CNC2204

Lanceoldstrong

I love mine, I have had it for a year and a half. I have put 8,000 miles on it, and it has proven to be a great bike.

Bacciagalupe

So you... plan to do professional races on cobblestones?

Did you want a Trek Domane last year, and an R3 in 2011?

Campag4life

The Spesh Roubaix has won that race more than any model.

When Specialized changed every frame tube on the SL4 Roubaix from the SL3 Roubaix Pro I ride, I thought...why?
The SL3 is the best bike I have ever ridden. When reports came out on the SL4, many say the rear of the bike is now perhaps even a bit too stiff which seems to belie why the bike was created....to ride anywhere on all kinds of road surfaces. I thought Spesh nailed both the front and rear of the SL3...perfect. So I haven't run out and gotten a SL4. I may even appreciate the more Tarmac like rear triangle of the SL4 Roubaix but just don't felt a reason to change. So I will likely wait for the SL5 Roubaix in a couple of years as no doubt it will be even better.

CNC2204

This was 2013 or 14.

ROUBIAX SL4 DISC is my next bike.




This is what ive been running since may, a 2006 TREK 1000 with Xero wheels and 105 group. Great bike i might ad.
Just turned 1000 mile last week.

Bought a hybrid last january, had no intentions of road riding this year but figured i would at some point.

First 50 mile ride i was hooked.

The ROUBIAX is going to be quite an upgrade.

Campag4life

Great video and a cool guy who really knows his stuff.
Thanks
PS: 18% stiffer rear end than my SL3. Not sure I would like that over time but perhaps I would appreciate the improved power transfer.

CNC2204

Perhaps things loosen up a bit with more miles on the bike ... ?

Campag4life

Then that would apply to both bikes wouldn't it? No. Modulus of elasticity may relax fractionally but likely no more 1% or the carbon would lose its tensile strength.

CNC2204

My mom n dad are retirees from Boeing, they both started at McDonnell Douglas in the 60's which later merged with Boeing.
My dad was project mngr for the AV8B Harrier among other things.
In the 80's Mac was making carbon fiber stuff, they called it "graphite epoxy".
I certainly had no idea back then they'd be making bikes outta it.
I still have a Harrier wing spar somewhere.
Cool stuff.

Bacciagalupe

Even if that's true... So what?

Bikes are commodities, and the differences between them are exceedingly small. Even if you are in fact racing on cobbles, there are a dozen bikes that will all do an equally good job, as long as the fit is correct.

It's not the bike that wins the race. It's the rider, and the team.

Campag4life

Then why are you here if the differences between bikes is nebulous?...lol.

Smokehouse

I rode a borrowed 2009 SL2 Roubaix summer of 2012. It really smoothed out the crappy Illinois back/country roads. When time came to buy my own, I decided to go with a Sl2 Tarmac...wow, what a difference. I love the bike but the Roubaix did an amazing job of shutting up the choppy roads.

Now...I've read that the SL4 Roubaix is WAY stiffer than the 2. I haven't spent time on one myself but if this is true, this is kind of a bummer. I was thinking of getting a SL4 Roubaix (or 5) next year as a more long distance setup. If the SL4 is stiff as all get out...that will stink.

Campag4life

Some honestly don't like the rear triangle stiffness of the Roubaix SL4 as Specialized took it closer to the Tarmac. My view is Spesh nailed the geometry and performance of the SL3. But this will be a preference thing all said.
The reason why Bacc's comment above about bike's being a commodity isn't even relevant to discussion is because bikes can and do have very different ride properties which will agree with some and not others. That is the point. Take the Domane compared to the Roubaix. The Domane has a very stiff front end. Too unfriendly to many. It takes bumps hard in front...but its a couch in the back. This is off putting for some because it is like the bike has a split personality. The Roubaix by contrast has a friendlier feel in front even though its stiff. But the rear on the new SL4 is pretty darn stiff and some will really like it because they want the road feedback and quick acceleration and others will prefer a more muted rear triangle like the SL3.

Dunbar

I've had both, the SL4 rides just as good with the CG-R seat post installed. The SL4 is too stiff without the CG-R IMO. Keep an eye on the Specialized demo calendar and take one out for a long test ride.

rangerdavid

It's a great bike. It having one will make you ride more, grab it up!!

2702

I really enjoy the stiffness of the SL4 frame in my Sirrus. I live on the bottom of a long incline to get to the main areas of the city and overall this SL4 frame has the best power transfer of many carbon and high end aluminum bikes I have tried. As for comfort I have 23mm tires front and rear and have noticed nothing in terms of discomfort.

Smokehouse

My cousin has a new Domane...and yes, the rear end of that thing flexes big time, I've actually watched it move when riding behind him when we hit the rough stuff. You're also right about the front end...it is super stiff, which I really don't get. To have a super plush rear with a hard as nail front is beyond me...kind of defeating the purpose of the bike. I know the SL2 had some serious give in the forks, I could see it. I didn't notice it much until I go my Tarmac then rode them back to back...quite the difference. I've said all along, the Roubaix and Tarmac are definitely not the same bikes...as some claim. They do not ride the same. I would never classify it as "right-vs-wrong" though...more so "this-vs-that". What you want the ride to be like.

I landed up adding a CG-R to my Tarmac...and I really enjoy the thing, made a big difference in ride quality. If I had to make one complaint (besides it being ugly as all get out), it would be that on really rough stuff, it can bounce you a touch. Very repetitive road flaws, like filled seams close together, can give you bit of a "bouncing" action...but that is minimal compared to the chatter the thing cleans up. Under normal stress, I feel no flex what so ever (175 lb rider btw).

I may have to give it a try...some places are around where I live are hesitant about giving out higher end bike rides...although I noticed all 2015 Roubaix all come with a CG-R now...

Campag4life

One related dynamic pertains to the new Emonda. Most that test the Emonda prefer it to the Domane for ride quality. Why would that be since the Domane is touted as Trek's endurance geometry? Reason is the front end. Trek figured it out for the new Emonda. A guess is the tech of the front end of the new Emonda will trickle down to both the Domane and Madone which is being reduced in models because the Emonda is replacing it as their go to road bike.

basqueonacaad

Prepare to be sued. Specialized corporate is known to pursue those who drop the name Roubaix without permission.......they did, afterall, invent the name.

Bacciagalupe

OK, let me try it again. The race pedigree of any bike is pretty much the least important, and least valid, criterion to apply to a bike purchase.

Bike fit, handling, and ride feel are far more important. Heck, color is more important, if you care about aesthetics. If a Roubaix fits the OP well, and likes how it rides, the Roubaix is a good choice. If some other bike fits better, and/or the OP prefers a different ride feel, then a different bike should be considered.

It's not that complicated.

squatchy

I think it's odd that this type of thred doesn't seem to take into account wheelsets as much as I think it would/should. Maybe my weight has something to do with it. I can imagine a sub 175 lb rider would feel a bit less in wheel set comparisons as a guy at 250 lbs. So it would be great to hear from some who has had a chance to compare the Tarmac and Roubaix with same/different wheel sets. I have several very nice bikes and even more wheelsets. I also own both an S-Works Tarmac and S-Works Roubaix and I have ridden them ,,, as well as my other bikes and interchange wheelsets/rubber to see the cause and effect.

For me at least, I can't really talk about ride quality without adding that piece into the conversation as well. I will say at 240-250 lbs maybe the hoops and rubber is a bigger deal for a clyde. I'm just courious as to why I seem to not hear this in this type of thread???

squatchy

I might also go on record and say that my top shelf steel bikes seem to lack nothing at all when compaired to my top shelf plastic bikes Sure a couple pounds of weight difference at most but that doesn't seem to make any difference when that equals 1% of my total weight. My steel bikes are every bit as nice a ride as my S-Works. Just saying

Campag4life

So squatchy, you own a S-works Roubaix...what year? So you say that you have no preference for your Roubaix over your steel bikes? Who makes your steel bike frames and what grade of steel are they?
Are you saying that you can match the geometry of your Roubaix with a steel bike? Are your steel bikes a custom geometry? Are you saying your steel bikes have the power transfer of your Roubaix for climbing or sprinting? I have owned several steel bikes and not one has come close to either the geometry or power transfer of the Roubaix...or handling...or ride without control penalty. And of course carbon bikes are lighter as well as you mentioned.

Campag4life

I believe its a debatable point. Perhaps you have never heard the mantra that racing improves the breed. As a product development guy, I believe its true. Its isn't just about absolute performance, but the combination of performance and durability. Racing with the highest watt riders over the most grueling condtions...say this year's TdF...will expose any bike weaknesses. Engineers learn from these test conditions. Carbon is often questioned for its resistance to cracking and grueling racing conditions will expose these weaknesses. So I have no doubt that Specialized has learned a lot through their racing and incorporated many changes as a result into their bikes....as have other manufacturers.

An example is the Tarmac of a few years ago. Feedback from pro riders was the Tarmac SL2 was too flexible. In fact the current SL4 Roubaix, an endurance bike is light years more stiff than a SL2 Tarmac of a few years back. With the Tarmac SL2, pros wanted a stiffer bike for better power transfer and control. So Spesh stepped up and released the SL3. After racing that bike for a while, pro's went on to say that Spesh went too far. They made the SL3 Tarmac a bit too stiff vertically in particular. So Spesh went back to the drawing board and developed the SL4 which is both vertically more compliant and yet laterally stiffer than the SL3. So how could Spesh improve the SL4 Tarmac which won repeated honors? It was determined there wasn't a parallel universe when it came to rider size and frame size. Based upon Spesh's testing they determined that the smaller size Tarmacs were too stiff and the larger sizes were too flexible. So with the SL5, they again redesigned the bike to make it feel the same whether you are 6'4" or 5'2". Racing provides not only durability data but also rider feedback. And of course if you win as in the case of the Specialized in this year's TdF or Roubaix race, this is validation the bike is up to the job.

CNC2204

Yep ... ^^^^^^^