Up next in 10
We compare the legendary Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 against a full custom build based on the Seka Spear RDC frame. Is the era of big brand dominance over? See if our 'superbike killer' has what it takes to compete with the very best.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
This is a limited edition S-Works Tarmac SL8 in red bulbora handsgrower colours
0:06
complete with a SRAM Red AXS groupset and Roval wheels, which makes it very similar to the bikes that mountain goats such as Primoz Roglic
0:14
and Remco Ebenapol will be using at this year's Tour de France
0:18
And I'm on the hunt for some mountain goats, and that's why I've come to Cheddar Gorge on a particularly windy day
0:24
For the last nearly three years, this has represented the very best
0:28
of what you can go to a shop on a Saturday by yourself and then get dropped on on your Sunday
0:33
club run. Specialized has gone to great lengths to design this bike as a package and if you go and
0:39
buy it from the shop you do get the SRAM group set but you also get a Roval handlebar of course
0:44
they're in bed with Specialized. You also get a Specialized Mira saddle and I realize they're not
0:50
on this bike but you normally get a set of Specialized tires as well. The SL8 has got many
0:55
a great review and has become the benchmark of road race bikes over the last few years because
1:01
it doesn't really have a weak point. Specialized has designed the whole thing and let's be honest
1:08
it does work really well together. Of course there are alternatives that I could have chosen. I could
1:12
have chosen the Cervelo S5 with the reserve wheels that I really like. New Cannondale Super 6 is
1:17
another excellent choice. However more and more people are being tempted by Chinese direct-to-consumer
1:25
brands and potentially building their own custom build. Enter the Seeker Spear RDC
1:43
The other day I was having a chat with the Insurance Emporium who of course sponsor our
1:47
Tech of the Month show and they said there's been loads of new bikes recently what is the best bike
1:52
in the world. And I said, well, it's really hard to overlook the S-Works Tarmac SLA. It's nearly
1:58
three years old now, and yet it's still probably the best in the business. But I did caveat that
2:04
with, there's a lot of very exciting options coming from the Far East, direct to consumer brands that
2:10
are much smaller, less established, and people might not have heard of, that I think are doing
2:15
some really interesting things. So they challenged me to go away and build my own custom build that I
2:21
think can take it to the very best of the best. And this is it. It's a Seeker Spear RDC. RDC
2:27
stands for Racing Day Combatant. It basically means it's the really lightweight version. So
2:33
this frame, complete with wind eye, has a claimed weight of just 685 grams, which just so happens
2:39
to be identical to an S-Works Tarmac. So my bike, it's a size large and rather interestingly, Seeker
2:47
do all sorts of size options as do most brands but they also do two different fit options so this
2:53
is a regular but they also do a more racing orientated one which has a much lower stack
2:58
height. I don't do enough strength and conditioning sessions to have that one and I'd have to then
3:03
ride a load of spaces under my stem which I think doesn't look as good as this clean look
3:10
So that's the frame what have I got on it? Well I've got the Rapier handlebar which from the front
3:15
you can see looks very slim and racy It fully integrated The brake hoses all go through it The Di2 goes through it It 130 mil stem 38 centimetre handlebar width It got a little bit of flare as well
3:29
So it is UCI legal, but it's not going to make me like an absolute parachute. Also on this frame
3:35
you get some proprietary bottle cages. So they fit standard circular profile bottles, but they're
3:42
sort of aero integrated like the ones on the Giant Propel or the BMC road machine that sort of thing
3:49
As for group set I've gone for Shimano Dura-Ace because I've tried quite a few direct-to-consumer
3:56
group sets and they haven't left me feeling like I don't feel like they've got to their flagship
4:04
product yet. The L2 one that I used was actually very good but it's significantly cheaper than
4:12
SRAM Red or Shimano Dura-Ace and I don't think it's at that level yet. I'm sure in a few
4:19
generations time they might well be. So it's full Dura-Ace apart from I wanted a power meter on the
4:25
bike and the Shimano Dura-Ace power meter not only costs a fortune but it has had some trials
4:30
and tribulations so i've decided to try out a machine teo power meter it's got carbon crank
4:35
arms it's a spider-based power meter and then i've got 53 39 tooth chain rings fitted it's also 165
4:42
mil crank arm length thought i'd give that hype slash trend a go so far so good uh it's given me
4:49
nice nice numbers um it's given me accurate numbers it's not giving me nice numbers because
4:55
it's got these legs pushing it around but i have tried it against quite a few uh turbo trainers
4:59
indoor trainers and yeah numbers seem to be reliable. 1134 tooth cassette on the back and
5:06
they're fitted to these rather loud number six racing works wheels. So they're the 5058 wheels
5:14
carbon fiber, carbon fiber spokes and my favorite thing about them is the silver hubs. They do do
5:21
much less bold should we say graphic options. This is the anniversary set so you get these
5:28
silver decals. They do quieter ones as well. What else? Oh, the handlebar tape, that is straight from
5:34
AliExpress. I believe it looks very similar to a fabric knurl tack, which I really used to enjoy
5:43
using, and I think they discontinued it. So I'm not sure why it is going to last very long, but
5:48
it feels good. It feels nice. And then the saddle, that is also from AliExpress. It's a Riot
5:54
Ultimate. So that means it gets the carbon fibre rails, the carbon fibre body and then it's got a
6:00
3D printed upper. The verdict's still out on that one. Haven't used it enough to be able to tell if
6:06
that's going to stay or whether I'm going to have to spend a lot more money and get one from one of
6:12
the more established brands. So I think you'll agree that it is a very nice bike but can something
6:19
that I've cobbled together really take it to the best of the best
6:23
Well, let's get on the road and find out. Whether you're in the stock build camp or you've spent months
6:39
sourcing the perfect parts for a custom project a new bike can be a seriously sizable investment And someone who understands this perfectly is today video sponsor the Insurance Emporium
6:49
We partnered with them for this video because they understand that a bike for many of us
6:53
is more than just a mode of transport. It's a passion project, it's a key to freedom
6:58
and that your pride and joy deserves expert coverage. So why can you trust the Insurance
7:03
Emporium? Well, they have a de facto five-star rating, a Trust Pilot score of excellent
7:07
and a FIFO Platinum Trusted Service. If you, for example, are lucky enough to have multiple bikes
7:13
then you can cover up to six all-on-one policy against things such as theft, loss, or accidental damage
7:20
If you want to race either your stock or custom build, then you can also get competition cover
7:25
and with some policies, you can also get entry reimbursement if you have to pull out with an injury
7:31
If you'd like to check them out or find out anything more about their coverage options
7:35
then there's a link down below, and there's also details of how to take advantage of up to 20% off
7:43
So the Seeker Spear, why did I choose this bike? Well firstly, like the Tarmac, it's an all-round bike
7:52
It's not an aero bike, it's not a climbing bike, it's designed to do both
7:56
And in my books, that's a good thing. The rides that I do, I do do some Criterion racing, so the aero is important to me
8:03
but also I just want one bike that I can race at the weekends that I can ride up Cheddar Gorge on
8:09
a Wednesday and feel like I'm not at a disadvantage on the hills either and with this frame weight
8:15
that's certainly the case now also there's plenty of aero testing to suggest that this really is
8:22
the real deal it is very fast we'll pop some data from aero coach up on the screen now
8:29
and also our friends at Cycling News have been and tested this very bike and they put it in their
8:35
windtile testing and yeah seriously impressive stuff it really does seem that an all-rounder
8:43
bike isn't giving a lot away to the dedicated pure crazy Batmobile aero bikes at all really
8:52
the other thing about all-round bikes is that they are often quite a bit more comfortable
8:58
the tube shapes just lend themselves to a bit more compliance and that is one of the reasons
9:05
again to go for the seeker and i must admit i've been very impressed with the comfort now i must
9:11
admit i do think that the rear end comfort is more on a par with my sl7 than it is with the sl8
9:17
the sl8 they did a lot to really bump up the rear compliance and i'm not sure this is exactly the
9:26
same level but it's not far off either so it's ticked the weight box it's ticked the aero box
9:32
and it has mostly ticked the comfort box as well so does it have any downsides well it's not cheap
9:40
it is slightly cheaper than the s-works tarmac but it's not exactly what you'd call cheap
9:47
and i think that's just an illusion that we have to get out of our heads chinese direct-to-consumer
9:52
bikes are cheaper but they're no longer cheap they're not the cheap option so
9:58
yeah any negatives the bottle cage has quite a sharp edge on it the ones that come with the frame when I go to put my bottle back in it sort of catches and it not the easiest to put back in
10:13
So that is one thing, very minor. The other thing, when you take your rear wheel out
10:21
and put it back in, the mech hanger just seems to move slightly
10:28
and then the thru axle won't always go back in first go. then you have to undo the mech hang with the 4mm, move it back to where it was, where it's meant to
10:34
be, and then put your throw axle in. Certainly not the only bike I've had that issue with
10:39
but it's not an issue that I get on my tarmac. It was ironically an issue that I had on the SL6
10:46
tarmac when I used one of them for a bit. So would I do it again? Well yes, I think that I've got
10:54
far more enjoyment and far more looks at the cafe and all that sort of thing by building my own bike
11:00
rather than buying one off the shelf now I do need to caveat that with the fact that
11:05
I'm quite a confident bike mechanic I can do quite a lot of the jobs myself and remember
11:13
that if you choose to do a custom build someone needs to build it someone needs to check that all
11:19
the parts are compatible with each other which is a bit of a minefield and then they actually need
11:24
to put it together which is a good few hours of labor and that could cost you make sure you build
11:29
it into the cost. Now you might not agree with some of my component choices and that is absolutely
11:34
fine but is that not the whole point of a custom build? It's my choice. I can do what I want whereas
11:41
Specialized or Cannondale or Trek or any other brand they have to design to the average person
11:50
They have to play it safe. They have to sell a ton of bikes and so the spec options have to be
11:57
broad enough and dare I say boring enough to suit everyone. I didn't have to be boring
12:04
and I know a lot of you won't love some of the really loud garish graphics and things but honestly
12:12
I just wanted this bike to be different to everyone else's on the group run. I think I've
12:16
definitely been successful in that regard. It's definitely a conversation starter so yeah let me
12:22
what you think of it down in the comments below i won't be offended too much there is one other
12:28
thing and that is that i've been quite fortunate with this build that everything has gone on it
12:33
without any issues and obviously especially if you're buying off of aliexpress or if you're
12:39
buying less known parts then there is a chance that they won't fit quite the way you intended
12:45
or the compatibility might be an issue now i'm lucky enough to know lots of cyclists and
12:51
obviously have my nose to the ground when it comes to bike tech and therefore I've avoided
12:57
certain parts and only use parts which I know have a good reputation. However if you're building a
13:03
custom build then make sure you look at forums, you read some reviews and yeah just scope it out
13:09
before well you potentially make a very expensive mistake. So that's my opinion but which one would
13:18
you choose? Let me know down in the comments section below. If you like this type of content
13:23
then please make sure you subscribe to the channel, give this video a like, and we'll see you next time
#sports