Originally Posted by Campag4life

I guess what I am a bit surprised about ffftroutburn...is after your thorough testing against really top in class comfort bikes, you placed the SL2 at the top of the heap with the Cervelo R3. Why this is a bit surprising is the SL2 in theory isn't in the same price category as the R3 or a few of the other bikes you mentioned. The SL2 is a lower end Roubaix and $1K cheaper than the others. SL2 has the softer Fact8 carbon and doesn't have the same frame sections as the racier SL3 or new SL4. Any yet you really like the bike. Which begs the question for many of us...is the SL2 just fine and in fact preferred for those that ride on rough roads? In fact, the SL2 may have...likely does have...a more compliant ride than either the stiffer SL3 or SL4 and I would believe the R3 because it uses a lower modulus carbon and the geometry is a bit less stout. At the end of the day, if you put the SL2 and Cervelo R3 in the same company, then why shouldn't most of us just save $1K and opt for the SL2 versus ante up for the SL3 or SL4?. The SL4 Pro frameset alone retails for $2850 which btw has gone up quite a bit from the more cost effective SL3 which retailed for $2200 in 2012.

Ffftroutburn, I am hopeful you get a chance to ride either the SL3 or SL4 Roubaix as a basis for comparison with the Roubaix SL2 you like. I would be curious if you believe the higher cost of either bike is worth it in terms of more responsive performance and perhaps reduced ride quality over rough roads.