me if anyone knows what weight loss can do off a person it's me. I am still new and have the mentality if I am slow I want it to be my fault not my equipment.


Amazing stuff. Serious congrats!!! :thumbsup: It's a amazing what you can do if you really, really want to. I was pushing 200lbs and wanted to get back to my college weight for a trip to Mexico. I dropped 50 lbs just by gettin off my a$$, eating right, and not drinking beer. Go figure.....


----------



## roadbike1 (Feb 17, 2006)

I agree with edesros168. I have a Tarmac Pro and it is a amazing ride. I love mine, best purchase I have ever made. By the way mine tips the scales too. But it is easy for the bike to loose weight, just spend more money. But for the rider to loose weight that take effort! Sounds like edesros168 has put in amazing effort. Great job!!


----------

