Specialized S-Works Turbo RapidAir

Specialized has been making tires for A LONG time. In fact, Mike Sinyard’s first product was the Specialized Touring Tire that he biked all over California selling to dealers in 1976.

That brings up a great story! In the mid-1970s, Mike owned a sweet VW bus that he let his long hair flow in. Mike loved that van but he REALLY wanted to go on a bike tour in Europe. So, the van was sacrificed. He sold his beloved bus and used his proceeds to fund the trip where he happened to meet Cino Cinelli! That chance meeting developed into Mike becoming the US distributor of Chinelli tires and, as a result, Specialized Bicycle Components was born!

Now, over 40 years later, the latest development in Specialized Tires is the S-Works Turbo RapidAir!

Pro riders have long ridden on “sew-up” tubular tires for their ride quality and fast-rolling properties, along with the ability to keep rolling forward when they have a puncture. After years of research, development, testing, failing, refinement, and winning, the engineers at Specialized finally asked the question “why not just eliminate those flats?”

So, that’s what happened! Specialized developed an amazing, fast-rolling, road tubeless tire and sealant system!

First, these tires are tubeless. No tube, no tube punctures! (Remember, a tubular tire still has a “tube” in there!) The S-Works TurboAir tires are super easy to set up on your wheels and if you do get something to puncture the casing during a ride, the RapidAir Sealant will almost instantly seal that puncture. No need to account for running on a flat tire because you’re FAR less likely to even get a flat tire!

Now, you can make the most flat-resistant tire in the entire world but if it’s not fun to ride, it’s irrelevant. The S-Works RapidAir tires were designed, tested, and built for professional riders. These riders demand only the highest-performance tires because their jobs depend on them!

The Specialized S-Works RapidAir tires deliver! Traditional tires have three layers of casing overlapping under the tread patch. This has been the standard for a long time and it was a monumental task to throw that away and start from scratch.

But, the team at Specialized made it happen! In the end, they were able to deliver a tire with only two plys of casing under the tread patch. By using this patent-pending process of removing that extra layer of material, Specialized reduced the rolling resistance over the previous S-Works Turbo tires.

Fast-rolling is awesome but if the tires don’t corner, how fast you can get them going is irrelevant. The new RapidAir tire has a thicker sidewall than previous tires, increasing both the dry and wet cornering capabilities!

Finally, the S-Works RapidAir tires have an improved bead that ensures a hassle-free tubeless setup process and worry-free bead retention at high pressures!

The lifeblood of the RapidAir system is the RapidAir Sealant! Specialized developed this sealant together with the S-Works RapidAir tires and Roval Wheels to ensure that it seals punctures of up to 3mm across in a wide range of temperatures while not damaging the tires, rims, spokes, or nipples! The formula used in the sealant is optimized to seal at the high tire pressures run on road bikes.

You don’t have to be a professional rider to appreciate all of the benefits of the Specialized S-Works Turbo RapidAir tubeless tire system! If you appreciate smooth rolling, hard cornering, easy setup, and confidence to ride, the S-Works RapidAir tires will treat you right!

Check out the all-new Specialized S-Works Turbo RapidAir tires and sealant at shopERIKS.com or at your local ERIK’S location!