The 2017 Specialized S-Works Tarmac eTap is all-around one of the highest-tech, fastest bikes you can ride. Everyone has their preferences, and other companies' top-tier road machines might be more up your alley, but suffice to say that anything at this level is faster than any average person could ever need. But if you can afford it, why wouldn't you ride the best? It's unlike anything else you'll ever ride, and will probably ruin all other bikes for you. Image: Derek Mead
I left the grime on for photos so everyone knows I actually rode it. It's a weird feeling knowing you have to charge your derailleur batteries, but the SRAM Red drivetrain was my favorite part of the bike. I love the shift pattern: hit the right lever button to move up a gear on the rear derailleur, and hit the left to move down; hitting both at once shifts the front derailleur. It's way simpler than the usual setup, in which each lever has two buttons to control one derailleur on its own, and was way way better for shifting while on the drops. The shifting was very direct—some might say a bit harsh, but it felt solid when shifting, like the thunk of the transmission of my dad's old Mustang. One cool bonus of the wireless setup is this frame doesn't have any holes or routing for shift cables. Image: Derek Mead
David first started by measuring the spread and general orientation of my feet, and I thanked god I remembered clean socks. Image: Xavier Aaronson
Next we measured my flexibility (I am not flexible, hence my lack of a slammed stem, sorry internet) and knee angles. The goal was to set up the bike so that my knees move up and down in perfect vertical alignment, without rocking back and forth in a circle or side to side. This ensures efficient power production as well as preventing strain on the joints during hours of riding. Image: Xavier Aaronson
Once on the rollers, we had to do a bunch of adjustments to dial in the seat and cockpit to ensure everything felt comfortable and smooth, which is the most essential to having a fast, fun time. Image: Xavier Aaronson
How's that for an aero outfit? Image: Xavier Aaronson
Quantify me more baby!!
I can't prove Will George cheated, but that's a suspiciously low heart rate. One annoying thing about Strava is that people DEFINITELY cheat on the leaderboards—unless there are people in this city who really can sprint 45 mph up a mile-long climb.
PRAISE ME, I AM KING OF THIS ROAD! Until someone reads this and decides to knock me, Hans, and Kristina off.
Built to shred. The Roubaix I rode was equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, which didn't quite jive with me the way the SRAM drivetrain did; shifts didn't feel as seamless in my pedal stroke, and I didn't like returning to having two buttons to control the rear derailleur on the same brake lever. Too much fumbling. Other than that, you can see the FutureShock there, as well as how the seatpost clamp was integrated into the seatstays, giving a bunch of room in the seat tube above for the seatpost to flex back and forth—20mm to be precise. I didn't notice the seatpost flexing while riding, but my butt appreciated it. A model with these exact parts on it isn't part of Specialized's regular lineup, but something similar would run about $6500. Image: Derek Mead
A McLaren sticker is always a good sign. I'm a huge fan of disc brakes for riding around the city, as they tend to have more power, modulate well, and I don't have to worry about wearing out expensive rims. The Shimano hydraulics on the Roubaix were excellent, although the travel a bit short. Through axles on a road bike are still a bit unusual, but while dealing with flats would be more of a pain in the ass, they're great for in the city because thieves don't want wheels with them.
That's not a shock, it's a FutureShock. It can be tuned with different springs depending on the rider, but aside from it bouncing a bit when I was out of the saddle, I mostly forgot about the thing, which is precisely the point. Image: Derek Mead