johngwheeler

I'm looking for a new endurance road bike and test rode a Focus Paralane 105 (54cm) and Specialized Roubaix Expert (2017) today (also 54cm).

I'm 177cm (5'9.5") with an 86-87cm inseam (c. 34") and found the 54cm (medium) Focus fit me very well. I had expected to need to the larger (large / 56cm) size to get the stack I wanted, but I found the handlebar drop very comfortable). The 54cm Roubaix, however, felt cramped, so I really need to test a 56cm frame.

In terms of ride quality, these are my thoughts:

Paralane felt really good; responsive, yet stable when out of the saddle. Seemed to give plenty of confidence around corners or when sprinting (didn't get to try any descents on my test ride). Riding up a steep incline was easy with 50-32 and no front wheel lift or rear wheel slip. The Fizik Aliante saddle was really comfortable. Overall, I was really impressed with how nibble, yet sure-footed it felt compared to my Giant TCX cross-bike (with 32mm road tires). The Shimano 105 gears were much softer in their changes to my SRAM Rival, but maybe a little less positive than I like. The front derailleur was a bit uncertain at times, but I got used to it. The bike made a very good impression on me.

The Roubaix Expert - which costs nearly AU$2000 more - and is out of my price range (I would be looking at the Comp or Elite), felt really smooth. Brakes were excellent and the gear shifting of the Ultegra groupset seemed noticeably better than the 105 (which I hadn't expected). I think the 54cm frame is slightly too small for me as I felt a bit cramped and the saddle wasn't as comfortable. Out of the saddle, it felt less stable than the Focus Paralane, possibly due to its size, but maybe also because of the Future Shock suspension. On a patch of cobble-stones it was impressively composed and smooth - I didn't try the same patch with the Focus, which I should have done, and will do before making a decision. My overall impression was that the Roubaix offered a more refined and comfortable but somewhat less engaging ride that than the Paralane.

Both bikes felt way more nimble and agile than my Giant TCX, which has been my "road-bike" for the last few months. I was actually blown away by how good these bikes felt on the pavement.

I would need to test like-for-like with a 56cm Roubaix with a 105 group set to make a fair comparison (both in spec and price).

I'm really starting to think that my road riding is compromised on the Giant TCX, which is a cyclocross race bike. It's a nice bike, and a lot faster than my commuter (Trek Crossrip), but the Focus Paralane and Specialized Roubaix left it feeling like a donkey compared to a racehorse - well, not quite, but the difference was significant!

Trek Domane, Cannondale Synapse and maybe Cervelo C3 are on my list too.

That was a fun test!

Fiery

You should also try your Giant with narrower tyres. You might be surprised.

Dean V

The Roubaix has 5mm more reach and 7mm less stack.
Any feeling of being cramped relative to the Paralane must be due to set up rather than actual frame geometry.

OldTryGuy

My main ride since May of 2013 has been a Giant Propel Advanced SL that I have 25,000+ miles on. LBS owner wanted me to ride the 2017 Roubaix Expert he got in to see if I experienced what he had. I took it for a 5 mile quick spin at the 100 mile mark of a Saturday ride and returned to the store having the same feelings as the LBS owner. For both of us, me a 67yo OK rider and he in his 40's amd a strong rider/sprinter to 35MPH+ and single track, the bike was an anomaly. Smooth, compliant, LazyBoy chair feel yet SNAPS when power is put to the pedals and nimble as a racing frame. He insisted that I give it a "good ride" and so I did 10 days later. Results???? Same feelings after a 151 mile ride and so much so that I have a 2018 Expert on order. The Roubaix will be the bike of choice for my 2018 Bike Sebring 12/24 Hour 400 mile RAAM Qualifying attempt.

tangerineowl

The Roubaix I test rode in Brissy five years ago, was also "less engaging" to me.

OldTryGuy

not the same bike!!!!

sirkaos

I got this in January this year. 64cm frame since I am 6' 7". Di2 is really nice and has spoiled me. Would like the synchro shifting but I dont have the right battery. Some day. I did find the 140cm rear rotor to be to small for the brakes. It would overheat and fade. Stock were the Shimano Ice tech rotors. It made a world of difference when I added the Shimano RT99 rotors. I put a 160cm disc on the back and what a difference. I could not ask for more. The swat tool box always gets curious comments. Future shock really works but you dont feel it and it works well on some of the rough Santa Clarita roads.LBS that sells the Specialized equipment did a nice job setting up the bike and tuning it for me. I ended up with an Sella Anatomica saddle that is the dream. I have 2,000 miles on it so far and I ride it fairly hard. Ultegra shifters work very well. Battery lasts forever. Wheels are DT Swiss R470 and feel good for the time being. I am using 28c Continental 4000 II's at 95psi.

SWorksRoubaix

apples and oranges, to use a tired cliche.

vze23c3q

You should have the right battery, BT-DN110.

OldTryGuy

To be believed, one must ride the new Roubaix. Personally I found the stock saddle just fine, even when I just got the bike for a test ride and put 151 miles on it the next day. Chomping at the bit waiting for delivery of my 2018 Red 54cm Expert mechanical.

johngwheeler

Hmm, I think your're right. I had some other numbers from somewhere (maybe an older model?), but the reach was still slightly more.

Maybe the difference in stack made me feel too low? But the "hover bars" have 15mm rise that should have countered this. Maybe the stem lengths were different (I didn't notice any difference - looked to be 100-110mm).

I don't know, to be honest, but the Roubaix just felt less comfortable in the shoulders to me, and the LBS guy said that I looked like I was trying to "squeeze myself on to the bike" on it compared to the Focus. The saddle was certainly less comfortable than the Fizik Aliante on the Focus, even though it looked more expensive (this in the Expert level Roubaix).

I would definitely want to try a Roubaix in 56cm size to see how it feels.

johngwheeler

The Roubaix certainly felt very smooth on normal pavement and impressively composed going over some cobbles. I did find it rather twitchy getting out fo the saddle for a sprint, compared to the Focus. I have very little experience with this type of road bike, so this could be quite normal, and not a particular feature of the Roubaix or the Future Shock.

The FS is definitely not a gimmick; I can see it really working

johngwheeler

Yes, I'm going to try this. I have some 28mm Conti GP4000S II tires that are unused at the moment, so I'll do my own "tire width test" to see how it affects the feel.

joejack951

It sounds like you are using the rear brake as your main brake. If so, you need to get comfortable using your front. You'll be just fine with a 140mm rear rotor then. The rear contributes very little under heavy braking. I'm fine not using it all in most situations.

joejack951

Most likely the cramped bike has handlebars with a shorter reach and/or levers with a shorter reach or levers placed to offer a shorter reach. Any of those can have a massive difference on the feel of a bike, much more so than a 10mm stem length change or a 5mm difference in frame reach.

johngwheeler

Possibly, yes. I really need to take a tape-measure with me when I test bikes, so when I find one that is particularly comfortable, I can note its dimensions.

I'm still surprised at how much difference in feel and comfort results from very small changes in bike dimensions.

sirkaos

Actually, used right , the rear brake works very well. At 6'7" and 210lbs. I love fast decents. In SoCal we have plenty. To depend mainly on the front brake would be very unwise. As I previously said, I was using Ice Tech rotors. They are known to heat soak, and not dissapate heat as quickly as the RT99's. Shimano suggested this set up. It works well for me. Your assumption was incorrect. Any doubts? Check the Tour pros from the chase bikes on descents. They use rear brakes.

Dean V

Yes you do use a rear brake but you don't need as much braking power from it as the front.
You shouldn't need as big a rotor on the back as there is on the front.
Just look at the brakes on any car or motorcycle.

sirkaos

The interesting thing I found and as Shimano discussed with me, I like to ride a decently quick pace line. 22-24 on the flats, Because I went to a 160cm (Plus the RT99's are much better dissipating heat) on the back, I am able to modulate during the pace line quite well, because they stay cool. I mainly use the rear because it allows me to barely feather the brakes in a double pace line or a single pace line on a tight road with no room to aero brake.

A 140cm may work for a more normal weight rider, which I am not. IE, My wife's Volt brakes would probably do a less than satisfactory job slowing down my Dodge Diesel 2500 Ram.

I tend to rely on what the manufacture states, In this case, after many discussions with Specialized and Shimano, this is what they recommended.

If you find something else works for you, go for it. I am going with the experts.

This discussion about the size and use of brakes is off topic from the OP, lets move back to the original discussion.

Cheers and happy riding.

Machoman121

What tyre's were on the TCX? I've always read on forums that the TCX makes a good road bike for someone who wants a one bike that does it all - but i have my doubts - there's a place for everything otherwise everyone will be on the TCX - is the TCX is the typical 'jack of all trades master of none'?

How about Canyon?

johngwheeler

I have Vittoria Voyager Hyper 32mm on my TCX. These are semi-slick touring tires, which supposedly have the least rolling resistance in their class (c. 17.7W IIRC). I've ridden in a group with mostly 25mm road tires, and not felt I had to pedal harder to keep up, but it will be worth trying some dedicated road tires. I have some Conti GP4000S IIs that I'll fit.

What I found is that the difference in feel between the mid-range endurance road bikes and the TCX was very noticeable. Both the Focus and the Specialised just felt like that had a lot more acceleration and agility, without sacrificing much in the way of ride smoothness. In fact the Roubaix felt incredibly smooth even on bumpy surfaces.

I bought the TCX thinking it would be good general purpose, multi-surface bike, but my impression was that it was a bit compromised on pavement when compared to dedicated road bikes. The TCX is a lot more nibble than my commuting bike (which weighs about 14kg with rack, fenders etc.), but it was blown away by the other bikes. I'll try the road tires and see how I go.

Of course, the TCX will be much happier on grass / mud with its stock 33mm CX tires, and it would probably make an OK gravel bike with the right tires (it would happily take 40-42mm width). It is a bit race-oriented and twitchy at the front end, so probably not as comfortable as a dedicated gravel/adventure bike with a lower bottom bracket and taller stack.

All I can say is that as I was cycling home on my TCX I started calculating how much I could sell it for in order buy one of the sexy bikes I had just tried.

johngwheeler

I tried sitting on a Roubaix 56cm in another LBS today, after comparing the two geometries on one of those adjustable fitting bikes.

The 56cm was definitely more comfortable on my shoulders and neck. I think I just like to have my bars higher, which is the problem with my current CX bike.

I'll be test riding the 56cm tomorrow, so let's see how I get on.

Now I think I should find a 56cm Paralane to be completely fair in my testing!

OldTryGuy

Enjoy and keep us updated.

Capo72

Try the Cervelo! This comes from a Roubaix SL4 rider.

joejack951

I'm not sure why you felt the need to resort to insults. Physics doesn't lie and your front brake will stop you more quickly than your rear in nearly all situations. Perhaps the reason why you are over-heating your rear brake is that you are forced to apply it for so long due to the lower stopping power it has by virtue of braking a wheel that loses traction as you stop faster. I suggest you give the front a try, but I'll also accept that you are happy with what you are doing and see no reason to try something new.