cradduck

While I know this is largely a personal thing based on finance and frugality (or lack of it), I have had my eye on a particular bike for a while now and my LBS is offering a good price on it. The bike I have been looking at is the Specialized Roubaix Triple. The primary role of the bike would be to commute on while the secondary role would be for starting out in group/club riding.

After doing "fast commuting" for a little while now I am thinking about adding a weekend club rides in addition to my Monday-Friday commute. While I have been riding an older road bikes to work and back for a few years now I am a complete novice about newer bikes and have no previous club riding experience.

Any thoughts or opinions on a bike to be used for double duty? Are there other commuters here who have a bike that are used for commuting and for their club rides?

I guess this is another one of the "talk me out of getting this bike" threads.

EDIT: A bike has been found (post 20). After reading through the posts and thinking about what I really wanted I ended up going down a different road all together. Thank you to everyone who posted and gave your insight...I will be giving a full review in a month or so when I have really put the bike to the test.

cyclezealot

Ever had your bike in the shop for three days. Two bikes are not a splurge. How many of us have two cars. Why not two bikes. Quality is always not the cheaper course. As in cars, you want an assured means of transport, don't buy a junker. Mid range bikes are not all that more expensive. Just don't go Wal Mart if you want to get to work on time.

RT

Missing out on a few good deals has taught me to pull the trigger when you can, because more than likely it will be a while before you find another deal on a like product. zealot has a good point too - two bikes are better than one. I own three and wish I could ride them all at once.

crhilton

I commute full time. I *need* to have two bikes. I've ridden my road bike at least a dozen times because my commuter was down for maintenance or repair.

If you're going to spend $1600 on a bike you really ought to ride at least three different bikes. Look around, you might find a bike you love even more. Don't ride anything that's more expensive than you want to spend, you'll end up buying it and no it won't be cost effective (unless you're trying to win a race).

d2create

I find that no bike can do it all WELL.

There is no way my commuter could be used on club rides and there is no way that I would commute on my road bike.
Well, technically they could be used for either, but I wouldn't want to and it would be a miserable experience either way.

BroadSTPhilly

Someone has to ask: can you afford it?

pinkrobe

I can't believe I'm the first in with the formula:
correct # of bikes = n+1

The Roubaix triple is a nice ride, and would make a great "fast commuter". crhilton has a good point - test ride several bikes before plunking down your cash.

lil brown bat

I justify a purchase based on utility. If I can afford it (BroadSTPhilly is right, that's the first question you need to ask), then the question is: do I really need it? Can what I have already do the job, and if not, is this something I really need to do, or want to do, and will do often enough that I'll get good use out of it?

Mind you, I speak as the owner of four bikes, and I definitely don't get full utility out of them. One, however, is a hand-me-down that I just got from my brother, which is still disassembled. Once assembled, it will probably become my road bike if it works out for me (and my current roadie will get sold) -- if not, I'll be stuck trying to think of something useful and tactful to do with this bike. Another one is a discarded mountain bike that I'm fixing up and improving my mechanic skills as I do so -- once I've got it fixed up, I'm going to give it away. So that'll have me down to one roadie and one commuter.

adebrunner

If you like the bike, can afford it and you can really justify the purchase, get it. The grass, however, will always be greener no matter what you get, so be prepared to be lusting after a new bike in about 1-2 months if that.

sean000

Will the Roubaix take fenders and a rack? If not, you'll just need to make sure you're okay with a backpack/messenger bag and race blade fenders for your commute. I'm sure it would be a great club ride bike. If you do want to mount a rack and fenders, there are fast bikes that will allow you to do this if the Roubaix does not.

As others have said... take it for a test ride and compare against other similar bikes. I'm not one to talk anybody out of buying a nice and expensive bicycle... I've owned a few and wish I could afford more. If you really like the bike you'll likely keep it for many years to come, which will eventually make the original price seem pretty insignificant. Bicycles, even expensive ones, are pretty modest purchases compared to what many people spend on things like cars, boats, and motorcycles. And if you frequently use a bicycle you purchase, in my opinion it will be some of the best money you ever spend thanks to the mental and physical health benefits. Sure you can reap these benefits on less expensive bikes as well, but nice equipment can make it all the more enjoyable. It just depends on what you like. I know people who just love to ride and couldn't care less about the bike. Others... myself included... love the bicycles themselves as much as riding them.

Sean

thebarerider

When I bought my new bike in March, I wanted something that I could commute on, tour on, and ride hard on. I chose a touring bike and it does everything I need it to do. It's a stable ride with a heavy load, it can stand up to abuse and foul weather, and I can unload it and ride just as hard as I could on a lightweight road bike. So yes, a bike can be used for more than one purpose. If you become more and more interested in one riding style you will run into limitations, so plan accordingly for that; i.e., I am more interested in touring than racing, so I went with a heavier touring bike.

pwyll99

The more riding you do the more bikes you need/want. My hardtail is my commuter/utility bike and my road bike is also good for commuting. The dualie and cruiser don't really have a real world use other than fun and in a pinch can get me to work. If and when I build/buy a dedicated commuter/utility bike the hardtail will have all the accesories stripped off of it and become a pure MTB again.

Bike4More

Race blade fenders and a light duty rack should be fine for Huntington Beach. We should all be so lucky to commute in such weather. I always say think about your bike parking situation before you decide to splurge on a commuter thats nicer than average. I get to park mine inside, but if I had to park outside I might build something a little rougher looking.

The roubaix is one of the gold standards of the road bike market when it comes to comfortable, affordable speed.

As a weekend group rider/racer and weekday commuter myself, I would suggest that you get started commuting on the roubaix to get used to it and comfortable. You will however get to a point where your weekday commuter will no longer be right for your weekend rides. The roubaix would be a great group rider, climber, etc. But you might find something used and rock solid reliable for the weekday grind. Maybe something steel, singlespeed or other.

I commute on a steel IRO fixed gear and weekend ride on a carbon kestrel evoke.

Andy_K 

Buying new bikes is fun. That justifies the price, right? If not, add in having new bikes is even more fun.

The real question is, how do you justify using that bike as a commuter? I'm not one to sit a bike on a pedastal, but I think if I commuted on that bike I'd have to figure in at least an hour a day to clean it when I was done.

MNBikeguy

Two bikes is a good start....

When you get to be my age, the cost of the bike is offset by the theoretical reduction in health care costs. So ... the result of your "purchase"... ooops... I mean "investment" can actually be a negative number.
That's my story to my wife, and I'm sticking to it.

cradduck

Yes.

nick__45

hey OP

how much is this bike you want to buy? what do you already have? everyone needs at least 2 bikes in case you have a blow out tire while another bike is in the shop for tune-up. 3 bikes is a good number. i have 3 bikes and 1 lady bike that i need to tune up for my wife.

cradduck

The Roubouaix that I was looking at was around $1600. I was mainly looking to justify the cost base on use. I don't own a car (mainly because I see no point) so just about everywhere I go involves a bicycle, public transportation, or both.

Right now I have two bikes to my name. An older steel road bike that has been built up to a 1x8 drivetrain with friction shifting rear gears. The bike is actually a little small for me and while it doesn't cause problems on short rides of 20 miles or less, longer rides have me really feeling it. I also have a single speed folding bike that I use to get to the bus stop on the days I don't ride or the days I take the train into downtown LA.

ItsJustMe

It's odd, I have a $300 bike with 14000 miles on it, and I've never had it down for repair. There's nothing on a bike that's all that hard to fix. The worst was when I stripped the pedal threads and had to go into town and buy a new crank. But even then, it was about 10 minutes to put the new crank on. Building the new wheel on the back by taking the old one apart first, I did that over the weekend so as not to risk not having a bike the next day.

I do have a car to fall back on, but I never have. I do drive it 4 or 5 times a year to work, if I have to pick up something very large or heavy near work, but never because my bike isn't working.

My wife does have a bike that I guess I could ride if it came down to it; I'd just have to move some lights over if needed, and toss my stuff in a backpack instead of panniers, and ride with platforms. And move the seat up quite a ways, but apart from that, it'd be fine.

cradduck

Over the last few weeks I have ridden a total of 8 different bikes...a total of 2 from Trek, 2 from Novara, and now 4 from Specialized.

I was ready to pull the trigger on a Roubouaix but after reading through the posts I decided to do a second, more critical look. I agree that there is no one bike that can do everything really well, so I started looking at what I *really* wanted out my next bike and going from there and came up with the following list.

What I came up with:
1. Can commute full-time on it, 5 days a week, twice a day (125+ miles a week).
2. Good handling and control during my commute.
3. Good quality components that can put up with constant use.
4. Can do long distance rides on the weekends to see friends and family.
5. Can do light (see credit card) touring on the weekends
6. Can have a front and/or rear rack put on it.
7. Relatively light weight.
8. Can do group rides on weekends.


Once I really started looking at it critically, doing group rides kept coming up last on the list. The time I spend by myself on my bike is golden to me and commuting (done by myself) and weekend touring (also done by myself) rank WAY higher on the list. Group rides would be a great way to expand my social horizons with people who also enjoyed riding bikes (the few people I do know in this area think I'm nuts for not worshiping cars), but I really couldn't see myself getting terribly serious about it. A couple of the local clubs have recreational rides that I am sure I could keep up with even on my old, doesn't-fit-so-well, steel commuter.

With that in mind I tried out two more bikes and ended up pulling the trigger on a Specialized Tricross Expert. The one I test rode was comfortable and fit the highest priorities on my list...but the one I tested was already sold by the time I thought it through and decided to buy it. So mine should be ready to go by this Saturday.

cradduck

I agree. I do many of the repairs myself...except truing wheels. For some reason that whole concept escapes me. Anything else and I can do it myself or rely on help from a Sheldon Brown article.

nick__45

yeah, you need another bike. since you don't own a car, i'd get 2 bikes if i were you. however, the price portion is a tough call, something i can't even answer for myself. i really like to get a nice bike but seems to hold back. then again, i blow my money on other hobby, which is no where as beneficial as this one.

have you look at something in the 500 dollars range? they are pretty good as complete bikes. i test rode a lot of bikes and most seem to do things very similarly, with the more expensive bikes being lighter of course. i really don't gt the idea of having high end (anything costing more than 300) tuned all the time. may be it is the heavy usage that i have not experience myself but i have bikes over 20 years old and still on original parts.

take your time and do all the research bro. the longer you wait, the juicier the reward. you don't want to get it and see something else you like a month later. and make no compromise if you spend some serious cash; make sure it is the first color you want and the exact fit you desire.

nick__45

totally agree with you. every time i visit a bike shop, i see customers bringing bikes to have a tune-up costing upward 200 bucks. a bike is suppose to be low maintenance. i have older bikes with very little, if any maintenance, beside lubing the chain once a month.

i also don't get the idea of having a chain changed every year? what kind of chain needed annual replacement? it seems like a lot of shops want our business by playing the "you want the best, right?" card.

bmclaughlin807

How often your chain should be changed depends on mileage and care... properly cleaned and lubed a chain will last much longer than if you just throw a little oil at it once a month and let it cake with grunge the rest of the time...

Personally I don't lube my chain as often as I probably should and I ride the heck out of my bike... I go through 2 to 3 chains a year. (I'll probably get around 5,500 miles this year... got 7,500 last year)

The thing is... if you replace the chain more often, you replace the rest of the drive train less often... saving you money in the long run.

uke

This is something I'm struggling with. I'd like a second bike as a backup in case I have trouble with my first, but I'm not sure if that's just greed talking instead of logic. I do have a car, after all.