Originally Posted by
Ogsarg
I have an older Roubaix and like it a lot but with a budget of $3500 I would be doing a lot of bike shopping if I was in your shoes. There are many bikes available for that kind of money and you should ride as many of them as you can before making a decision. If you're going to use the bike shop for service, you want to stick with a shop that you trust and is convenient but otherwise take some time and look at options.
There's one shop that is very close to me that sells only Specialized and Santa Cruz. The next closest is a Trek shop. There are small performance shops around here that sell Cannondale, Felt, Cervelo, etc. but I am not familiar with any of the bikes in those brands. The only other bike that I am as familiar as I am with the Roubaix is the Domane, and I plan to test ride SL5 Disc as well. Any other recommendations off the top of your head?
Originally Posted by
canklecat
Much as I liked the Tarmac I test rode over the summer, if I actually bought a proper crabon bike I'd go for the Roubaix. More practical for most real world road conditions here.
But the Tarmac was in a whole nuther class from the old school steel road bikes I've ridden, including my '89 Centurion Ironman. I'm 5'11", 155 lbs, with skinny legs, no powerhouse, but I can make the Ironman all noodly when I stand to stomp the pedals for climbs and sprints. Not the Tarmac frame. That baby don't move. Everything goes into forward motion. The bike felt like it was doing half the work on our roller coasters with lots of short, steep climbs. And it didn't seem uncomfortably rigid and harsh, although the tires probably helped.
A lot of reviews I've read so far comparing the Roubaix and the Tarmac said the Tarmac felt much more nimble and the Roubaix was soft and squishy, but I noticed most of these are from pre-2017 back when the Roubaix had the Zertz insets in the fork and seat stays, so the frame itself was indeed "soft". Per what I've read so far and per your recommendation as well, I don't think I'll be buying a Tarmac, but I would be curious to ride the Tarmac and Roubaix side by side to see if I get the same impression. I would think by removing the Zertz inserts and putting all compliance above the frame that the new Roubaix would feel at least almost as zippy?
Originally Posted by
firebird854
Your first road bike will likely be the one you stick with for a few years, it's worth the investment if you ask me. First; however, I would consider not spending the entire budget on the bike. Frankly, $2500 is a solid sweetspot for the bike, this would leave you with $1000 left over for power meter, smart trainer, kit (you can easily end up spending $500 for a wardrobe of Ralpha or Castelli)—Helmet, Road Shoes, Garmin (or Wahoo) GPS device, a bike fit (easily $200 right there), etc.
IMO, shoot for a Carbon frame from a reputable manufacturer, make sure it has some nice wheels (deep section carbon IS FAST), DI2 or E-tap is AWESOME, but not a necessity, and disc brakes would be very nice.
I think $2,500-$3,000 was my preferred price point initially. Like you say, I'll be riding this for a few years (hopefully) and I don't want to spend the next few years wishing I only spent a few hundred more to get something way better. At the original $4,200 price point I would probably immediately dismiss Di2 but at $3,500 I'm curious. Right now I think my only other considerations are a Roubaix Comp without Di2 which I can get for $3,000 or the Domane SL5 Disc for $2,700. Any other suggestions in that price point?
Get the bike. You'll either get it later after getting a sub-Roubaix bike now, with the resulting money spent on that., or just regret not getting it now. Di2 is not a necessity, but once you try it, you'll decide that it really is....
If I buy the bike and get buyer's remorse, this is the answer I'll be going back to
