Originally Posted by
Jarrett2
I always hesitate to mention this as no one on the forum believes me when I say it and it typically draws the topic off course. The Roubaix and Secteur have exactly the same geometry. They both have literally the same saddles on them. Both bikes were fitted in the same positions by the same LBS. The Secteur has 32mm tires, the Roubaix 25mm and the Roubaix is off the charts more comfortable on long, rough road rides. On a smooth city street, its a coin toss. Ride out into the country and its no contest. The carbon bike is way more comfortable to ride.
Yeah, I'd love to just use my Roubaix, but I suspect I'd need a backpack which would likely suck after 50 miles or so.
Not sure I'm comfortable with doing that to the Roubaix.
Hehe, yeah I've got the fever a bit too. Bike buying is fun. But I think I might try putting one of those CG-R seatposts and a set of panniers on the Secteur to give it a try. Maybe it will work perfectly.
I can appreciate your experience with the Secteur and Roubaix. The contact points on my Caad4 and Bierwagen are identical. But, due to more flexible carbon seatpost and fork, Bierwagen provided instant relief from hand and butt numbness issues caused the incredibly coarse Kiwi chip seal.
There's little reason you can't use the Roubaix for the first several, shorter, outings.
Moving away from the bikes for a moment. First assess exactly what "gear" you need for an overnight, credit card, tour. It isn't much.
I start with my basic saddle bag contents of tube, patches, boot, levers, tool and a quicklink. A couple bottles. The biggest question is wheather you're comfortable using the same shorts/bibs/liner on two consecutive days. A jersey or shirt and base layer easily dry over night. Usually I'll have a pair of nylon overshorts that provide a more socially acceptable outward appearance on the bike and double as my evening wear with the addition of a single pair of underwear. A rain jacket goes in my jersey pocket. And some Teva's or thin deck shoes get strapped somewhere for off bike/dinner use.
Check out the Topeak website. They have a lot of bags that can provide plenty of storage on the Roubaix without the addition of a classic pannier rack. They even have beam racks that can accommodate a trunk bag and panniers off the seatpost without vetical stays.
Or, check out Bike Bag Shop and look at the Tubus or Old Man Mountain racks that are designed specifically for bikes with disc brakes and attach to the axle quick release instead of eyelets. That way most of the weight is not going through your frame. Then you can look to attaching the forward supports to the brake bridge, that Roubaixs still have, or seatstays, by whatever means you are comfortable with.
Really, between a bar bag, frame bag, MondoXL saddle bag, and a beam rack with a trunk on it, I could credit card tour for a week or more.
Try this overnighting idea on with the GF before investing in a touring specific frame. If you don't like the ride quality of your alloy frame with a carbon fork, how is the ride of a steel frame and fork going to compare to your Roubaix? The Roubaix really is built for comfort. And for such short, initial, journeys you don't require the long term ruggedness and repairability of a steel frame.
My biggest concern would be that you spend your money on some DURABLE :-) wheels. ;-)