Thank you for this topic.
I wanted to share what I have done over the past couple of months. I did look at the Tarmac Pro as an option as it is a very good one. The main reason I steered away from an off the shelf bike at this price point is that I would have to be swapping out quite a few parts to fit my needs and preferences and in the end spending a lot more after market.
It has been mentioned before that buying an s-works frame and choosing every part yourself can work out cheaper and it certainly has done for me. I got an amazing deal on the 2019 frame. I chose mechanical Ultegra as I am not somebody that is big on bling groupsets, costing twice the price for Di2 wasn’t for me. Sure Etap would be amazing but it costs the price of the frame itself. After all the customisation I will have spent the same amount without skimping.
I will be building my parts in the next couple of weeks, but I feel people who haven’t ridden or don’t own the bike will tell you s-works is just solely down to the weight and it probably doesn’t make any difference. s-works owners will tell you otherwise, equally Tarmac Pro owners will be happy with their bikes and feel it is sufficient. I don’t actually believe myself the only difference is weight. It ultimately comes down to what you are drawn to and what you can afford/compromise on.
I would like to share my first impressions once I have ridden it.