Imagine taking one of the fastest road-race bikes in the world and treating it like a blank canvas. Literally. I don’t mean a blank canvas in the sense of hanging whatever high-performing components you want.
No, a literal blank canvas, complete with an artist ready to create their next masterpiece.
Pretty cool. And this is exactly what Specialized has done with their S-Works Tarmac SL8 frames.
Meet the Artists
Each of the three artists who received these blank canvases from Specialized comes from a different corner of the world. Yet, aside from art, they all have one thing in common: cycling.
They were tasked to interpret a “One Bike to Rule Them All” concept through their own perspective and lens. Each drew on their own relationship to cycling, finding inspiration in color, speed, rhythm, and movement.
Here is what they designed.
Yoon Hyup’s frame design captures the essence of dawn and dusk rides. Streetlights become a runway of sorts, with the reflection of the night blurring into a fast state of flow.
“One word captures this collaboration for me: synergy. The rider and the bike moving as one.”
Parra’s inspiration is connected to the 90s cycling culture that first drew him in. His take on the Specialized Tarmac SL8 brings the rider through a color blast, connecting them to typography and hand-drawn, curvy elements, Parra’s signature. For him, the design, the bike, all of it is about chasing what he calls “the cycling high.”
“The inspiration comes after the ride. That cycling high is everything.”
For Lucas Beaufort, cycling is revelation. It opens people to more of the world and more possibilities. He connected these ideas to his iconic character, GusGus, on the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8. GusGus represents unity, community, and connection, found in the frame, rooted in life and experience.
“Dreams, connection, change–they start with action. It’s all up to you.”
Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 Artist Series Details
Specialized crafted each frame and fork from S-Works FACT 12r Carbon, with a weight of 685g (56cm). As standard, the fork is 12x100mm thru-axle with a flat-mount disc, with a 12x142mm thru-axle and flat-mount disc in the rear.
Each frame is uniquely hand-painted by its respective artist and numbered. This means each frame is distinct and will vary from the others in both logo and graphic placement. Both Lucas Beaufort and Yoon Hyup will produce 150 hand-painted frames each. Parra will produce 200.
The frame prices are $5,499. For more details, visit specialized.com.
