bigsid

Great forum and I appreciate all the good info that everyone provides. Set a goal for myself that when I hit my ideal cycling weight I would get a new rig:

Find Your Ideal Cycling Body Weight | Bicycling Magazine

12 weeks later and 25 lbs less I'm ready to fulfill that goal. My LBS let me ride the Roubaix SL4 Expert and it was nice. (Compact instead of triple). Used my Edge 800 to see if there was any discernible difference or some miraculous technological advancement that immediately transformed me into a potential TDF rider, but alas there was none. Are the advances over the last 10 years something that will translate into better performance or am I spending $4K for a new paint job?

Current rig:
2005 Roubaix Elite Triple
All Ultegra except 105 brakes
FSA Carbon crankset (52,42,30)
Ultegra 12-25 cassette
Continental Gatorskin tubulars (25c)
38mm/50mm carbon wheels



My pref on the new rig would be Specialized Roubaix or possibly Trek Emonda if I'm to believe all the hype.

TIA,

Sid

kingfishr

Switch to a compact crank and you have the same result. Why not buy Zipp 808's instead? That could make a difference...

PaulRivers

I don't think you're going to find any significantly speed performance, no.

You might find improvements in ride quality. In my experience you'll definitely find improvements in shifting - I've test ridden around 15 bikes this year, and this year's Ultegra is much, much better than even the just-tuned Dura-Ace on my 2009 Tarmac. I've seen several other posters say similar things. You'll find that modern bikes can be both more comfortable and also stiffer than your older bike, so it can motivate you to go faster. You might find that handling has improved.

But absolute speed? Hasn't really changed. You might find a newer model to be a far more enjoyable ride that motivates you to ride faster, though. I don't know what the 2005 Roubaix was like, but I rode the 2010 and it felt like a slug in comparison to the more recent models.

Lazyass

A $4000 bike will look cool but it's not going to make you faster. If I read that correct, you've only been riding 12 weeks. Don't be that guy who gets a 4K bike and all the fancy gear, goes on a group ride and gets dropped like a bad habit by 60 year old guys riding 20lb steel bikes. That would be embarrassing. I don't know if you've even been on a group ride before. You already have a nice bike, just work on your fitness.

bigsid

The 05 has a carbon frame and I love the way it feels compared to the Trek 7.2 hybrid I was riding. The 2014 Roubaix SL4 did have precise shifting but I guess I was expecting that "Oh Wow" feeling. I rode with the Bike Barn group as opposed to one of my normal routes, which would have helped with the ride comparison.


Thanks Lazy, sounds like the plan. I've been riding off and on for many years. Just bought the road bike 12 weeks ago and committed to a training program. (Minimum 125 miles per week with a metric century under my belt, calorie deficit, healthy foods, etc). Doing 2 group rides a week and learning proper etiquette. Might stay with the old bike until I can hang with those old timers.

bigsid

Thanks Paul, WOW! 15 test rides this year. Anything jump out at you?

Lazyass

After you get literally thousands of miles on your road bike you'll have a better idea of what you really want next. $4000 would buy a freaking nice steel frame handmade to your measurements that will last forever. Better than a cookie cutter carbon Specialized made in China or something. But that's another subject sure to invoke drama on this forum haha

superslomo

Why do you feel a compact it's an upgrade, the triple you have gives you as much range as the very best spread that a new compact does, with minimal weight difference, and you're riding a really nice frame and group as is. The lightness in your wallet may yield some benefits, if you carry all your disposable income with you in the form of a large sack of nickels, but I don't have any sense that you might see any benefits under other circumstances

bigsid

To be honest, when I took the new Roubaix Expert for a test ride seemed liked the compact required more shifting across the front sprockets to get me comfortable. I really like the triple but the LBS said they don't even come on high end bikes anymore.

bigsid

Nothing to it but to DO IT!

Phantoj

Congrats on the weight loss

Agree with those who say to take your time finding the perfect bike... your current setup isn't that shabby anyway.

TrojanHorse

I had a 2007 Specialized Roubaix Expert (it originally had a triple 105 set up on it but I bought it as a bare frame and put my own components on it.). It was a pretty nice bike but about 18 months ago, I got a new(er) 2012 Roubaix SL3 and moved over all those same components and in MY OPINION the difference is pretty noticeable. It seems to dampen road noise better than my older one did and consequently trips across chipseal are smoother and faster. YMMV.

I've heard the SL4 models are stiffer in the rear triangle and that's why Specialized is using those ghastly looking seat posts now, and keep in mind they have different carbon layups but they're calling them all SL4 now for some reason (used to only call the fancier ones SL something, and the rest were just blank). Does it make a difference? I don't know. I like it more than my old one, that's for sure.

bigsid

Thanks Phantoj, struggled with weight for 20+ years. Somehow cycling has tricked my mind and body into not thinking its exercise or cardio. Takes me back to being a kid again. LOVE IT!

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate the input from everyone. Want to make sure when I pull the trigger on new bike I have no regrets.

bigsid

Thanks for the input. I rode the sl4 roubaix expert, but a 2 hour ride on a strange course with a new group didn't give me an apples to apples comparison. A lot of $ to spend if I only feel a marginal difference.

TrojanHorse

Who said anything about needing a difference to buy a new bike? Not me. I never rode them back to back... rode the 07, took it apart and assembled the 12 and then rode that with about 4 days between them for the build. Most of the components were identical (i needed a new FD, for instance, and got new chainrings at the same time) and in my mind the new bike was superior.

If you decide you can't tell or don't feel like spending that kind of money (understandable) consider rewarding yourself with a nice new set of wheels (although yours are clearly not stock), or a power meter, or something that you will find useful and can migrate with you to a new bike should you get one.

My 07 looked nearly identical to yours, except the "elite" was in red. I really thought it was a sharp paint job with sections of clear coat over a 3k carbon weave.

bigsid

Loving that logic:

While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.

StanSeven

That's true about triples. Most people that have both say the triple just isn't as smooth or quick. Regardless of whether you believe that or not, a double gives you 20 or 22 gear combos. Unless you live in an area with lots of mountains, that's more than enough.

PaulRivers

Ah, it's been a long series of "love this one thing but hate this other thing".

People claimed the older roubaix was less stiff than the new model - I rode the entry level models of both, and thought the older roubaix was like riding a concrete back, whereas the newer model was pretty good. Well, the frame was good - I feel like the handling is to fast and twitchy for my tastes on all the newer Roubaix's.

I tried the Giant Defy Advanced, now there's a bike with some lovely handling - problem was it seemed like if you changed the stem length handling got awkward (far, far moreso than with other bikes), and despite it supposedly being amazingly comfortable it was one of the very very few full carbon bikes where hitting bumps I actually felt on my butt. Aka - it didn't seem to be very good at removing road vibration. Still, really the most enjoyable handling I've found on a bike. They came out with a newer model, I'm going try that one and see.

The Trek Domane, the entry level I found to be to dead feeling. Good vibration reduction, but it just felt a little empty. The 500 series model didn't feel as dead feeling, but it felt overly stiff to me. I already have a Tarmac that feels like that, my hands feel good at the end of the ride because of the carbon vibration absorbtion, but my body feels stiff because it's to stiff. Both models has slower handling than I would prefer.

The Trek Emonda was probably the closest all around - it was like riding a very precise responsive cloud. It really kept you from feeling road vibrations and potholes. The handling was fine, but not as enjoyable as the Giant Defy. I liked it better than the Domane - faster handling, not overly-stiff feeling, and frankly it felt like it had better vibration reduction. I haven't taken it out yet for a longer ride though.

I rode a Trek Cronus Cx - a cyclocross bike with 500 level carbon. Frankly, this was my favorite bike so far all around...except it's brakes sucked. They're the wide rim brakes...they squealed, maybe that could be fixed, but their stopping power was unimpressive as well. If it came in a TRP hyd disc brake version I'd probably buy one. Vs the Emonda, it has a more "normal" feel to it - less cloudlike in it's riding. It's a total aesthetic quality, but I do like to feel a bit more like I'm connected to the ground.

I rode both the carbon and steel Volagi's - I loved their handling, but despite their claims of being the ultimate comfort bike I ended the ride with my hands sore and having felt a fair amount of road vibration through the bars. I keep meaning to go back and see if the problem wasn't the fit, but I haven't gotten to it.

So...those are my thoughts. Some people will disagree with some of them, don't take them as gospel, but that's what I found.

bigsid

Great info Paul, I must say the Emonda has me curious.

chasm54

It has nothing to do with how many gear combos you have. Most of them overlap anyway. The advantage of a triple (which in my experience is just as smooth and quick as a compact) is that it gives you as great or greater range of gears while retaining nice close ratios on the cassette.

OP, if you want a triple, a good supplier could easily provide you with one. All they have to do is swap the drivetrain, and the difference in cost should be marginal.

dtrain

...and the lack of front shifting required for most conditions (as bigsid noted during his test ride). I was in the middle ring >80% of the time when I had a triple and now I'm closer to 50-50 on a compact with a fair amount of shifting back and forth.

TrojanHorse

That's true but front shifting is a lot faster and easier than it's ever been (IMO) and I have one of the reputedly worst front shifting drive trains on earth (Red, but the new yaw stuff is much better)

If I was starting from scratch today, I'd probably look for a triple.

PaulRivers

I inquired at several shops because I wanted to change my brothers bike from a double to a triple (he's never really gotten the hang of front shifting, a bigger problem with a double than with a triple) and they always told me it was very expensive. Like "we'll do it if you want I guess, but it's not cost effective" expensive. You need a new chain, a new front crankset which is expensive, and a new front shifter. And they'll want to replace the cables to.

A supplier could "easily" provide you with a triple, yes, for a rather large sum of money. You're replacing some of the most expensive components on the bike - the front crank and a shifter.

PaulRivers

Thanks, it was definitely an interesting ride. Go take a test ride on one yourself. :-)

bigsid

Thanks for the input guys. Primarily on the big ring while riding the compact , I kept fighting the urge to keep it on the 50 and just shift it up to the rings on the cassette . I know that's not optimal but otherwise is seemed like I needed to shift the front and then shift again on the rear. Could be me just needing to get used to the compact shifting.