own a roubaix sl2, want to buy a tarmac or allez just to "have"

[mrfizzed]

ok guys so i need some help please....background real quick is....(assume yes that I want to "waste my money" Here is some info for you and everyone else that I am hoping will also help out. First of all, I own a 2011 Roubaix sl2 which i like a lot but I am not as fast as I can be. I know the bike is not going to make me a better rider or more experienced or "faster" per se but I am hoping that going to a sl3 tarmac for example may give me a little bit of an advantage often (based on my riding below).

My riding, if broken down is pretty much like this....: (about half of my rides involve some decent climbing while other half tend to be fairly flat, and I am NOT a good climber) 45% of my riding is by myself or my wife and therefore not in a group and between 12-20 miles (avg spd of about 13.5-15mph) 30% of my riding is by myself or my wife and therefore not in a group and between 25-35 miles (avg spd of about 15-16.5mph) 15% of my rides are "group" rides and between 20-30 miles or so (avg spd of about 15.5-16.5mph) 10% of my miles will be event rides (charity rides, 25-50 miles, would like to try to do a century this season, possibly two but doubtful). Like I said I know the bike does not make that much of a difference, and some would argue I am wasting my money, but I am not the best rider so I guess I am kind of looking of looking for an advantage if I can get it, not to mention the fact that I do like to "collect" items. Also, I currently am "living" in two locations due to work etc and lugging bike back and forth often is a pain, so if I can have a 2nd bike it would help.

I figure if I am going to buy a 2nd bike it might as well be different/better/whatever you want to call it. Of course in a perfect world, yes I want the Expert SL3, i know thats the best choice, or is it?

there happens to be a lbs by me (prefer not to name names) that can do some pretty crazy prices...he is no nice and consistently discounts off of retail. anyway, i prepared this small spreadsheet type chart to show you what i am looking at....any thoughts (honestly, please do not say things like, yes you are crazy etc)

Model Frame OS BB Price Retail Group Wheels
Allez Comp 105 E5 No 1450 1750 105 DT Axis 2.0
Allez Evo Rival E5 Yes 1700 2100 Rival DT Axis 4.0
Tarmac Apex SL2 No 1900 2200 Apex DT Axis 2.0
Tarmac Rival SL2 Yes 2300 2750 Rival Fulcrum Racing 6
Tarmac Comp SL2 Yes 2700 3300 105/Ultg DT Axis 3.0
Tarmac Expert SL3 Yes 3200 3900 Ultegra Fulcrum Racing 4

 

[alienator]

ok guys so i need some help please....background real quick is....(assume yes that I want to "waste my money" Here is some info for you and everyone else that I am hoping will also help out. First of all, I own a 2011 Roubaix sl2 which i like a lot but I am not as fast as I can be. I know the bike is not going to make me a better rider or more experienced or "faster" per se but I am hoping that going to a sl3 tarmac for example may give me a little bit of an advantage often (based on my riding below).
My riding, if broken down is pretty much like this....: (about half of my rides involve some decent climbing while other half tend to be fairly flat, and I am NOT a good climber) 45% of my riding is by myself or my wife and therefore not in a group and between 12-20 miles (avg spd of about 13.5-15mph) 30% of my riding is by myself or my wife and therefore not in a group and between 25-35 miles (avg spd of about 15-16.5mph) 15% of my rides are "group" rides and between 20-30 miles or so (avg spd of about 15.5-16.5mph) 10% of my miles will be event rides (charity rides, 25-50 miles, would like to try to do a century this season, possibly two but doubtful). Like I said I know the bike does not make that much of a difference, and some would argue I am wasting my money, but I am not the best rider so I guess I am kind of looking of looking for an advantage if I can get it, not to mention the fact that I do like to "collect" items. Also, I currently am "living" in two locations due to work etc and lugging bike back and forth often is a pain, so if I can have a 2nd bike it would help.
I figure if I am going to buy a 2nd bike it might as well be different/better/whatever you want to call it. Of course in a perfect world, yes I want the Expert SL3, i know thats the best choice, or is it?
there happens to be a lbs by me (prefer not to name names) that can do some pretty crazy prices...he is no nice and consistently discounts off of retail. anyway, i prepared this small spreadsheet type chart to show you what i am looking at....any thoughts (honestly, please do not say things like, yes you are crazy etc)
Model Frame OS BB Price Retail Group Wheels
Allez Comp 105 E5 No 1450 1750 105 DT Axis 2.0
Allez Evo Rival E5 Yes 1700 2100 Rival DT Axis 4.0
Tarmac Apex SL2 No 1900 2200 Apex DT Axis 2.0
Tarmac Rival SL2 Yes 2300 2750 Rival Fulcrum Racing 6
Tarmac Comp SL2 Yes 2700 3300 105/Ultg DT Axis 3.0
Tarmac Expert SL3 Yes 3200 3900 Ultegra Fulcrum Racing 4

There's no need to post the same question twice.

 

[mrfizzed]

what do you mean post the same question twice?

 

[danfoz]

If you like to collect things make the purchase, but in that circumstance it would be like someone telling Jay Leno what to add to his collection of fine automobiles. It's all what you want to add.

If you are looking for a performance improvement I am going to go out on a limb here and say that if your position is the same on these bikes, i.e. your frontal area, it's entirely possible you may not see an improvement of even a SINGLE second. If you want to add something for measurable purposes, go for a set or aero wheels.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by mrfizzed .

what do you mean post the same question twice?

This was posted on the Bike Buying Advice forum, no?

 

[mrfizzed]

so in your opinion, going from a roubaix sl2 to a tarmac sl3 will not make it easier for me to be faster? am i wrong in assuming this? isn't a lighter more aggressive bike going to help me get faster with same effort?

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by mrfizzed .

so in your opinion, going from a roubaix sl2 to a tarmac sl3 will not make it easier for me to be faster? am i wrong in assuming this? isn't a lighter more aggressive bike going to help me get faster with same effort?

More agressive is a loose term but could easily be applied to head tube length. If you setup the new bike so your position is the same as on the old there will be zero (or very minimal) real aerodynamic advantage. Subsequently you could simply remove some spacers under you current bikes stem and make it more agressive. Changing the bike as opposed to removing some spacers seems like a pricey way to get some speed.

As far as weight, I have not conducted my own tests but read an article in Velo News or some other established rag some time back that weighed the advantage between loosing bike weight vs.adding aero wheels. Dropping 2lbs from the bike (or whatever it was) netted a gain of 2 or 3 seconds on a flat course - if you doing a lot of climbing the story changes a little. Adding aero wheels improved time by a minute or more. I'm doing a lot of paraphrasing from memory so this may be a drop off but you get the idea.

 

[acolomer]

For whatever it's worth, I have a SL2 Tarmac Elite and love it. Ride on Mavic Ksyrium Elites on most days. I'm an average rider, about 18-20mph on most of my rides of 50+ miles and mostly ride alone....mostly I get my 'stuff' because I obsess about things and think it's fun to get the 'next' thing, not because I think it'll make me better. So in my opinion go for it just because it's fun!

 

[Jman]

you could take a peek at the specialized site for more info

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/specialized/2010-allez-sport-2011-tarmac-comp-267003.html

 

[alienator]

what do you mean post the same question twice?

You've got the same question in two different threads.

 

[alienator]

so in your opinion, going from a roubaix sl2 to a tarmac sl3 will not make it easier for me to be faster? am i wrong in assuming this? isn't a lighter more aggressive bike going to help me get faster with same effort?

If you want to be faster, ride more. No bike is going to make a huge difference in your current performance, unless you consider 0.1 or 0.2mph increases a "huge difference". It would be a hell of lot smarter to pay for a coach, get a power meter, or any number of things like that.

 

[mrfizzed]

you sound a bit like me....i do like to have the "next best thing" but will admit i opted not to get the new ipa over my iPad 2....so maybe i am growing up lol
btw i forgot to mention i do have some back issues which is why i got the roubaix to begin with....however i do not ride regularly over 25 or 30 miles, most of my rides are 15-25 miles. wouldn't the tarmac be ok for something like this and when or if i ever do a century jus take out the roubaix then?

 

[nfeht]

Originally Posted by alienator .


If you want to be faster, ride more. No bike is going to make a huge difference in your current performance, unless you consider 0.1 or 0.2mph increases a "huge difference". It would be a hell of lot smarter to pay for a coach, get a power meter, or any number of things like that.

+1
I couldn't agree more. I'd also add that going aero with components will not help due to the speed of your rides.

 

[alienator]

you sound a bit like me....i do like to have the "next best thing" but will admit i opted not to get the new ipa over my iPad 2....so maybe i am growing up lol
btw i forgot to mention i do have some back issues which is why i got the roubaix to begin with....however i do not ride regularly over 25 or 30 miles, most of my rides are 15-25 miles. wouldn't the tarmac be ok for something like this and when or if i ever do a century jus take out the roubaix then?

If you've got back issues, don't change your fit, and you may not want to change your ride if it's comfortable right now. Further, if you buy a Tarmac and you don't change your position on the bike, you are going to see only an infinitesimal increase in speed, if any at all, because the two biggest factors in limiting your speed are your conditioning (this is the big one) and your frontal area, which, if you don't change your position, won't change much at all. See the first point about your back and changing your position.