Specialized SL5 Road Bike - 52cms -2014

The 2014 Specialized Tarmac SL5 (frequently designated simply as the "New Tarmac" upon release) was a major milestone for Specialized. It introduced the brand's "Rider-First Engineered" platform, ensuring that every single frame size received a specific carbon layup and tube profile to guarantee identical ride characteristics for every size rider. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Core Technical Profile

The SL5 platform was built to serve elite-level road racing, famously carrying Vincenzo Nibali to victory in the 2014 Tour de France. 

• Carbon Construction: Built with Specialized’s top-tier FACT 11r carbon fiber for the S-Works tier, optimizing the stiffness-to-weight ratio. 

• Frame Engineering: Introduced size-specific taper headtubes and tailored carbon layups across the size range (from 49cm to 61cm). 

• Bottom Bracket & Routing: Utilized an OSBB (Oversized Bottom Bracket) system and fully integrated internal cable routing optimized for both mechanical and electronic (Di2/EPS) groupsets.

• Braking Ecosystem: Primarily designed around traditional rim brakes, though late 2014/2015 variants started introducing early-generation post-mount disc brakes with quick-release dropouts.