Racers and fast club riders who want the modern Tarmac. If you came off an SL7, check that the stack/reach still matches your size.
The current Specialized race bike: lighter than SL7, still aero, and famously 'it just disappears' if the fit is right. Size by stack/reach — the 54/56 split is where a lot of riders hop.
Riders shopping the newest Tarmac. Compare stack/reach to SL8 before you assume your size letter carries over.
The next Tarmac generation in the catalog window. Treat it as the race-bike successor to SL8: same family, new tubeset — confirm geometry on the year page rather than assuming SL8 numbers.
Racers who want a climbing Orbea. Orca Aero is the wind-cheating sibling.
Orbea's lightweight race bike, OMX carbon on high kits, and a fit that is race-low without S5 drama. OMX vs OMR changes weight more than geometry.
| Measurement |  LapierreXelius 2020 |  SpecializedTarmac SL8 2025 |  SpecializedTarmac SL9 2026 |  OrbeaOrca 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stackmm | 564 | 544−20 | 544−20 | 552−12 |
| Reachmm | 395 | 384−11 | 384−11 | 385−10 |
| Head tube angle° | 73.0 | 73.0 | 72.5−0.5 | 72.8−0.2 |
| Seat tube angle° | 73.0 | 74.0+1.0 | 74.0+1.0 | 73.5+0.5 |
| Chainstaymm | 408 | 410+2 | 410+2 | 408 |
| Wheelbasemm | 1000 | 978−22 | 986−14 | 981−19 |
| BB dropmm | 70 | 72+2 | 72+2 | 70 |
| BB heightmm | — | 268 | 268 | — |
| Standovermm | — | 768 | 767 | — |
| Part | Xelius L | Tarmac SL8 54 | Tarmac SL9 54 | Orca 53 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | 110 mm | 100 mm | 100 mm | 90 mm |
| Bar | 440 mm | 420 mm | 420 mm | 400 mm |
| Crank | 175 mm | 172.5 mm | 172.5 mm | 170 mm |
That spec retails for £8,250 and is said to weigh 7.16kg in a size 56. You can read Sam's full review here. The Specialized Tarmac SL8 will be at the ...
# Specialized Tarmac SL8 Expert #### VERDICT: - Very Good - Quite good - Not so good ### Specialized SL8 Expert: Ride The SL8 was noticeably comfortable, but there was a sense o…
Orbea has dropped many of the aero optimisations of the previous Orca, while it has unified the geometry across the OMX and OMR-tier frames.
Orbea says, “the Orca is around 3W faster than an aero bike, for an average rider, on a 5% slope, and around 6W faster on a 10% slope.” The Orca OMX has claimed ...
