Here it goes then! I wont go into mega detail but if you have any questions please ask and ill answer them fully. Ive left the components out of it so as to just compare the frames as this is what most will be buying and building their own. So.. Ive had both now only been riding the tarmac for a few days but already know its alot different to the venge, both are s works models. Heres some info on me beforehand I Average about 95kg and am 5,11 to give you an idea about sizing ect,
Venge- 54cm frame, the frame felt very compact and small however my nuts just cleared the top tube, i ran this with the usual 90 mm stem but felt i could go alot longer and still be very comftorable i needed to have the stem slammed to get into a comfy postion on this and alot of seatpost showing. however when i got onto it it did not feel like i was in an uncomftorable aggressive position although in reality it was. I would reccommend going a size down from your usual for the venge as i found the 56 was too big for me alot of the pro riders go smaller with the venge too apparently.
The venge is made to outperform other bikes in full on streight line speed which it did. The venge isnt as stiff as the tarmac and you can really feel it between bikes when setting off but after the first few initial strokes of the pedals the venge seemed to keep gaining speed noticably better than the tarmac and also holds onto it better, handling wise the venge can be abit sloppy i often found it harder to get around tight bends and roundabouts at speed. I would often come out wide and almost venture across the white lines.
On the steeper hills you can feel abit of flex in the frame mainly around the seat and chainstays compared to the tarmac but it isnt as bad as some would make out the venge is still a very good climber and has tackled up to 20 percent grades without too much when sat in the saddle however if you are to get up out of the saddle on such gradients you can feel the frame flexing.
Ive taken The venge on some pretty rough gravel and mud tracks and even down a blue mtb course (dont ask i got abit lost in the countryside) and surprisingly it seemed to soak up the bumps and although it took quite a bashing i never once thought i had to pull over and walk due to thinking it could be damaged i wouldnt reccomend taking such a high end aero bike off the beaten track but its nice to know if you ever need to for whatever reason its not going to shatter.
So in short
Pro's
Holds speed better than anything ive test rode including the scott foil, supersix evo and madone
Really comftorable for an aero road bike
Looks gorgeous compared to the tarmac which i think looks pretty standard
Not too stiff so soaks up road vibrations well.
Cons
Small fitting
Geometry may not suit older cyclists or the less flexible
Noticible flexing on steeper out of the saddle climbs
Handling can be abit numb
Tarmac sl4 56cm feels a tad big for me my nuts are squashed by the top tube
What can i say.. Light nimble and quick off the line if your a lighter rider or what would be classed as gc this is the one for you. The stiffness is noticibly better than the venge especially in the front end and rear ( i cant say i felt any bottom bracket difference but i think this is because the osbb is pretty much the same on both) Where as i would describe the venge as more of a spring when first setting off, slower at first but then really accelerating after a good 20 metres or so the tarmac is a bullet from the off its much quicker off the blocks than the venge however trying to maintain the momentum and higher speed seems more difficult on the tarmac, the venge you could tuck down and coast and not loose much momentum but the tarmac i feel you need to keep grinding away to keep to similar speeds.
Handling wise the tarmac is very nimble, you can really get around tight corners on decents and smash it down those windey country roads with confidence however hit a rough patch or pothole and its like getting hit with a slegehammer up the arse, the stiffness is great for sprinting or climbing but hit rough road or a pothole and it feels like the bike is going to shake apart.
Tackling the hills is alot easier riding the tarmac than the venge there is no sense of flex what so ever even when being out of the saddle it just goes and you can really feel every watt of power pushing you forward, if you want to climb the mountains this is the bike for you.
Pro's
Excellent all round stiffness so power transfer is instant and full
Geometry would suit more riders and a more relaxed position is able to be acheived
Brilliant handling in tight corners
Cons
Really rough ride on bad roads and a horrendous jerk if hitting even small bumps in the road
Dosent hold onto speed as well as the venge.
Summary
If you want to go the fastest you can on a lumpy flat or downhill course go with the venge, this would also be a good option if you are looking for a bike to compete in tt events as you can get an excellent tt position on the venge with the flippable seatpost. But if you are tackling lots of climbs and windey decents the tarmac is the one you want, for a general rider i would lean towards the tarmac as it would be more comftorable for most to get on with in day to day life, dont forget there is also a disk version availible now. I would run it with 25c tyres for the extra comfort though. Personally i couldnt decide over the two on which is truly the best as they both perform amazing for their purpose, the venge is for all out speed where as the tarmac is a do it all sort of bike, you wouldnt be dissapointed using either for the others designated purpose, you could sprint on a tarmac or Tackle a mountain with a venge and not be disaponted.
Personally if i had to choose id have the venge because lets face it... Its gorgous! And it suited my type of riding well although i am finding myself tacking seriosuly hard climbs on purpose now ive got the tarmac, heres some images of my two (venge is currently stolen)
