Frame geometry newb question
 

I did not know what "Roubaix frame" meant, so i reasearched it. I discovered that it is basically a more upright frame geometry for smoothing out the cobbles of northern France. This seems contrary to the race vs. touring geometry

sorry, didnt finish my question; a keyboard malfunction. Continuing... I thought touring frames had a more relaxed geometry and longer wheelbase to smooth out rough roads, i.e. cobbles, so isnt "a more upright ride" contrary to Touring geometry thinking?

Touring bikes have geometry primarily for carrying loads on the bike while sitting in a comfortable position for all day riding. Many touring bike frames are very stiff, despite the long wheelbases, and get their comfort from larger volume tires.

"Roubaix" isn't a kind of bike, it is a place and the destination of the Paris-Roubaix bike race, which famously has a lot of cobbled pavement on its course. Given the bumpy surface, riders often use bikes that have geometry better suited to maintaining control and absorbing bumps on the cobbles.

The Specialized Roubaix is a model bike, and it will have whatever features Specialized decides to give it, which is currently more of what is called an endurance bike - a race style bike that is more stable, absorbs more bumps and where you can sit up a bit more. Such a bike could be slightly better for riding on cobbles than a regular race bike, but not always, and that's not what the Specialized Roubaix is designed for.

Your research seems to be Specialized's marketing description of the model they call Roubaix. Fuji has been making a bike model they call "Roubaix" for even longer, and it has race geometry. It isn't a type of bike.

Thanks for the info Kontact.