Originally Posted by
stealthfixr
Went to McGhie's in west Las Vegas and test rode the Rokh and a Domane 5.2 after a 30mile ride on my Trek Pilot 5.2. The Domane was actually kind of similar to my Pilot in the front end, meaning a little twitchy and quick. The rear end was a whole different story--smooth like a magic carpet, almost to a disconcerting degree. Almost no give at all when standing and pounding on the pedals, so nice, stiff bottom. A nice bike for sure, but one of the criticisms of my Pilot was the kinda twitchy front end, which the Domane shared.
I rode the Rokh first and honestly loved it within the first 100 feet on it. Smooth, responsive and stable. I could put in a century on this bike any day. Nice balance between the front and rear with confidence inspiring handling. Impressively stiff frame when standing, but still so very smooth when not. Not as compliant as the Domane, but also more feedback and 'connectedness' feeling, and easily comfortable enough for any long day in the saddle. Much more comfortable than my Pilot, and I thought that would be a hard thing to achieve. Fit & finish are nicest I have seen on a bike at this price range, and the satin black/red paint is just stunning.
I have been riding Trek's for 12+ years, but simply found the Rokh superior today--better overall ride, lower price, stunning looks. The bike shop gave me a thorough fitting session that I can revisit that as long as I own the bike--nice. First 30-mile ride tomorrow morning, and a lot of miles in the next couple months getting ready for the
Pedal to the Medal 2014 century in a month!
I would love to test the new Rokh. It hadn't been on my radar or short list but based upon the reviews I read, it is basically a slightly kinder/gentler Dogma with a slightly taller head tube and a bit longer wheelbase and more affordable lower mod carbon fiber that adds a bit of weight. The thing this bike resonates to me, is it has the pedigreed race quality of the dogma but with the geometry of a Roubaix...what I ride. To me, that is the best of both worlds. It isn't the stiffness of a race bike that bothers me, its the geometry and the Rokh has perhaps a finer edge than a Roubaix, Domane or Emonda when it comes to feeling the road and communicating power.
So its on my list of bikes to consider when/if I decide to replace my Roubaix. Other thing is, I wish it was available in a frameset as I like to build with Campy and specify parts...so I would have to buy the bike and then part out the components if I wanted one.