flippin_bikes

I am looking at this bike as my possible next road bike and want to know if anyone here has any experience with this model (with the E5 alloy frame/carbon w/ zertz stays) as well as any of the lower models which have the A1 aluminum frame and no carbon stays.

I have typically ridden steel bikes with room for big tires. The type of riding I do is for pleasure on country roads that are mostly chip seal or broken asphalt. Occasionally, I ride down graded hard pack gravel paths that cut through some neighborhoods in my city. I have been looking at some steel frame bikes that are all more on the touring or randonneuring end of the spectrum which I know will be able to smoothly handle the types of roads I ride. The problem is that I know those bikes aren't as light and more flexy than an alloy bike and I want something that is more efficient.

My question is whether this bike is going to disappoint in terms of ride quality. I know it isn't going to be silky smooth like steel, but I am hoping to get some feedback as to whether this model with the carbon stays rides appreciably better than the ones with the alloy stays.

mtalinm

just spend another $200 for the Roubaix, full carbon frame instead of just the stays & fork

I have an all-aluminum bike and it is a boneshaker.

flippin_bikes

Full carbon frames scare. I don't know why and I know it's not rational. Plus, this Secteur Comp is already pushing the top end of my price range. At my local shop, the Roubaix is priced $400 more and I am not sold on SRAM's shifters yet.

svtmike

I have an S-Works Roubaix SL2 and a Secteur Sport as its backup. I also have a TriCross with carbon seat stays. The fork on the Secteur does a nice job of absorbing a lot of road chatter, but the Roubaix and even the TriCross ride perceptibly smoother thanks to the damping of the seat stays. I would expect the Secteur Comp to have a very nice ride since it uses the Roubaix seatstays.

ErichM

This. Carbon is dangerous stuff.

bonz50

flippin_bikes

I also forgot to mention that I rode a Secteur Elite w/ Apex. I probably could get used to the shifters, but that 11-32 cassette seems overkill w/ the compact crank. I get by just fine with the 12-26 / compact drivetrain. The bike rode ok the little I rode around the shop ( there was a good amount of bumps and broken asphalt to test a bit ), but that frame did transfer a fair amount of chatter. The shop is ordering in a 58 cm Secteur Comp for me to try, so in a few days I'll know better whether it is smoother.

In the meantime, I have a couple of steel bikes I am going to try and ride. The one at the top of my list is the Jamis Quest. They are sold out of my size until the 2012 models hit in November ( which is why I am looking at the Secteur ), so I will have to settle for test riding the cheaper model Satellite.

svtmike

I get along fine with a 12-25/Compact on my Roubaix. I don't think I'd like the jumps with an 11-32.

I have an 11-28/Triple on my Secteur just in case I ever go mountain climbing and so I have a higher gear for certain trainer workouts.

Bacciagalupe

I think you'd be fine with the Secteur.

Frame material doesn't matter that much. There are numerous other factors involved, including the bike's geometry, tube shapes, tube butting and other design factors, tire width and pressure, spoke type and count, saddle, and position (to name a few. ).

That said, if the roads are as bad and you're riding on as much gravel as you say, I'm not entirely certain a plush road bike is really your best option. I'd look into racier cross bikes, like a Kona "Jake the Snake," and put a pair of Conti GP 4 Seasons on it. They're a good compromise between speed and shock absorption, and will handle a little zippier than a touring bike.

dirge23

I have a 2010 Secteur Elite (all-aluminum frame w/ carbon fork) and I find it extremely comfortable. I have 28mm tires on it and I ride it on dirt/nice gravel without issue.

ColinL

The Secteur has great ergonomics and I didn't think it was buzzy at all. It's no Roubaix, but it's a great bike for the money.

I highly prefer SRAM, but if you do like Shimano and you don't want/like wide ratio cassettes... I'm sure you will be fine with a Shimano compact drivetrain.

flippin_bikes

I appreciate all of the replies. I think I am getting closer to knowing what I want in my new bike which will in turn make it easier to decide which one.

After riding another Apex equipped bike tonight, I am pretty sure I prefer Shimano STI. I just prefer moving the brake lever over rather than the little paddle behind it. I like the concept of double-tap, but I don't like how the shift paddle floats independently of the brake lever. It feels less precise to me and makes it harder to downshift the rear derailleur while applying the brake which is something I tend to do when I am turning sharply. I also find spacing on the Apex cassette to be too large. I just don't need that much range. The 11-28 on a lot of 105 equipped bikes I have seen should be perfect for my taste. Reason I mention both these SRAM issues is that I might have been able talk myself into the bottom end Roubaix model. For $650 more than the Secteur Elite Apex, you should get nicer components (at least upgraded wheels and an external bearing BB/crank).

The bike I rode tonight was a model I had overlooked in my current search, but was one I wish I could have bought when I was in the market a few months ago. It is the Novara Verita. It is an Apex equipped bike, steel frame and fork, long reach brakes so it will fit 32c tires. It is basically a nicer version of what I am riding now. Still, it is fairly heavy (25 lbs or so) and has very slack geometry (slacker than my KHS by 3 degrees in the headtube, .5 on the seat tube) so it handles much like a touring bike with a slightly shorter wheelbase. Its a nice bike, especially if you can pick one up on sale 15-20% off (it would be as cheap as $900). It didn't wow me and I am right between sizes L and XL. The XL has an appropriate top tube length, but the 62cm seat tube and 35" standover height is a ball buster. No dice.

I have narrowed it down to the Secteur Comp and the Jamis Quest Compact. The Jamis seems to have similar frame angle geometry to the Secteur, so I imagine it will handle close to the same. The top tube is a little shorter by 12mm, but it comes with a 10mm longer stem so the fit of the stock bikes should be similar. It all comes down to whether the ride of the Secteur will be acceptable. I know the Jamis will probably ride smoother all other things equal, but I also expect it to be a little whippier under my weight and power.

The problem is I can't test ride a Jamis until 2012s hit the showrooms which will be the very end of this year I learned from Jamis today. The best I can do is ride a lower end model Satellite which has the same frame geometry to see how the bike fits and how it handles. I doubt it will ride as good as the Quest. If I really wanted to buy this bike now, I did locate a shop in Illinois that has one in stock and they could sell/transfer the bike to a local dealer. Or, I could have family near that shop purchase on my behalf and have it shipped to me. Either way, I am going to end up paying more than I should given the additional shipping costs.

So, in a few days when my local shop gets the Secteur Comp they are ordering in, it may tickle my fancy enough that I get it.

28c tires were mentioned. I already planned on swapping in some Gator Skins or something else good like that.

bonz50

I have an Apex equipped bike with a 12-25, other than the cassette spacing issue (which is easily changed, your LBS might even do it for free as part of the deal), all the reasons you dislike SRAM are the reasons I like it... but that's what makes the world go 'round I guess... I like that the paddles are independent of the brakes and also adjustable for reach independent of the brake lever...

sounds like you've got some solid options, maybe consider a Giant Defy? or Alloy Synapse 105?? same style of bikes and both worthy of the others... worth a look anyway...

ColinL

Me too. Braking when you meant to shift is very uncool.

flippin_bikes

I have never hand an issue with unintentional braking while shifting. I tend to ride on the hoods so I use the top end of the brake lever to shift which give less leverage on the axis for the brake lever. I can see how if you ride in the drops you would have greater leverage on the braking axis of the lever while shifting. The shape of the SRAM hoods is also less ideal to me. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

rosinante25

i ride a 2010 secteur elite with a carbon fork and love the bike. the ergonomics r great. i've been trying to "mirror" my rain bike to match the secteur but just can't seem to do it exactly. the secteur just has that special (no pun intended) feel. the 28 tires do alot to dampen the ride but i have had a few flats. the tires that come standard r a bit well substandard so swapping them out right away is probably a good idea if u can afford it. speaking of affording it altho the alum secteur is a great bike & the ride very similar to a carbon bike if i could have afforded it i would have gotten the roubaix or the secteur comp. it's just more of a good thing. especially think so when i come home with the occasional lower back ache. my trail hybrid is a steel jamis & i love that bike too. seems like any way u turn u have some great choices. u just gotta be patient & ride them first.

flippin_bikes

I am going to ride a 56cm Secteur Elite tomorrow. Its a size too small, but at least I can get an idea for how it rides. There is also a Jamis/Giant dealer where I can try out a Giant Defy and the Jamis Satellite, so I plan on doing that tomorrow morning. I am expecting the Giant to be a bit less upright than the Secteur, so I am not holding much hope that I will like the way it fits. Never hurts to try, right?

Old Whitebelly

I received my Secteur Comp Compact a week ago, and have over 300k on it...at this stage in my life, that is a very large number; I only started riding a few months ago after a multi-year layoff for sickness. It is not at all a mushy or overly-soft bike; it definitely rides like a real road bike. The Comp is all 105, which is actually a lot nicer then the old 105 stuff on the steel bike this is replacing. That bike was proof that ride quality is unrelated to material; I couldn't go two hours without by wrists and lower back killing me. Yesterday morning, I rode three hours (two into a really unpleasant headwind, riding in the drops) and felt great afterward-if I hadn't had an issue with a bargain-bin chamois, I would have taken another ride in the afternoon. So if what you really need is the hard edge removed from the road, I personally really feel that the zertz business in the back is a good thing. I'd rather have a Rubaix frame and crappy parts than the Secteur with nice kit and standard stays.

BUT-if you are looking at the Comp because of the Rubaix-style seatstays, be aware that they won't be there on the 2012 models. Specialized's public website shows them, but the dealer website lists the seatstays as aluminum. My LBS had to specify that we wanted the 2011.

ColinL

Except that's not really possible. The top-end Secteur Apex Comp has the same components as the entry level Roubaix Apex and there's $650 between them. (Sidenote: OMG they are selling a Tiagra-equipped Roubaix this year? For shame.)

I hadn't heard that about the zertz frames but I don't put much stock in the zertz-equipped seatstays anyway. I just put down money for a 2011 Dolce Apex for my wife and it doesn't have the zertz seatstays, but the 2012 does.

svtmike

I put a lot of stock in the Zertz seatstays. I have three Specialized bikes -- a Roubaix, a Secteur (alumiminum seatstays), and a TriCross. The Roubaix and the TriCross (with the Zertz seatstays) transmit much less road vibration through to the seat. Whether the Zertz are a gimmick or not, the seatstays that include them are not a gimmick.

Old Whitebelly

Agreed, svtmike-I also think that the little bit of polymer is actually meaningless; it's only there to hide the unattractive and difficult-to-make-smooth inside of the hole. I'm sure the entire benefit is from the curvy shape of the carbon stays alone. (It's a damn shame when someone makes a product that expensive, and some MBA decides that it needs a marketing angle, and comes up with a stupid story like this. Of course, it was probably the same marketing dweeb that specified the faux-carbon seat post on the Comp, too.) I should have been more clear-try it this way...I don't know if the frame's ability to remove much of the punishment is due to the Rubaix-style seatstays, but I strongly believe that it is. I have nothing scientific to back that up, except for one thing-being in an unusual physical condition, I am delicate enough to really feel the effects of a harsh riding frame, but I am just fit enough again to push long enough for the impression I get to have some meaning. I am also comparing my Secteur to other bikes I own, NOT to other similar bikes in Specialized's lineup.

I guess what I was trying to say was this-IF it were me, and I could not get a Secteur with the Rubaix-style seatstays, then I would rather upgrade to a Rubaix and live with cheap parts. It was that one feature that drove my choice, since I cannot handle a traditional frame anymore. If I could have come up with a few more hundred bucks I would have bought a Rubaix, but having an entirely carbon frame was not my priority; being able to ride for hours was. I don't care if they make it out of wood, really. The top Secteur is in that range where improvements in weight or quality take a ton of dough, so I am happy I was able to get the model I got, and that I was able to get a 2011 ordered while they were still available. If they had not been, I would have kept saving pennies until the Rubaix was in reach, and then would have had to worry about budget for parts upgrades.

I suppose it's normal with the demands of modern marketing and manufacturing, but it's bloody near impossible to tell which frame has which feature at the moment just from Specialized's website. Be sure to have your LBS look at the DEALER site when ordering, especially if there are certain features that are driving your choice.

ColinL

In my case it was about $250 additional for the 2012 frame with zertz seatstays and DT Swiss Axis 2.0 wheels instead of Mavic CXP22s. I couldn't find any technical information for the DT Swiss, but see that it has a lot of spokes. I suspect it is durable and heavy, and would guess it is a small upgrade over the Mavic.

But for $250, I couldn't see it. I do think it has some benefit, but instead I'll put that towards the 'good wheel' fund instead. Plus wifey likes the '11 Black/White paint scheme the best, and you know how that goes.

svtmike

I"m thinking it's more structural -- allows the stay to flex around the hole without breaking. And I agree on the all aluminum Secteur vs. Secteur with the Roubaix seatstays thought. My Tricross is hybrid aluminum/carbon and it rides almost every bit as smoothly as my Roubaix. The main difference is in the front, where I have carbon bars on the Roubaix and alloy on the TriCross.