You won’t often hear a bike manufacturer claim that its latest high-end road bike, a model made for dominating WorldTour races, flexes more than its predecessor, or that it’s heavier. But in some cases, both statements are true of Specialized’s 2015 Tarmac.

The company unveiled the new bike to us last week at its offices in Morgan Hill, California, and over two days we put nearly 200 miles on it. In that time, Specialized engineers also explained exactly why, in some sizes, the Tarmac feels less rigid than the previous version, and other sizes are heavier. They also made the point, which played out on the road, that those changes vastly improved the ride.