specialized bike in the peloton

jwshooter

Specilalized will have up production after this years tour .Would the roubaix would be ideal for irish roads ? .

the paint job on contadors bike is nice for what iv seen .

levitronix

Two friends of mine have tarmacs, in my opinion id say if your getting a specialized get a tarmac much nicer bike, think the roubaix would be over kill for irish roads

polariz

Depends what you intend to use it for and what shape you're in I'd say. The tarmac is a more aggressive racing frame, maybe a bit uncomfortable on long rides if your not used to it. (though you can adjust the angle of the stem from - to +16 degrees). The roubaix puts you in a more upright position which might suit you better. Personal preference I suppose..

72hundred

What's a fair price for a Tarmac Expert with DA in Ireland?

EDIT: As ever a quick google has it - http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/46023/2010-Specialized-Tarmac-Expert-SL-56cm-Red/ 3.3k. Seems alot. Must be better value around

DirkVoodoo

You could save some money by going for an equally impressive Tarmac with Ultegra 6700. Still gonna be expensive:

Tarmac Elite with 105 - £1600

Tarmac Comp with 105 - £1900

Tarmac Expert with Ultegra - £2500

Tarmac Pro SL with Dura Ace/Ultegra - £4000

Shop around though, might get a good deal.

tunney

The Tarmac is an out and out racing geometry for standard courses. The Roubaix for pave or more relaxed.

If for sportives and the like I'd go Roubaix, if for actual racing (and for the purpose of this thread no a sportive is not a race) then the Tarmac.

I'd live a Tarmac, a Roubaix and a Shiv.

JacksonHeightsOwn

i have a 2 year old Roubaix

one word describes it

comfortable

as for someone saying its not ideal for racing, thats plain rubbish

just because its made to reduce vibrations on the rider hardly means its not suitable for racing, just ask Cancellara, he did ok with it in Paris-Roubaix

tunney

chrisbonnie wrote: »

i have a 2 year old Roubaix

one word describes it

comfortable

as for someone saying its not ideal for racing, thats plain rubbish

just because its made to reduce vibrations on the rider hardly means its not suitable for racing, just ask Cancellara, he did ok with it in Paris-Roubaix

And what sort of surface do you think of when someone says Paris-Roubaix?
And will any pro rider race the bike when that surface isn't a huge feature of the race?

niceonetom

chrisbonnie wrote: »

as for someone saying its not ideal for racing, thats plain rubbish

just because its made to reduce vibrations on the rider hardly means its not suitable for racing, just ask Cancellara, he did ok with it in Paris-Roubaix

The "roubaix" bikes that Tom Boonen and Cancellara won on were not the roubaixs you can buy off the shelf. The geometry was totally different. Boonen's was a one-off made for him - it had the rear triangle and fork from a normal roubaix but the front triangle and headtube from a tarmac and Cancellara's bike was a "project black" that probably has nothing in common with the standard roubaix other than the zertz inserts. The issue is the impossibility of getting a long-and-low position suitable for racing on a standard roubaix as they have a very tall front end.

This makes 'em comfy, but it makes racing on one less than ideal.

I'd bloody love an SL3.

A roubaix would be fine if I were in my 60s.

blorg

A Roubaix would also be a good choice for someone not racing and doing sportives. Most people don't race and this is reflected in the bikes produced. Again, the right tool for a non-racing cyclist is not necessarily the same as that used in the Tour.

I don't think it would be optimal for racing though honestly. Inability to get a very low aero position would be the problem as Tom says. Of course this doesn't mean you couldn't race one just that it wouldn't be optimal presuming you had decent flexibility.

JacksonHeightsOwn

with all due respect lads, none of us are exactly Alberto contador, so to say the a roubaix wouldnt be ideal for racing is simply stupid

like a slightly more aero position would help a guy in say the limit group racing in interclub races

im gonna have to agree to disagree on this one lads

so tunney, you're right with saying a pro wouldnt ride the roubaix on a normal flat road, but they're pros, theres a big big difference between them and us

uberwolf

lads, it's fine to disagree, but it doesn't need to be abusive

Lumen

Looking at the geometry of the Roubaix, it's really very relaxed.

e.g. on the 56, the head tube is 190mm. That's tall. My 56cm Addict has a 160mm headtube. I have very poor flexibility, can't get near touching my toes, so ride with about 30mm of spacers/caps under the stem. With this setup pics of me racing show a very unaero position, even by the standards of the bottommost category I ride in.

If was racing with the Roubaix, I'd have to have the stem completely rammed on the headtube, or else use a flatter stem. But the bike is not designed to be ridden like that - what would be the effects on handling?

Point is, I think there must be relatively few people for whom the geometry of the Roubaix makes sense for racing.

mo_bhicycle

chrisbonnie wrote: »

with all due respect lads, none of us are exactly Alberto contador, so to say the a roubaix wouldnt be ideal for racing is simply

Do you race on a Roubaix?

ROK ON

Review of Tarmac and Roubaix.

[url]HTTP://redkiteprayer.com/?p=1408[/url]

There are reviews of both bikes individually and then a comparison.

Lumen

niceonetom wrote: »

The "roubaix" bikes that Tom Boonen and Cancellara won on were not the roubaixs you can buy off the shelf. The geometry was totally different. Boonen's was a one-off made for him - it had the rear triangle and fork from a normal roubaix but the front triangle and headtube from a tarmac

They do a very thorough job of confusing the issue in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otxCFKzQbp4

jwshooter

specialized are offering a custom fit on there new bikes ,that would make a huge difference for a off the shell item would it not .

tunney

chrisbonnie wrote: »

with all due respect lads, none of us are exactly Alberto contador, so to say the a roubaix wouldnt be ideal for racing is simply stupid

like a slightly more aero position would help a guy in say the limit group racing in interclub races

im gonna have to agree to disagree on this one lads

so tunney, you're right with saying a pro wouldnt ride the roubaix on a normal flat road, but they're pros, theres a big big difference between them and us

Nope none of us are Alberto Contador however the benefits of a responsive aero bike do not require a huge FTP.

Also some are more like AC than others and would appreciate/need the racing geometry more. (Not me )


Do some riding on a bike, any bike, once sitting up in a relax position, once in a aero position, observe the huge differences in wattage required to ride at that speed. Absolutely massive. The training effect to get those benefits is substantional - why give that away for no reason?

Lumen

jwshooter wrote: »

Specialized are offering a custom fit on their new bikes, that would make a huge difference for an off the shelf item would it not?

I'd expect that service from any bike shop, otherwise what's the point in paying the extra over internet prices?

It's a good idea for a first bike to have someone experienced help with choosing frame size, saddle position and stem length, if only to avoid obviously bad choices that someone might make on their own. The value of this exercise depends on the skill of the fitter.

Getting a perfect position on a bike is something that you can only really do yourself over time. Some people find it easier than others.

brayblue24

I'm on my second Roubaix, I have this year's model atm and in between I had a Felt AR4. I went back to the Spec. for its reliability but I have to agree with most views here it's not built for speed-and I say that knowing I couldn't hold a candle to most posters on here when it comes to velocity! I use it for Sportives and it's perfect for them but shortly after I got it I had to change the cassette to get a higher top end speed.

As for a reccommendation I can't speak highly enough about this machine. The Zertz are a great idea for cushioning the arms and shoulders from bumpy road surfaces-but then again Im an oul' lad of 43............

ednwireland

brayblue24 wrote: »

As for a reccommendation I can't speak highly enough about this machine. The Zertz are a great idea for cushioning the arms and shoulders from bumpy road surfaces-but then again Im an oul' lad of 43............

youngster (i have a focus cayo, i say no to relaxed geometry - but then my cayo is the least twitchy bike i own )

JacksonHeightsOwn

mo_bhicycle wrote: »

Do you race on a Roubaix?

not at the minute, but i will

on a personal issue, i believe i ride alot better when im more comfortable, when i have no back pain, and when my arse is being cushioned from our prehistoric road surfaces

ednwireland

anyone still want one ?

dave2pvd

My team are all on Specialized bikes. 2 of us ride the SL Pro (same geo as std S-Works), the rest ride the S-Works SL3. 1 outlier rides an '09 Roubaix.

My 2c on the Roubaix geometry: for a racer, the Roubaix's headtube is too high. Puts the upper body in a posture that would not be out of place for a showjumper. Of course I exaggerate, but it is seriously upright. It is an ideal bike for someone returning to cycling after a protracted absence. It takes a while to get upper body flexibility back. If indeed it ever comes back. Personally, at 37, it takes me ~a month to get my steerer stack height down to road race height following cyclo-cross season. 'Cos I'm old Having bars too low is a serious pain. Pun intended.

The S-Works is available in Team Geo if bought as a module. This frame has a seriously short headtube. Too short for me. The standard geo S-Works/SL Pro is aggressive enough for most racers. I can spend over an hour in the drops on the SL Pro.

JacksonHeightsOwn

here's another view on the roubaix

http://www.testrider.com/fly.aspx?layout=videoindex&taxid=81&cid=92&preroll=true

niceonetom

chrisbonnie wrote: »

here's another ADVERT FOR the roubaix

http://www.testrider.com/fly.aspx?layout=videoindex&taxid=81&cid=92&preroll=true

FYP



For your own benfit I'd advise you to be vary wary of "reviews" for products conducted by people in the pay of the manufacturer. That video is hugely misleading (knowingly so, IMO) when is implys that Tom Boonen rode and won the Paris Roubaix on a specialized roubaix. The bike he roade was made by specialized, and the stickers said Roubaix, but that's where the similarity to what's in the shops begins and ends.

The Roubaix is a great bike, but it is specific in its strengths. If you have the HUGE extra watts it will take you to stay competitive while acting as a sail, then sure, race it. If you don't then a normal road bike and a bit of stretching would be much faster.

DirkVoodoo

Chris, don't worry about it, you don't need to defend the bike! People have their opinions, sometimes they are wildly different.

For example, my own bike got a great write up in 07 citing:

Although heavier by some 400g, the Orion's frame has a fun factor more usually associated with very expensive frames, such as the Scott Addict and Cervélo R3. With its light wheels, the Orion was able to show its true colours with a great balance of stiffness and resilience.

Yet in 09 the exact same frame was heavily criticized for being too uncomfortable:

Featuring massive box section monocoque construction, and high modulus carbon, this bike is seriously stout at 8.78kg/19.4lb.

Although there’s a sticker claiming ‘Pavé Tested’, our test section of cobbles was one stretch we wouldn’t want to repeat.

With a rather leaden pair of basic Fulcrum 7 wheels, the only thing helping to soften the jackhammer blows were the Vredestein Fortezza tyres. These were the key in helping this bike shine where it was at its best: high speed downhills and hell-for-leather sprint efforts.

Characterised by a zero-tolerance policy towards flex, the Orion’s ridiculously large bottom bracket box area and chainstays channel every ounce of power into propelling you forward.

It wanted to make quick work of our diesel-fumed climb (as we did), but was being held back by too much weight.

In the end, I know how it handles, I know what it's strengths and weaknesses are but it's a frame that I really like and won't be parting with soon. That's all that matters and it should be the same for you. If you like your Roubaix, that's enough, you don't have to defend it with reviews that are one man's opinion against someone else's opinion.

EDIT: Tom, what is that widget with the blue icons?

JacksonHeightsOwn

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Chris, don't worry about it, you don't need to defend the bike! People have their opinions, sometimes they are wildly different.

For example, my own bike got a great write up in 07 citing:



Yet in 09 the exact same frame was heavily criticized for being too uncomfortable:



In the end, I know how it handles, I know what it's strengths and weaknesses are but it's a frame that I really like and won't be parting with soon. That's all that matters and it should be the same for you. If you like your Roubaix, that's enough, you don't have to defend it with reviews that are one man's opinion against someone else's opinion.

EDIT: Tom, what is that widget with the blue icons?

ha ha, yeah i know

after posting my last post, i said to myself,

"why did you bother, you weird specialized freak"

and i wouldnt mind, im not some crazed specialized freak at all

niceonetom

Just to be clear - I'm not attacking the Roubaix or its owners whom, I'm sure, are very happy with them. I am just trying to prevent a bit of specialized kool-aid drinking. Geometry matters! and comfort, unfortunately, comes at the expense of speed. The fact that Specialized have to make custom "roubaix" bikes that lack the roubaix-defining tall front end kinda proves this.

@Dirk - The blue icons at the top is a 1-clickweather add-on from the weather channel (because looing out the window would mean turning my head). The blue thing in the address bar is something to do with xmarks I think.

Inquitus

I like the way they mispell Specialized there, thats real pro.

DirkVoodoo

I think it's fair to say Tom is being purely objective in his statements and he is correct about the long head tube and relaxed geometry being limiting factors in that ultimate aero pursuit (and seeing this guy descend you would believe it would hold him back /tom adoration).

Anyway, it's not quite in the "Planet-X are noodly bikes" category.