Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8: Florian Lipowitz's racing bike with a special paint job
Jens Klötzer
· 24.07.2025
Florian Lipowitz from the team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has ridden his way into the limelight this year with second place at Paris-Nice and third place overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Lipowitz seems to like big gears. While he rode a huge 68-tooth chainring on his S-Works Shiv TT time trial bike, he also uses a crisp gear ratio on his road bike. After the first stage, his Tarmac was fitted with the SRAM Red AXS with 56/43 teeth at the front and a cassette with 10-33 teeth. The US component specialist does not currently offer a larger chainring combination. Lipowitz uses the same 3D-printed titanium derailleur hanger at the rear as Emanuel Buchmann uses on his Look 795 Blade RS.
Wheels on the Specialized by Florian Lipowitz a new development
Apart from the groupset, only the computer (Garmin) and pedals (Shimano) come from a manufacturer other than Specialized. The wheels, tyres, handlebars and saddle all come from the Californians or their own brand Roval. The wheels are a new development: according to the manufacturer, the Rapid Sprint CLX is intended to herald a "paradigm shift in aerodynamics", whereby the front rim is slightly higher at 63 millimetres than the rear rim at 58 millimetres.
We have not yet been able to test the structure in the wind tunnel. The aero performance of 209 watts at 45 km/h is based on an equipment variant with the old generation of Roval Rapid CLX. The new set should certainly add a few watts, which could bring the Specialized, designed as a race all-rounder, closer to the fastest bikes in the peloton.
How much does Florian Lipowitz's racing bike weigh?
On the TOUR scales in Lille, we determined a total weight of 7.0 kilograms for Lipowitz's bike - measured including pedals, bottle cage and race number. Without the add-on parts, the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 would weigh less than 6.8 kilograms. The fabulous weight of our former test bike (6.6 kilograms), the professional model doesn't quite come close. On the one hand, because we traditionally hang racing bikes on the scales without accessories in the TOUR test for better comparability. On the other hand, the new Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team livery is responsible for the slightly higher weight. Specialized provided us with a model with an unpainted frameset for the test.
In contrast to other teams, Lipowitz and his team-mates "only" have the S-Works Tarmac SL8 at their disposal. This means that in the mountains, the fast aero wheelset will probably be replaced by a lighter version with flatter rims. Ready to ride, the racers of the only German World Tour team should therefore come close to the UCI minimum weight of 6.8 kilograms and be a first-class "weapon" for Lipowitz to continue causing a furore in his first Tour of France.
Specialised S-Works Tarmac SL8 by Florian Lipowitz: the most important information
- Drive/gear shift: SRAM Red AXS (2x12; 56/43, 10-33 t.)
- Brakes: SRAM Red HRD
- Brake discs: SRAM Red (160/140 mm)
- Impellers: Roval Rapid Sprint CLX
- Tyres: Specialised Turbo Cotton TLR (28 mm)
- Handlebars: Roval
- Computer: Garmin
- Saddle: Specialised S-Works
- Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace
New paint on rest day
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The German hopeful was given a Specialized in a special livery after the 2nd rest day. The S-Works Tarmac SL8 is in white, as Florian Lipowitz is currently leading the ranking for the best young pro. The design is not entirely new: Remco Evenepoel also rode a similar model.
The Red Bull pro rides his SRAM Red AXS with 52/39 teeth at the front and 10-36 teeth at the rear. His team has also thought about the details: In addition to the white frameset, white stickers from SRAM also adorn the brake levers.
Jens Klötzer
Editor
