therhodeo

I'm surprised that Sagan is riding a tarmac this next week but alot of guys ride Tarmacs during Flanders. Its not roubaix. The cobbles are not the same at all.

Campag4life

I'm surprised as well. Quite right, the cobbles at Roubaix makes Flanders look more like chipseal.
Both are epic classics. Will be interesting at the Roubaix.

Fiery

Indeed. Boonen was the only Ettix rider on a Roubaix for example, and even he didn't go for the wider tyres.

Campag4life

And then there is this counter narrative....Sagan on a Roubaix on the cobbles.
Go figure.

Fiery

Guess he will be riding it for Roubaix after all. Mechanical shifting too. Scheldeprijs was just used for final testing and getting used to the setup.

joejack951

I wouldn't be so sure. Remember their hydraulic disc brake failures? SRAM Road Hydraulic Recall: What Went Wrong? SRAM President Stan Day Explains, Provides Update on 2015 Brakes - Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos

TheKillerPenguin

Yikes, I hope nobody was injured!

rpenmanparker 

Funny but I would hate to ever be on a bike when it is 25 deg F out, even down the block from home. You can bet that I have tested for that scenario. No fun for sure.

TheKillerPenguin

Layers, shopping bags, and lofty goals help you get through it.

therhodeo

I'll gladly trade colder temps for not having to live in a godawful place like Houston.

Jarrett2

It's hard to throw stones at Houston while doing so from... Tulsa

therhodeo

Meh I've got several coworkers sitting around me from Houston who much prefer it here and still prefer Houston to Dallas.

Jarrett2

Psych eval, cube 7!

Darth Steele

lol.. I like you, are you on strava? I need to see these hammer sessions of yours

vinuneuro

This may be the reason that Specialized made the Roubaix SL4 laterally stiffer. It's less comfortable for the average rider, but it's probably the faster solution considering Sagan's success with the Tarmac. Is it known what tires he used for Flanders?

I have to admit that this new Domane has a lot of appeal for me, but the $1700 gap to my Diverge for the same Ultegra spec prevents any buyer's remorse.

WalksOn2Wheels

Just wait a year or two. They will eventually phase out the older frame design and put the feature on lower carbon spec frames. I would expect them to hit the standard price points in the near future going first to 5 series and then 4.

WalksOn2Wheels

And since this thread is back up here, I feel like I should have offered my unfiltered opinion of the new Domane seeing as how I'm such a Trek fanboy and own the "old" Domane.

It's awesome, but from the first spy pictures I saw it was clear that it had an adjustable rear and ISO on the front. All I could think to myself was "Damn I'm glad I have the current version." It looks cool, but the current Domane works really well for me. I don't have the same complaints on stiffness in the front (carbon bars are nice) as so may people seem to bothered by, the rear isn't too bouncy at my current weight (210), and it's a fast, fun bike that does well on the terrain near me because I don't even think I've ever even seen real cobbles in person. I hit some really crappy backroads though, and it's nice for that having ridden three different bikes back to back on the same roads. The new Domane is nice and the tech is cool, but I simply can't imagine that I would ever need it. It's essentially a more complicated version of what already works well enough.

RJM

You can see it but it will cost you. I take paypal.

Campag4life

Have to admit, the Domane is not a bike I would consider. For the same reason that some will prefer a less muted race bike to any endurance bike...and also Sagan choosing the Tarmac over the Roubaix for the Flanders race he won...Sagan doesn't prize nth degree compliancy either...just friendlier tires at the Flanders....I would choose an Emonda or even Madone (with rear pivot) over the more compliant Domane for my personal everyday riding. That said, no Trek for me. I don't like either the press fit BB90 bottom bracket...metal bearing right on carbon bore...or crappy single bolt rotary seat mast dictated by Trek's proprietary protruding mast frame designs. Both are deal breakers for me personally. Also note that both Sagan and Boonen apparently agree about the single bolt seatpost and also a more compliant seatpost for both the Flanders and Roubaix race. Both choose NOT to opt for Spesh's COBL seatpost which is also a crappy one bolt design that will not be as resilent to tilting like the 2 bolt FSA carbon post both pro riders choose. BTW, I also ride the FSA K-force light 2 bolt post...same 25mm setback that Sagan rides....Boonen's is 0 offset....and to me the best post on the market. This post will not mount to any Trek FWIW.

Since, I don't ride cobble like roads...only a short stint on rough-ish road which btw in my experience can be managed nicely with 25's or 28c tires on a non suspension endurance bike like the Roubaix.

So for me, less compliance is more and prefer to get it done with tires and a friendly position on the bike an endurance geometry provides.

For bike geeks out there...and we pretty much all qualify here is an excellent comparison between the two bikes Peter Sagan chooses for the great classics which were just held.
Peter chooses the Tarmac at the Flanders and a Roubaix at the Paris Roubaix....the Paris Roubaix being won several times by a Specialized Roubaix prior....the bike being named after the race of course. Following article and pictures explains Sagan's thinking behind the two...the Spesh Roubaix being only ridden for one race a year...this race...most and rest of the time Peter is on his Tarmac and infrequent forays on his new Venge VIAS where aero is more prized...and less braking...joke


Peter Sagan's choice of Tarmac versus Roubaix for the classics:
https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/pro-bi...32dbKzJHc4B.97

Darth Steele

do I get to request the color of your kit...be yet tri-suit?

RJM

Really, anything with gold sequins would work.