Specialized calls this Project Black, stating it relies on feedback from professional athletes to develop and test \u201cadvanced pre-production products in real-world applications\u201d.<\/p>\n
The brand says the feedback on these designs then informs its future retail products. So what you see here, you might see in your local bike shop in the near future.<\/p>\n
Specialized is tight-lipped about its new product pipeline, so spotting the new tech relies on a trawl through Specialized\u2019s images from its pro team training camps. Here are three new products we\u2019ve spotted on the pros\u2019 bikes.<\/p>\n
New Mirror saddle shape<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The new S-Works Mirror saddle shape has a long central cut-out and fewer perforations than current models.<\/span><\/figcaption> Specialized<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThere appears to be a new shape for the 3D-printed S-Works Mirror<\/a> saddle in the offing. The new design looks to belong to the long, narrow genre of road bike saddles<\/a> rather than the stubby saddles that have been in vogue in recent years.<\/p>\nThis prototype has a longer central pressure-relief channel than current models too, which stretches right to the saddle\u2019s nose. There also appear to be fewer, smaller perforations, which don\u2019t stretch so far towards the saddle wings as with current models.<\/p>\n
New S-Works turbo tyre tread<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The unnamed S-Works tyre on Asgreen\u2019s Tarmac SL7.<\/span><\/figcaption> Specialized<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe painted-over model name on the S-Works tyres on Kasper Asgreen\u2019s Tarmac SL7<\/a> is a dead giveaway he\u2019s riding something new. There\u2019s a hint of extra tread over the crown of the road bike tyre<\/a>, whereas the current model S-Works Turbo 2BR 2Bliss Ready T2\/T5<\/a> tyre has a slick central section.<\/p>\nAsgreen is a classics specialist, who won the Tour of Flanders in 2021 and came third in last year\u2019s Strade Bianche, so it seems likely the new tyre is designed to give a little extra grip on wet roads, cobbles and the Tuscan white roads of the early-season races. Maybe there\u2019s extra puncture protection hidden inside as well.<\/p>\n
Tim Merlier was riding the same tyre as Asgreen. Although Merlier is a sprinter on the road, his background is in cyclocross<\/a>, so we\u2019d expect him to take a keen interest in tyre grip.<\/p> New custom time trial bars<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> TT bars are custom-made for each rider.<\/span><\/figcaption> Specialized<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe standard bars on the Shiv<\/a> time trial bike major on adjustability, as you\u2019d expect from a product designed to enable a comfortable fit for a wide range of users.<\/p>\nThat\u2019s not something pro riders need though, because once their position is dialled in there\u2019s little need for further adjustment. This means riders are often provided with 3D-printed time trial cockpits with custom geometry to fit their exact dimensions and further optimised airflow. This is the case with the cockpits on the Shiv bikes for a number of riders including Yves Lampaert and Remco Evenepoel.<\/p>\n
Since the UCI stipulates any products used by the pros also have to be available for Joe Average to buy, it\u2019s likely we\u2019ll learn more about these new products before too long.<\/p>\n
An Evenepoel special<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Remco Evenepoel gets a custom S-Works Tarmac SL7 to start the season.<\/span><\/figcaption> Specialized<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nIn 2023, Specialized will be supplying its Tarmac SL7 and Roval wheels<\/a>, along with the S-Works Prevail 3 and Evade 3<\/a> helmets to five teams. Soudal Quick-Step, Bora-Hansgrohe, Total Energies and the SD Worx women\u2019s team roll over from Specialized\u2019s 2022 sponsorships, and it\u2019s added a women\u2019s development team for 2023, AG Insurance \u2013 Soudal Quick-Step.<\/p>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Evenepoel\u2019s Tarmac SL7 might look all-white, but there are rainbow stripes where his rivals will see them.<\/span><\/figcaption> Specialized<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nIt also has a special \u2018Remco\u2019s Reign\u2019 S-Works Tarmac SL7 paintjob to celebrate Remco Evenepoel\u2019s season as world champion.<\/p>\n
The bike may look white overall, but the details are subtle, with a reminder on the front of the top tube of who is world champion. There are also rainbow-coloured highlights, including on the rear of the seat tube, where it\u2019s presumably hoped Evenepoel\u2019s rivals will see them.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Paul Norman Published: Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 12:00 am Specialized has showcased the products to be used by its sponsored teams in 2023. As you\u2019d expect, the Tarmac SL7 is the model of choice for the five pro teams that will ride Specialized bikes this season, but a closer look reveals some yet-to-be-launched […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":45003,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-scaled.jpg",2560,1713,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-300x201.jpg",300,201,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-768x514.jpg",768,514,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-1024x685.jpg",800,535,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-1536x1028.jpg",1536,1028,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-2048x1370.jpg",2048,1370,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Paul Norman Published: Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 12:00 am Specialized has showcased the products to be used by its sponsored teams in 2023. As you\u2019d expect, the Tarmac SL7 is the model of choice for the five pro teams that will ride Specialized bikes this season, but a closer look reveals some yet-to-be-launched…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/45002"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2023\/01\/ETSC4570-2-14c0d24.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>There appears to be a new shape for the 3D-printed S-Works Mirror<\/a> saddle in the offing. The new design looks to belong to the long, narrow genre of road bike saddles<\/a> rather than the stubby saddles that have been in vogue in recent years.<\/p>\n This prototype has a longer central pressure-relief channel than current models too, which stretches right to the saddle\u2019s nose. There also appear to be fewer, smaller perforations, which don\u2019t stretch so far towards the saddle wings as with current models.<\/p>\n The painted-over model name on the S-Works tyres on Kasper Asgreen\u2019s Tarmac SL7<\/a> is a dead giveaway he\u2019s riding something new. There\u2019s a hint of extra tread over the crown of the road bike tyre<\/a>, whereas the current model S-Works Turbo 2BR 2Bliss Ready T2\/T5<\/a> tyre has a slick central section.<\/p>\n Asgreen is a classics specialist, who won the Tour of Flanders in 2021 and came third in last year\u2019s Strade Bianche, so it seems likely the new tyre is designed to give a little extra grip on wet roads, cobbles and the Tuscan white roads of the early-season races. Maybe there\u2019s extra puncture protection hidden inside as well.<\/p>\n Tim Merlier was riding the same tyre as Asgreen. Although Merlier is a sprinter on the road, his background is in cyclocross<\/a>, so we\u2019d expect him to take a keen interest in tyre grip.<\/p> The standard bars on the Shiv<\/a> time trial bike major on adjustability, as you\u2019d expect from a product designed to enable a comfortable fit for a wide range of users.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not something pro riders need though, because once their position is dialled in there\u2019s little need for further adjustment. This means riders are often provided with 3D-printed time trial cockpits with custom geometry to fit their exact dimensions and further optimised airflow. This is the case with the cockpits on the Shiv bikes for a number of riders including Yves Lampaert and Remco Evenepoel.<\/p>\n Since the UCI stipulates any products used by the pros also have to be available for Joe Average to buy, it\u2019s likely we\u2019ll learn more about these new products before too long.<\/p>\n In 2023, Specialized will be supplying its Tarmac SL7 and Roval wheels<\/a>, along with the S-Works Prevail 3 and Evade 3<\/a> helmets to five teams. Soudal Quick-Step, Bora-Hansgrohe, Total Energies and the SD Worx women\u2019s team roll over from Specialized\u2019s 2022 sponsorships, and it\u2019s added a women\u2019s development team for 2023, AG Insurance \u2013 Soudal Quick-Step.<\/p>\n It also has a special \u2018Remco\u2019s Reign\u2019 S-Works Tarmac SL7 paintjob to celebrate Remco Evenepoel\u2019s season as world champion.<\/p>\n The bike may look white overall, but the details are subtle, with a reminder on the front of the top tube of who is world champion. There are also rainbow-coloured highlights, including on the rear of the seat tube, where it\u2019s presumably hoped Evenepoel\u2019s rivals will see them.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n By Paul Norman Published: Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 12:00 am Specialized has showcased the products to be used by its sponsored teams in 2023. As you\u2019d expect, the Tarmac SL7 is the model of choice for the five pro teams that will ride Specialized bikes this season, but a closer look reveals some yet-to-be-launched […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":45003,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-scaled.jpg",2560,1713,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-300x201.jpg",300,201,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-768x514.jpg",768,514,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-1024x685.jpg",800,535,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-1536x1028.jpg",1536,1028,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/01\/specialized-project-black-hints-at-new-3d-printed-saddle-tyres-and-tt-bar-2048x1370.jpg",2048,1370,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Paul Norman Published: Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 12:00 am Specialized has showcased the products to be used by its sponsored teams in 2023. As you\u2019d expect, the Tarmac SL7 is the model of choice for the five pro teams that will ride Specialized bikes this season, but a closer look reveals some yet-to-be-launched…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/45002"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}New S-Works turbo tyre tread<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2023\/01\/ETSC2709-a191624.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>New custom time trial bars<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2023\/01\/ETSC2852-e3ca8a5.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>An Evenepoel special<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2023\/01\/ETSC2147-19ed93c.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2023\/01\/ETSC3379-fb16cdb.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"