Originally Posted by
Allegheny Jet
I have both a 07 Roubaix Expert and a Tarmac Pro. I began racing three years ago using the Roubaix which worked fine. Last fall I got the Tarmac and instantly discovered the big difference betwen the two bikes. As mentioned, it is only important if you are racing. In crits I always struggled with turning and thought everyone's bike turned like mine. The first race on the Tarmac was a "WTF moment". The Tarmac turns to where you are thinking the bike should be and the Roubaix fights you all the way. I have used the same wheelsets, Williams 50cm CF tubulars and Mavic Krisium Elete's on both bikes. I don't notice any difference on longer rides as for comfort or road buzz. I recently rode a 102 mile charity ride with over 5,000' of climbing and took the Tarmac.
fyi, they've definitely changed the handling of the Roubaix since 2007. I rode a...2008? I think? Roubaix and it handled slow and steady. I had a chance to ride a high end Roubaix this spring (SL2 I think) and it definitely had faster responding steering. Actually, I was kinda dissapointed, as I was thinking about getting a more "easy going, relaxed" bike for longer rides on those days I didn't feel like hitting it hard. The latest Roubaix's steering was a lot closer to my Tarmac's steering than the 2007 Rouabaix's steering was.