Specialized and McLaren team up to create the S-Works McLaren Tarmac

The new S-Works McLaren Tarmac becoming the most advanced bicycle that Specialized has presented. Limited to 250 units worldwide, it is the new benchmark at maximum performance.

 

 

 

 

MORGAN HILL, Calif. In recent years Specialized and McLaren have developed a unique collaboration based on the mutual contribution of technical progress and the commitment to develop bikes and components without precedent in the cycling industry.

 

Starting with the S-Works McLaren Venge and continuing with the helmet S-Works McLaren TT, Specialized and McLaren have worked closely in recent years to expand the possibilities of cycling in new and exciting directions. Recently, this collaboration resulted in a new way of understanding the forces exerted on the bicycle, thanks to personalized data acquisition and simulation programs developed exclusively with McLaren. The partnership between the two has always been based on collaboration and the desire to break schemes. Immediately after the introduction of the new S-Works Tarmac that incorporates Rider-First Engineered technology, the S-Works McLaren Tarmac appears that takes the technical and performance standards to the next level.

 

The designers of McLaren and Specialized took the S-Works Tarmac and began the process of trying to extract more performance from an already impressive machine. Joe Marsh, Composite Desing Engineer at McLaren Applied Technologies Limited, was instrumental in the development of the exclusive frame.

 

"Our design reference, the new S-Works Tarmac, was already a very, very efficient structure to start with, somehow this was a much more complicated challenge than when we worked with the Venge", said Marsh.

 

The S-Works McLaren Tarmac maintains the excellent performance characteristics of the S-Works Tarmac thanks to the Rider-First Engineered design while reducing the overall frame and fork weight around the 9% -11%, depending on the size of the box. Thanks to a patented process of carbon lamination developed exclusively with McLaren, weight saving does not mean loss of the overall performance of the bike - normally something difficult to achieve.

 

More than strictly a frame and fork, the S-Works McLaren Tarmac is a comprehensive and well-studied set of parts and components that add to the already unique and exclusive performance package. Every Specialized component on the bike has been specifically designed for this project and developed for maximum performance. A Body Geometry Fit study is included with the bike to ensure the correct frame size is chosen. In addition to the frame size, measurements such as the width of the handlebar and saddle, and the length of the stem and cranks, will be selected based on the adjustment requirements of the end user. Exclusive to the S-Works McLaren Tarmac will come a pair of S-Works Road shoes as well as an S-Works Prevail helmet, both matching the color of the bike.

 

What sets the S-Works McLaren Tarmac away from any other bike on the road is not only the extreme attention to detail, but also the high level of performance it offers. It is a complete and cohesive set that covers every aspect of road performance. That dedication to performance is one of the keys to this project.

 

Brad Paquin, Senior Engineer at Specialized explains this point, "There is great competitiveness in all runners, regardless of the sport discipline they are, in having the best tools to do their job. It does not matter if it's the latest aerodynamic improvement in an F1 car, or the highest performance bicycle frame. "

 

Following those values, nothing has been overlooked when choosing the components and design of the bike. From the exclusive tubular CLX40R wheel set that saves 90 grams compared to a standard CLX 40 wheel set, to custom paint and graphics applied at McLaren Special Operations in Woking, Surrey UK - no aspect has been overlooked.

 

With only 250 S-Works McLaren Tarmacs available to everyone, this limited production will have an exclusive reservation process that extends to certain customers and to the reservation through http://www.specialized.com/sworksmclaren. Beginning on July 2, 2014, customers will be able to order their customized S-Works McLaren Tarmac with the reservation period closing on July 31, 2014 or while supplies last. Also included with the bike is a personalized name plate and holders to hang the bike, shoes and helmet.

 

The S-Works McLaren Tarmac is an essay to innovation in performance. It's a perfect marriage between McLaren's technical acumen and Specialized's development prowess. Incredibly exclusive, it is a bike that attracts attention either hanging on a wall or down a port.