Specialized has recalled one of the world’s most renowned road bikes because the fork steerer tube may crack due to a defect.
Riders have been asked to stop riding the bicycle and take it to their nearest authorised Specialized retailer for an inspection and free repair.
All 2020-21 models of the Tarmac SL7, which has the cables routed through the headset, are subject to the recall.
Other Tarmac models with conventional cable routing do not have the defect.
Hiding the cabling through the headset is a recent trend in high-end racing bikes, but is tricky to engineer robustly on bikes where saving weight is a priority.
Specialized says the bicycle’s fork steerer tube can crack or break after heavy impact.
If the fork breaks while the bicycle is being ridden, the rider may lose control of the bicycle, increasing the risk of an accident or injury.
The bike was sold nationally by 76 authorised Specialised dealers between 1 July 2020 and September 30 2021.
There are 123 different model configurations of the Tarmac SL7.
The serial number list is here.