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Staff Bikes

Brian's 2025 Specialized Tarmac Pro


Brian is the buyer for both of our locations, he is meticulous in his personal bike builds and it shows. This bike started its life as a 2025 Specialized Tarmac Pro, and before the wheels even hit the road he had spec'd the parts he wanted to make it fit him perfectly. Below are some notes he passed along about his thoughts on the build.



Handlebar/Stem   

I've been using the Enve SES AR Road In Route Handle bar on my gravel bike in a 40cm (45cm in the drops) and really liked the feel. The aero trend of skinnier bars isn't just for looks. There is a tangible benefit to closing off your front end and getting your arms more in line with your body. Whether trying to save energy, go faster or a combination of both, it's an easy change. I figured I could go even skinnier on the road bike with the 37cm while still having stability in the drops at 42cm. So far I absolutely love the feel and position it puts me in. Stable and comfortable for long days in the saddle. Stock stem was 110mm but historically I run 120mm-130mm stems on 58cm bikes to accomplish my position.

Saddle

The stock saddle looked promising but at 143mm it's just too wide for me. The importance of figuring out the proper width, length, shape, padding level, etc of your saddle cannot be overstated. There are a number of tools to help figure this out. Saddles with a width of around 130mm work better for me.

Crankset

 Another trend is the shortening of crankarms. As a former bike fitter and somebody who still pays attention to that world, a lot of cycling is still stuck in the "It's always been this way, therefore it must work" way of thinking. Crank length has always been one of those areas where some people have questioned the "why". It sits right up there with cleat placement. I chose shorter because of what it did for the top of my pedal stroke in regards to my hip angle relative to my position. After a short adaptation period things are great now and I can feel the difference in comfort and efficiency.  I also changed to 170mm on my gravel bike to keep my fit the same.

Tires and Liners

I've used Continental road tires for over 20 years. This new generation of tubeless road tires have an amazing combination of rolling resistance, grip, and puncture resistance. This is their top end "race" tire. Continental just came out with an All Season version of this tire that provides more puncture resistance, better wet grip, and a little more longevity that also looks amazing for somebody looking for an even more all-around high-performance tire.

I've used the Vittoria Air Liners for several years now. I'm not going to lie. They are a pain to install, and a nightmare to remove. I say this as somebody who has been around long enough to wrestle freshly glued tubular tires on and off. The tradeoff however is the liner locks the tire on your wheel, so if you have a sudden pressure loss due to a catastrophic cut or puncture the tire will not come undone. That was always one of the selling points of tubular tires because the glue would keep the tires on and you could keep rolling. These liners accomplish the same. They can also be ridden flat for a number of miles.  I've tested this a couple of times. I was able to keep rolling at 10-15mph with a completely flat tire for several miles. With good tire sealant installed and if you carry tubeless tire plugs, you shouldn't be too worried about being stranded out in the wild with these liners installed.



Electronics

With its large touch screen, the Edge 1050 is very easy to go through all your data screens and its map capabilities are second to none. It even has an electronic bell that is up there with many of the popular brass models you'd bolt to your bike as far as how loud it can be.

The Garmin Varia RCT715 tail light brings a little additional safety. Besides being a bright tail light, the radar provides a graphic on your computer screen indicating relative speed, distance, and how many vehicles are coming up behind you and their spacing. This model has a camera that is also recording in case there is an incident. Garmin offers two models of tail lights and one attachment that is radar only. Look for Garmin this spring at both our Beaverton and Lake Oswego locations.






Thanks to Brian for taking the time to talk us through how he decided to build hit semi-custom Tarmac. If you are ever wanting to do a frame-up or semi-custom build yourself swing on by the shop or give us a call to get your project rolling today!