Pictures of new bikes and equipment are being spotted every day and this time, it’s on Lotte Kopecky’s Instagram with a better look at what appears to be an as-of-yet unreleased Roval integrated cockpit, that we think must be for the Specialized Tarmac. What else do we now know?
Roval already has a fully carbon integrated cockpit, the Roval Alpinist, but they are aimed at climbers. The focus is on being lightweight rather than aero with Roval claiming a weight that is “more than 100g lighter than the competition”. They are priced at £475.
Roval’s current aero option is the Roval Rapide handlebar, which requires a separate bar and stem set-up, and is said to save 20 seconds over a round bar, costing £350.
The Alpinist cockpit has a claimed weight of 255 grams (110mm x 420mm), so will Specialized make this bar lighter despite it being more aero?
We often see aero, integrated cockpits weighing over the 300g mark, with Black Inc’s integrated barstem having a claimed weight of 320g.
The Bontrager Aeolus RSL VR-C handlebar/stem was said to be 10% faster than its predecessor with improved aero efficiency but Trek soon issued a safety recall on these handlebars due to the risk of failure… perhaps due to cuts taken to get the claimed weight down to 280g.
> Trek issues safety recall notice covering bikes and handlebars
We suspect Specialized will try and match this weight of around 280g but solving the issues that led to recall.
> Fabio Jakobsen spotted with ‘new Specialized aero handlebars and saddle’
The cables are routed externally on the Alpinist bar like on the Pro Vibe Aero SL handlebar. This new setup which is likely to replace the Roval Rapide aero handlebar also seems to feature semi-internal cable routing with the hoses routed under the stem.
Previously, you might have thought that Jakobsen’s bars looked like a two-piece set up but that’s just the lanyard for his bike computer wrapped around the stem. The stem is similarly shaped to the Alpinist bars but the bars themself are very different, with a pronounced aero top section rather than a round shape, taking after the Roval Rapide handlebar.
> Check out the best road bike handlebars 2022
We can expect these bars to be released when the matching bike gets out and as mentioned previously, we think a Specialized Tarmac SL8 is on its way in time for the Tour de France, featuring this integrated cockpit.
What do you think this new aero, integrated cockpit will cost? Let us know in the comments section below…
7 thoughts on “New pictures of unreleased fully integrated Roval bars on Specialized Tarmac leaked on social media”
Sorry if I am being dim, but
Sorry if I am being dim, but will somebody please explain the reference to 20 seconds here (and why it matters)?
“Roval’s current aero option is the Roval Rapide handlebar(link is external), which requires a separate bar and stem set-up, and is said to save 20 seconds over a round bar, costing £350. “?
Griff500 wrote:
On their website it claims to be “Aerodynamically engineered to save 20+ seconds over 40km vs a round bar”. Phrased like that because it sounds more impressive than being a fraction of a percentage quicker.
Tom_77 wrote:
Thanks for that. Makes much more sense without the selective quote.
The ol’ 20 seconds at 40kmh
The ol’ 20 seconds at 40kmh thing
The Bontrager Aeolus RSL VR-C
The Bontrager Aeolus RSL VR-C handlebar/stem was said to be 10% faster than its predecessor with improved aero efficiency
This bit is even funnier, and presumably refers to a riderless bike in a wind tunnel and some dodgy equation which doesn’t apply in those circumstances relating wind resistance to speed
How much of the supposed aero
How much of the supposed aero gains of these handlebars are cancelled by sticking a big bike computer in front of them?
Or even a light?
Or even a light?