dhartson

Sounds reasonable to buy the used bike, but you might go to an LBS that has a fitting specialist. Specialized has a training course and any LBS that sends a tech will have that person's name listed with their shop's listing on Specialized's web site. You can pay for a fitting that they would probably do for free if you bought the bike from them. They'll use a plumb line from your knee at the 3 o'clock position and other things to get as close to a perfect fit as possible on the seat position, not only the height but how far forward to place the seat, etc. They can also recommend what to do with adjusting the stem of the handlebars, the position of your cleat for the pedals, etc.

KidTruth

I have the high-end Allez (the Elite with carbon fork and seat stays.) It is the younger brother to the Tarmac, and a more traditional, staple road bike. I'm not sure if I want to be a racer or an endurance cyclist or just a cyclist yet, so it made more sense.

The Allez is ultra stiff, but very comfortable due to the carbon and zertz inserts. The MSRP on my bike is 1400, I got it for 1050... The only comparable Roubaix didn't have the bling I wanted and just doesn't look that great. You need an extra grand if you want a Roubaix that will compare to the Allez Elite, in my opinion... and if you are going to spend that much money, you should be looking at the Tarmac vs. the Roubaix.

You may want to check out the Sequoia if you are into comfort/distance/speed (in that order of importance) as it is closer to the Allez in terms of price in the Specialized tier of bikes.

Edit: My allez elite has a 105 derailleur and the rest of the components are Tiagra. From what I hear of the new Tiagra, there is not much diff between it and Ultegra. I have had a few clunky shifting issues but for the most part it is as butter as you would expect from mid-grade shimano parts.

rapc24

Congats on the bike.
I am still trying to decide between the following with the Roubaix in front; 09 Tarmac or Roubaix or 09 Colanago CLX?
Have read some reviews but there don't seem to be many sites that compare bikes, like motorcycle reviews.
Any advice would be much appreciated. Most of the riding will be longer distances, 50-100km +.
Thanks.
Ride More, Work Less (Ibis).

rcaviator

Congrats on the Roubaix, very nice ride.

I have a lower model Roubaix, and do watch out for tire issues like some have said. Liked my tires very much until I got a large bulge in the tread area of the tire. LBS told me it was a known defect in some of the Roubaix tires. I switched to Michelins, didn't want to take any chances.

Enjoy the nice ride!

toj

What effect is a larger head tube and wheel base going to have on the ride feel & quality?

This may be Taboo here, but I am considering one of these Specialized models for triathlon... use a Thomson forward searpost and aerobars.

I've used this set-up with Trek for almost 20 years, but now many of their seatposts won't allow the Thomson, so I can't get far enough foward.

Ray

Beaker

Basecd on the comment above - go Roubaix. The whole point of the bike is that it's tuned to provide a bit more comfort to keep you fresher over longer distances and be as smooth as possible over rougher roads (hence the name). Really though, you just gotta jump on the saddle of each of them at your LBS and take them for a test ride. That's way more important than anyone spouting on BF.

Fat Boy

It might not be a pure race bike like a Tarmac, but the Roubaix is enough of one for Boonen to ride one in the P-R race. That says a little bit about it's quality and kickassedness.

1955

Congrats!!!

I have the exact same bike in the 2004 version, still love it and don't foresee buying a new bike unless it spontaneously explodes , after all, it is carbon. It's funny, you described the same effect that the bike had on me, I kept checking the tire pressure because it rides SO smooth! That new bike feeling will last a long time, enjoy!

v70cat

Did you get the Roubaix Pro SL Dura-Ace for $3,100?

Quest2008

Keep in mind, the OP is almost 3 years old. Prices have gone up a little bit.

pugetmarco

According to LBS, frame geometry are a bit different:

• roubaix has longer and wider chainstays, for longer wheelbase and better compliance
• tarmac has longer top tube and shorter head tube, for more aggressive rider position
• roubaix fork trail and rake less aggressive than tarmac

I haven't yet test ridden both for comparative purposes, but hope to soon.
Problem will be finding either model in 61 cm...

v70cat

I like the Roubaix Pro SL Dura-Ace, just want to get a good price.

Wish it was like a car where you could get dealer cost.

I am also looking at Cervelo R3 & R3 SL