Images that appear to show the Specialized Tarmac SL9 surfaced online on 12 May, posted to Instagram by @czice_. The leaked side-profile shots suggest an evolutionary update to the current Tarmac SL8 rather than a clean-sheet redesign, with visible changes concentrated around the seat tube and seatpost.
The current SL8 launched in August 2023 and is one of the most widely ridden bikes in the WorldTour. Five Specialized-sponsored teams would stand to receive a successor: Soudal - Quick Step, AG Insurance - Soudal, Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe, FDJ United - Suez and SD Worx - Protime. Those teams span both the men's and women's WorldTour pelotons.
What the images show
Based on the side-profile shots, the Tarmac SL9 retains the "Speed Sniffer," the protruding nose-cone shape on the head tube that Specialized introduced on the SL8 to manage airflow at the front of the bike. The down tube, top tube and seatstays also appear similar to the outgoing model.
Source: Instagram/ @czice_
The clearest changes are the seat tube and seatpost, which both look more aerodynamically shaped.
The leak shows only a side view. A front-on image would reveal far more about the frame's frontal area and tube shaping, which are the primary drivers of aerodynamic drag. Without that angle, the full scope of any aero gains remains unclear.
The pattern mirrors how the SL8 came to light. That bike was first spotted in training with Soudal - Quick Step in July 2023, with side-profile images circulating before an official launch followed weeks later. Specialized has had a frame carrying the Tarmac SL name in its lineup for 20 years, and the model has been used as an all-round race bike in professional racing for much of that span.
Timing and the Evenepoel connection
Race-debut timing for the SL9 remains unclear. Forum discussion on Weight Weenies as early as February 2026, citing an unnamed Specialized employee, pointed to a launch "around the Tour."
Radsport-News.com, who covered the leaks ahead of Velora, raised the possibility that Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe could be the first team to race the SL9, given the presence of Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe). When the SL8 launched, it was first spotted in training with Soudal - Quick Step; its first known competition appearance came at the 2023 World Championships ridden by riders representing their national teams rather than their trade teams.
The Weight Weenies post described the SL9 as "a slightly aero optimized SL8" that would combine "comfort of the Aethos backend, aeroness of the SL7 backend and an optimized SL8 front." That characterisation aligns broadly with the visible changes in the leaked images, though without official data from Specialized it remains speculative.
Specialized has not commented publicly on the leak. A public race or training-camp appearance under a WorldTour team would follow the pattern seen with the SL8 in the summer of 2023.
Cover image credit: Specialized Tarmac pictured in 2024, Elliot Keen/British Cycling/via SWpix.com
