Jarrett2

I'll have to check those out if I can find one in a store.

I've never seen one in a store to check out.

I felt the same way after riding a Domane. I'll have to check out a Emonda next time I'm at the store

That sounds interesting, I'll keep an eye out for one to test ride.

Cool video, thanks. I'm extremely happy with my Roubaix at this point, but I'm always interested in learning about potentially better bikes for down the road and for friends if they ask.

Up North

I don't read it that way but if it is then same goes, never seen a seat rail clamp with more than one bolt and have never had issues with rail clamp either.

Campag4life

No. of bikes sold is an important metric but honestly, I would say many if not most people I know who ride don't even know much about bike tech. A given rider can ride anything and maybe even be happy on it...a relative term. I am surprised you put the Domane in the same class as the Emonda but just goes to show there is a broad spectrum of acceptability because the front end of an Emonda is night and day with that of the Domane and the handling in my experience is better on the Emonda as well.
This stuff is subjective at the end of the day. Trek's have also been criticized about the mast sizing to the frame...excessive slop...but let's say that is a non issue. A single bolt seat clamp common on many road bikes works on pure compression. I have had them slip on me at 180#. Few things are as bothersome in the middle of an aggressive group ride. Just seems like a very poor design on a very important feature and why many pros when given the option choose 2 bolt.

Campag4life

I am not sure any of these bikes is better than another...very difficult to prove. Its more like they are a fair amount different. For example, the Synapse is a great bike and redesigned but its seatpost is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because they chose a 25.4mm FSA seatpost. FSA makes great seatposts...but they don't make a good one in 25.4mm...it has a crappy clamp...and neither do other manufacturers. I ride a FSA 2 bolt in 27.2mm for example and to me the FSA K-force light is the best post on the market...flex, weight and strength. It is not available in 25.4. I like the idea of a 25.4mm seatpost for weight and flex...just wish FSA made one with a decent clamp. So there are tradeoffs basically to each bike and the geometries are different as well although generally the same fit can be replicated on each. As it turns out the seatpost is one of the most important aspects of any bike because of its affect on the riding experience....setback, flex, weight, clamp integrity etc.

ThinLine

I'm looking at Giant Defy Advanced w/ disk brakes that seems pretty sweet.

rpenmanparker 

Two-bolt seat rail clamps are far superior to one-clamp ones. If you care what angle your saddle is at, that is.

PaulRivers

Really. So you it's a more stable handling bike than a Surly Long Haul Trucker?

You could argue that other people have different experiences than I do, it's just an opinion, but I've ridden every generation of the Roubaix since around 2009. That model was boringly stable. It was like driving a bus.

The model after they made somewhat more responsive. The next model after that they increased the steering responsiveness again, to be closer to the Tarmac. The Roubaix is a race bike after all. It's probably stable handling compared to a modern Tarmac, but not compared to like a Surly Long Haul Trucker.

If you want a fast responsive race bike that's not quite as aggressive as the Tarmac, I'm sure the Roubaix is a good choice. If you want a "take it easy and don't even think about the steering that's stable and slow turning", the Roubaix is a bad choice, in my experience.

Roadbikedude

I have an SL3 and I love it. Is it the best? It is for me. Most of the bikes already mentioned have their own best qualities about them. IMO, you can take any of them, change the wheels and tires, seat post and saddle and have a perfectly dialed in ride. I will say that when I changed the stock seat post to the Cobbler Gobbler CGR, the amount of road vibration reaching my rear was almost totally eliminated. Smoother is faster.......

MikeEckhaus

There are a lot of good endurance geometry bikes out there. I love my Domane, but I also liked the BMC GF01.

i respectfully disagree with some of the negative comments on the Domane. I don't find the front to be harsh at all. Just run the front tire about 5 psi lower than the rear, and the bike feels super balanced. I did originally agree with the dead feeling comments, but I found that was mostly due to the stock Bontrager tires. Switching to GP4000s made that problem go away.

Regardless, i don't think any of the bikes mentioned are bad choices. This is a good time to be a cyclist. There are so many variations and niches that there really is a bike for everyone.

vsanzbajo

I think the Orbea Onix ptx is a great option.

Campag4life

To me you counterdict yourself or we have a difference in opinion which is OK and what the forum is about really...to discuss our independent views.
But will say again that your comment about the Roubaix having twitchy handling is absurd. It is the opposite. Yes its a racing endurance bike and the words I would use to describe the SL3/SL4 are stable and precise...as in surgical. For a fast bike it is the most stable I have ridden. It is the easiest and least nervous or twitchy to ride. Btw, if you are a student of geometry, it almost has to be by its angles. But you brought up the LHT which you consider a stable bike. To me, it like comparing a BMW to long wheel base pick up truck. No comparison. Why is that? Its because of the carbon lay up. Specialized was one of the early adopters of the graduated head tube with large bottom head tube bearing and also a one piece front end. This is what gives the Roubaix such incredible precision...the stiffness of the front end compared to a LHT which is spaghetti in comparison. So no, there is no comparison between the LHT and the Roubaix in handling. If there is a perfect handling road bike, it is the Roubaix. I have 15K on my SL3. Twitchy? You are the only person I have ever read that stated about the Roubaix. It is the easiest of road bikes to ride and I have owned a garage full. Btw, for many including crit racers the Roubaix isn't nearly twitchy enough. The Tarmac or any of the top tier non endurance geometry bikes...pick one...Madone, TCR...any of the shorter wheel base, shorter chain stay, more upright hta, shorter head tube frames are more twitchy than the Roubaix which is more stable by its geometry.

cyclebycle13

It's whatever bike you ride and find comfortable. My Neilpryde Bura SL is not designed for "endurance", it's designed to be a lightweight rocket, but I ride it on 100+ routes all summer of all different terrains. I also use it to commute to and from work (although that's more of a training ride than a true commute). I've found it to be the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden, but that may have more to do with the fit than anything else.

After that, I really think you're reading too many of those Bicycling magazine reviews.

RollCNY

A Surly LHT is a tough bike to use as a basis for steering comparison. They are designed to be a loaded tourer, and to handle predictably loaded. Unloaded, they will be described as anything from sluggish to insanely twitchey, and it all hinges on whether a 45 mm or 50 mm rake fork was used. There is a school of thought that says touring bikes should have low trail, and twitchy steering, as pannier weight will slow it down.

The only reason I say this is that your comparison, while valid for you, is not the comparison most cyclists would draw in steering comparisons. It is like saying a Chevy Tahoe feels twitchy after driving tractor trailer rig.

rpenmanparker 

Yeah, like one.

Jarrett2

That's a great bike. I sometimes wonder if I should have bought that one. My buddy has one and loves it. He also paid quite a bit less for it than my similarly equipped Roubaix.

Jarrett2

I have a CG-R on my Roubaix as well. I haven't ridden it extensively without, so I don't know how much of the frame or seat post adds to the incredible smoothness of the bike.

Today, I'm going to add a CG-R to my harsh aluminum Secteur frame and see if it mellows it out a bit.

abby4000

i just put a deposit on a 2015 Giant Defy Advance Pro 0 which is in the same game as the Roubaix. I think most if not all of the endurance road bikes are going to be good but for me the Giant brand seemed to fit better. My gut decision was to go Giant. I looked at absolutely everything and they were all very nice bikes. For the money the Giant had a great spec and the large dealer network in my area was also a deciding factor.

rpenmanparker 

I ride a Giant TCR Advanced size M with 55.5 cm top tube and 15.0 cm head tube. I just looked at the Defy and saw that the size M has a 54.5 mm top tube and 16.5 cm head tube. If I bought an endurance bike, it would be to get the ride qualities, not the geometry differences. But actually I could use the Defy since I am now running a 100 mm stem and a 110 wouldn't be out of place. Also I have more than enough spacers on my TCR so that 1.5 cm less spacer height on the Defy would make the stack heights equivalent. So I suppose I don't have any reason to think the Defy wouldn't work for me. I was just a little taken aback by how much different it was than the TCR in base stack and reach when those were not the characteristics I would be looking for. No big deal I suppose.

Jarrett2

That's the thing. Around here, you can throw a rock and hit a Trek/Specialized dealer but other brands are a long drive away for me. The Giant/Bianchi dealer isn't too much further though.

Flatbroke

Jarrett2 are you second guessing the roubaix or not completely satisfied with the ride quality and performance ? I ask as I am 90% certain I will be buying the Sl4 expert soon

Jarrett2

No, not at all. After months with this bike, I'm still in honeymoon mode. It impresses me more every time I ride it. And if I had it all to do over again, I would still buy another Roubaix today.

Due to weather, I can't ride as much as I would like right now. So when I can't ride, I like to read, discuss and learn about bikes. This thread is more of a curiosity than anything. Learning what other endurance bikes people enjoy.

If there were no Roubaix's, I would look at the Giant Defy next or might check out the Edmonda based on reading in this thread. I spent $2100 on my Roubaix, my buddy got his Defy for $1600. It's hard to spend $500 more on a similarly equipped bike and feel completely comfortable about it. Though after riding them both, if I was doing it over, I would go Roubaix again despite the cost difference. Although, since then I've learned a bit more and would approach it differently.

The one thing I would do differently is go for the 11-speed Ultegra groupset instead of the 10-speed 105's. Actually, if I was buying today, I would likely buy this for $589.28:

Shimano Ultegra 6800 11 speed Compact Groupset - Grey Sports & Leisure | ProBikeKit.com

And then take that to my LBS and buy the closeout 2014 Sora Roubaix that have on sale for $1,499 and have them swap out the components. That way you'd end up with a full 11-speed Ultegra SL4 Roubaix for around $2,100 + tax/labor. Considerably cheaper than buying a $3500 2015 SL4 with the 11-speed Ultegra with the components already on it.

rpenmanparker 

Aha, the dual donor reverse twist strategy. Very astute. Very astute indeed. Did you mention selling the cheaper bike at the end and reducing your outlay even further.

Jarrett2

I forgot about selling the Sora parts on CL. That would recoup some cost as well. Maybe I could trade the Sora parts for LBS labor depending on how much it was

Munk69

I really like my Domane. I find the "dead feeling" comments interesting on the Domane as I have not experienced that when I am riding mine. I also do not feel like it has a harsh front end as opposed to my old bike (11 Madone 6 series).

For me, the Domane is everything I needed and wanted in a bike. It does everything as well if not better than my Madone. Only place where the Madone has it beat is cornering... And that is not by much.

To me the Roubaix is meh. I guess I just do not care for the looks of the bike. I have never ridden one so I cannot comment on how it rides. But looking at the geometry, it would not work for me anyway.

I think there is a ton of value in the Roubaix SL4 Pro Race though. Spec wise, I do not see anything in the Domane line that can match it. Carbon wheels at 5k price point is pretty good these days.

Flatbroke

Jarrett2 that sora swapping seems like a really good idea wish my dealer had one of those on close out