Specialized Tarmac, a good first roadbike?!

jaythai

Hello all,

I am a keen mountainbiker running a 2010 Specialized Pitch Pro, recently fellow riders have been considering buying roadbikes as a training tool and fun alternative to the mtb scene to allow us to do more biking around town and take different kinds of trips.

I have zero roadbike experience - just now a used Specialized Tarmac Expert fcarbon bike has become available at my local dealer.

Would this be a good first roadbike to the uninitiated or is it too much bike? Or should i buy an xc bike, those thin wheels are kinda scary...

Any comments welcome, cheers.

dreamlx10

Just do it, you'll quickly realise what you're missing. Once you feel you and the bike bowling along at twenty mph you'll wonder why you ever bothered slogging around off road on a tractor again !

Omar Little

I'd go for the Tarmac

A Pitch Pro is a good all round mountain bike - it might not be as fast and light as a xc bike, but it is still more than capable for riding xc trails as well as more burly stuff. A road bike will offer a bigger variation in your riding. If your mates are buying road bikes then you will regret getting a xc bike.

Actually regret is too strong, a nice xc bike would be good too But it will likely mean in a few weeks time you will end up still wanting a road bike anyway after struggling to keep up with your mates on road rides.

jaythai

@dreamlx10,

That's what I'm afraid of!

But seriously for the average mtb rider like me, these roadbikes look quite scary, I'm worried about the sharp turn or a loss of control going downhill - is this an issue?

The bike is about 1,000 Pounds so it's a considerable investment.

pylwagl

jaythai
Acouple of weeks ago I got a decent road bike after years of mtbs. It's not a replacement for the tractor (Stumpie) but simply an excuse to do more biking. The road bike (Allez) is an absolute revelation in terms of speed and acceleration. Totally different to the mtb and totally brilliant.
Go and buy the Tarmac - quick!
cheers

Stu

jaythai

Thanks Stu,

Ok I'll go for it!

Cheers.
J.

jaythai

@Omar,

Thanks, good point about being left behind - i was thinking more along the lines of the Specialized Crux which has more rugged tires, but i agree with you that this will probably mean that i get left behind on normal rds which is where we would probably be spending most of our time anyway.

Mr Dog

Its a great bike. Buy the best you can afford.. if the Tarmac is in your range and it sets your heart a pace then it is a solid purchase. Remember to get pedals and shoes ( at least 10% of the purchase price ) thrown in.
You may find the switch from mtb difficult to start with, the twitchy steering, high cadence etc.. but hang in there and the rewards are huge. Don't be put offin the early stages, get yourself a program or goal to aim for. Look forward to seeing you on the road. 8)

jaythai

Thanks Dog,

the twitchy steering is the thing that worries me the most, i have visions of me being distracted and the next thing i know the bars have veered over 90degrees to one side.

the model i'm looking at already has the clipless peddles so all i need are the shoes; this will be my first clipless ride so again another scary challenge...

pipphillips

I'm lucky enough to have a very understanding wife (with no idea of the cost of bikes) so after being in the same position as yourself I now have a s works sl3 tarmac to match my s works epic mtb .Go for the Tarmac I think you would enjoy it

jaythai

thanks pipphilips,
oh yes i am in the same boat as you!
The Tarmac Expert i have found may be an '09 model i think but it has plenty of upgrade parts including the wheels, seat post, seat stays and pedals. as well as lights - it's going to be in the region of 1,000Pounds give or take a 100 but it looks fantastic.

I was also thinking of buying a carbon Stumpjumper sometime in the near future.

Secteur

You could get a 2010 Specialized Secteur Comp for £1k - the bike I recently bought.

I upgraded the stock Tektro brakes to 105's with KoolSTop Salmons (MASSIVE++++ improvement) for about £50 total cost.

Fantastic bike, and designed to be more comfortable - google "Roubaix" - it's based on that design, to be more comfortable for long distances, and might be less scary to someone with a MTB background, but is still an out-and-out road bike.

Mine is very comfortable (other than my golfers elbow issues which are set up related)..

nomadicbry

My son races a Tarmac Comp bought in the sales for him
i've had a few sneaky shots of it and i'm seriously impressed by it
Def buy the Tarmac it is a fabulous bike

nomadicbry

in regards to the twitchy handling you'll be fine i found the tarmac goes where you want it to is ultra responsive and instantly applies the power to where you want it. it makes a very average cyclist feel like I could take on the Tour haha which of course i couldn't but the bike is so good...

northpole

The steering shouldn't be a problem but please give some thought to your posture. The Tarmac has a quite aggressive riding position with the handle bars quite low set in relation to the saddle (similar to the Allez). The likes of the Secteur and Roubaix have a more upright riding position which places less strain on your lower back. Different folks have different preferences - after 30 or 40 miles in the saddle your back will let you know what it is comfortable with!

You can adjust the stem/ bars and your lbs should be able to do this to some extent. If it is a used bike they should be happy to let you take it out for a decent length ride. £1k is a lot to part with for a first (used) road bike and you should do what you can to make sure it is the right fit. There are plenty of other alternatives at this price level - particularly Ribble and Planet X. Don't get me wrong, the Tarmac is a great bike, especially if it comes with decent wheels - just try to ignore how good it looks and focus on fit and riding position over distance.

Peter

Im Bald Ok

First of all i have a 2010 Tarmac expert and it's a beautiful bike to ride.

However if you've never riden a road bike or have no road experience i would strongly suggest you at least test ride 2 or 3 bikes to compare.

Also If one of your riding buddies has already bought a road bike ask if you can have a quick ride, it'll soon make your mind up.

Paul E

My first road bike since I was a teenager is a secteur and how I have it set up negates most of the relaxed geo anyway (bars with spacers above etc) as that is what I find comfortable, if I was to chose again I would probably end up with a tarmac

dreamlx10

peddles

Please !!!

Rich Hcp

Go for it!

I went from MTB to a Spez Allez, yes, there is some twitchiness, its not excessive.

Relax on the bike and you'll be fine, if you worry about it you'll tense up and make things worse.

Relax and enjoy the speed!

I still go out on the trails, will be in about an hour, so its great toi have the choice of either.

stronginthesun

i ride a hardrock mtb through the winter , and a trek 4.5 in the spring / summer . the trek is a revelation after a few months of slogging round on the mtb . get the tarmac ! sounds a good price as well !

jaythai

thanks for all the very advice,

@Northpole, i think i'll definitely take it out for a ride, now that you've mentioned it the low down posture is one thing that concerns me as I have a dodgy lower back from years of squash and golf abuse.

Maybe it is possible to make the riding position less severe by raising the bars?

northpole

You can I think extend the stem height with spacers and you can also flip the handle bars to get a bit more height.

A colleague of mine has the Tarmac and is very keen to change across to a Roubaix. His bike shop ran a full bike set up check, made what changes they could and still ended up recommending he switches across to a Roubaix style frame. By coincidence I have a Roubaix Pro (they are all the same profile as far as I am aware) which I got following a nasty lower back episode. This worked well for me (I still suffer the odd re-occurrence, but that is the nature of dodgy backs, not a reflection on the bike!). If you suffer lower back problems I would suggest you proceed with caution as tightening hamstrings and aggressive posture can impose quite a strain on your lower lumbar area.

Peter

jaythai

I didn't notice before but they also have some much better value Allez models in so I think I'm going to test one of those and hopefully a Roubaix to see which is the most comfortable, will let you know how it goes, Thanks for all the advice.

carrock

Secteur wrote:

You could get a 2010 Specialized Secteur Comp for £1k - the bike I recently bought.

I upgraded the stock Tektro brakes to 105's with KoolSTop Salmons (MASSIVE++++ improvement) for about £50 total cost.

Fantastic bike, and designed to be more comfortable - google "Roubaix" - it's based on that design, to be more comfortable for long distances, and might be less scary to someone with a MTB background, but is still an out-and-out road bike.

Mine is very comfortable (other than my golfers elbow issues which are set up related)..

Given the choice between a Tarmac and a Secteur for the same price, I know what I'd rather buy......