Specialized 'gratified at excitement' but won't comment on leaked Tarmac SL8 documents
According to leaked documents online, the new Specialized Tarmac will reportedly be known as the SL8, will be "the world's fastest race bike", will be lighter and faster, and will boast an increase in stiffness to weight when compared to the outgoing SL7.
But, you didn't really need leaked documents to tell you any of that. Specialized's Tarmac has gained an additional SL in each updated iteration for well in excess of a decade, with the SL7 replacing the SL6 in 2020, which replaced the SL5 before it, and so on. Plus, lighter, faster and stiffer have been the industry's favourite buzzwords in the past half-decade – perhaps alongside 'vertically compliant' and 'integrated' – so it would be unsurprising to see those terms used on a brand's flagship race bike, and no brand markets a bike more vigorously than Specialized.
As reported by Road CC in an article which has since been taken down, a hoard of leaked documents were published to the Weight Weenies forum recently. The documents were PDFs, hosted on a Specialized web domain, and included what are apparently sell sheets that reveal images and details of the various build options. Within them, weights, geometries, and the latest round of marketing claims from Specialized were included, but the documents have since been blocked, presumably by Specialized in a bid to stop the leak.
"We don't comment on the accuracy or authenticity of any information not released officially by Specialized," the brand's Global PR and Media Relations Leader, Kelly Henningsen told Cyclingnews in a statement.
Indeed, the source of these leaks is unverified, so although the documents appeared legitimate and are widely considered to be genuine, we cannot rule out that this isn't a very well-compiled list of fakes in a complex and thorough hoax.
The remainder of Henningsen's statement was concise, well-considered, and gave very little away. "We're gratified there is such excitement and energy among riders around potential new products from Specialized, but any product information will be communicated through our official channels."
If the documents are indeed genuine, they would suggest that the bike's launch isn't far off, especially following the recent leak of a new race bike in Soudal-QuickStep colours.
Naturally, with its unwillingness to verify the accuracy of the leaked documents, Specialized is also currently unwilling to divulge further information about the launch date of the next Tarmac, or indeed any upcoming product launches.
