Specialized Roubaix (Comp or Elite) or Tarmac Comp or Pro (road bikes) - owners opinions?

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

MikeJ->Just between you and me, why wait until February to buy a Trek with
>>> the suspension feature (SPA technology,

Revolutionary except Moots has been doing the same thing for about 25 years.

MikeJ->The elastomer bumper on the Reve does a wonderful job of taking the
>edge off the nasty stuff, without the squishy feeling you get from a large
>
>tire.

tee hee, good for you, the ultimate salesman.

On a Moots, Vamoots YBB, it does offer some rear suspension, very similar to
the Reve, with an elastomer and spring on the YBB, but around here, I wouldn't
say it's the way to go over a 'hardtail' road frame.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

acock->My feet ache from the constant vibration after a 50-100 mile
>ride on mostly chip seal.

Tubulars, Vittoria Paves...

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Jean]

"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
|
| > "Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
| > news:[email protected]...
|
| > Noise can affect comfort and long-term efficiency by causing a
| > physiological stress response; the resulting tension is
| > "uncomfortable" and can lead to fatigue. The effect of noise on human
| > performance is pretty well documented.
|
| I'm sure it is, but probably not with respect to bicycles.
|
| Matt O.
|
|

I guess I should have elaborated. Matt, you said:
"I'm not a big believer in road buzz, that it even exists in the seat of
the
pants. It's a noise thing, which tricks people into thinking they feel
it. For
example, my new Klein always transmits some tire noise, where an older
steel
bike would be totally silent. But this has no effect on the ride."

My reply was meant to indicate that "the noise thing" could easily effect
the quality of "the ride" since such noise could result in physiological
stress. This is especially true for "tire noise" - that's why car tire
manufacturers strive to minimize road noise, since most people find such
noise irritating.

For me, even frame-related noise affects "the ride". I used to do a lot of
off-road biking. I initially rode a steel MTB with a fairly flexible frame,
and the bike noise (high-pitched ringing, clanging) really irritated me. I
later splurged and bought a very rigid aluminum MTB (Klein). My overall
perception is that the Klein (which 'thunks' rather than 'clangs') rides
much smoother - which is opposite of what one would expect based on frame
rigidity.

I'm not knowledgeable about frame material properties and I don't have any
experience riding carbon fiber frames, but I sometimes wonder if some of
the "smoothness" attributed to these frames is due, in part, to less
objectionable acoustic resonance and noise...


Jean

 

[Fromage]

Callistus Valerius wrote:
>>I would like to hear opinions of owners (or test riders) of Specialized
>>Roubaix (Comp or Elite) or Specialized Tarmac (Comp or Pro) road bicycles.
>
> I
>
>>am looking to buy one of those bikes (2005 model) in a few months time and
>>also wondering if I should be spending money elsewhere......
>>
>>Good? Bad? Ugly?
>>Value for money? Warranty? Reliability? Comfort?
>>
>
> Have a couple thousand miles on Roubaix 105 alu, and at first the
> geometry was a little hard to get use to. Took a while to figure out how
> high my seat should be, because of the compact design. Now that I'm getting
> use to it, I really like it. But I'm planning to use it for long distance
> riding (>125 <201 miles) about that range. It has a longer wheel base, and
> is slower steering, but it is extremely stable, and you can really sit in
> for miles on end. Comparing it to a Trek 5200, the Trek takes alot more
> attention while riding. One thing that might give you a problem is the tall
> head tube. Expect to have your handlebars an inch higher, even with all the
> spacers out. Might add a little wind resistance in that area, but it
> doesn't seem to bother me too much. The bike will also feel "bigger", don't
> ask me why. Someone told me it has the geometry that old tour de france
> bikes had years ago, before they turned them all into crit bikes.
>
>

I put about 7000kils on a Roubaix 105 alu this summer. The bike is fast
and very comfortable and I only had problem with the original
specialized stock tires. I don't know if the Zertz stuff do something,
however the carbon seatstays damps the road quite effectively. I used to
do 150 kils ride quite often and there is no more fatigue than the 5
hours of bike. The setup is more effective and faster than my old steel
bike with a damped saddle. If the specialized all carbon bikes are
better, they certainly are something!!! For the price, I would also look
at the new Giants full carbon. There is an OCR and plenty of TCR that
are cheaper this year than the specialized.

If you want to race criterium the roubaix is probably not the bike of
choice since the geometry make it a bit slow steering. For sprints I
don't if it is stiff enough. The bike is very good and I love it. Now
that I have finished my season I just can't wait until april (end) to
return to cycling. If you want to make long distance get one of these
before it is too late. Last year Specialized has had difficulty to
provide enough bike.

For the Tarmac I cant say much it looks as a competition oriented bike
especially for crits which the roubaiix isn't.

 

[Callistus Valerius]

> I put about 7000kils on a Roubaix 105 alu this summer. The bike is fast
> and very comfortable and I only had problem with the original
> specialized stock tires.

What trouble did you have with the tires? I never used them, just hung
them up in the closet. Just curious about the tires, also your opinion on
the wheels. I didn't give the wheels must of a chance, so it's hard for me
to evaluate them. I just put my Rolf wheels on it.

 

[Hasbarca2]

I picked up my 2005 Roubaix Elite last week. Sucha sweet ride. Before
ordering it I tried:
Trek 5000 (noisy and felt dead)
Litespeed Ti Verona( nice ride but not as nice as Carbon)
Kuota Khan (full carbon - nice ride and incredidle snap in a sprint, but
wellover $3K)
Roubaix Pro (sweet, sweet ride - I fell in love)
Cannondale 6-13 (Very nice ride, but I wanted a triple and like the Roubaix
geometry better, not to mention the price)
Roubaix ( the aluminum/carbon model - not nearly as nice a ride as full
carbon).

I absolutely love my new Roubaix. go for it.

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> The Trek guy didn't seem to have any reason to lie to me because he
> represented all three bikes (Reve, new 2300, and Pilot). Still, I would
> love to hear what the new group people think.

I think the "Trek guy" simply didn't have experience with the Reve, that's
all. It's a new thing, and even though Klein is part of the Trek family,
trust me, the design teams are very different, and there's a lot of
competition between the brands internally.

You just gotta ride one and see what *you* think!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Alan Acock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>>> The Trek 2300 coming out next February? looks like a copy of the
>>> Klein Reve. I wonder how they will compare to each other and to the
>>> all carbon fiber bikes like the Pilot and the Roubaux. I HATE chip
>>> seal and need a solution to road buzz.
>>
>> Just between you and me, why wait until February to buy a Trek with
>> the suspension feature (SPA technology, they call it) when you can get
>> a Klein right now? They're putting a *lot* of effort into the Klein
>> product, with some of the best paint & welding you'll find anywhere.
>> Nice spec too. And, if you read the piece on our website, you'll see
>> that I was very impressed with how well it rode. If there was room in
>> the garage for another bike, no question it would be a Reve.
>> Especially since it will take wider tires & fenders if you want, so I
>> could retire the Iron Pig (my 1974 Cinelli, which is my current rain
>> bike).
>>
>> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
>> www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>>
> A Trek repreentative who was loaning bikes on Cycle Oregon this September
> (Reve and Madone) told me about the Trek 2300 comming in February. He
> said he thought the Pilot (all carbon with the rubber compound) would be
> better than the Reve or the Trek 2300 at absorbing the buzz you get with
> chip seal. 90% of my world is now chip seal. My hands buzz, my seat
> buzzes, and feet--oh my feet--buzz. When I hit a strech that has no chip
> seal the lack of buzz is stunning. The Reve and the Trek 2300 have the
> elastomer, but with RIGID alumninum frames (I have an Klein Quantum--pre
> Trek now). The elastomer would take up road shock, but my problem is the
> vibration. My feet ache from the constant vibration after a 50-100 mile
> ride on mostly chip seal.
>
> The Trek guy didn't seem to have any reason to lie to me because he
> represented all three bikes (Reve, new 2300, and Pilot). Still, I would
> love to hear what the new group people think.
>
> Alan Acock
>

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> MikeJ->Just between you and me, why wait until February to buy a Trek with
>>>> the suspension feature (SPA technology,
>
> Revolutionary except Moots has been doing the same thing for about 25
> years.

No question that Moots has had a similar thing going for some time. There
are differences in how it's done, but the idea is obviously similar.

> MikeJ->The elastomer bumper on the Reve does a wonderful job of taking the
>>edge off the nasty stuff, without the squishy feeling you get from a large
>>
>>tire.
>
> tee hee, good for you, the ultimate salesman.

You just gotta ride one and see. With Moots, the concept may never have
gained legitimacy, and the sad thing is that a lot of great ideas don't
catch on simply due to how they were presented.

> On a Moots, Vamoots YBB, it does offer some rear suspension, very similar
> to
> the Reve, with an elastomer and spring on the YBB, but around here, I
> wouldn't
> say it's the way to go over a 'hardtail' road frame.

I have no idea why you'd need a spring on a road bike. The elastomer alone
does a great job (speaking entirely from first-hand experience here, having
ridden one on my regular ride that I've done maybe 2,000 times over the past
25+ years).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

Mike J-<< You just gotta ride one and see. With Moots, the concept may never
have
gained legitimacy, and the sad thing is that a lot of great ideas don't
catch on simply due to how they were presented. >><BR><BR>

I answer- I have ridden many Moots, including the Vamoots YBB and altho
'interesting' I sure don't see any reason to have it. Samo for the YBB tour
frameset, Interesting but not really amazing.

Great ideas are great ideas regardless. Well marketed ideas are not necessarily
great(Ksyriums come to mind).

Mike J-<< I have no idea why you'd need a spring on a road bike. The elastomer
alone
does a great job (speaking entirely from first-hand experience here, having
ridden one on my regular ride that I've done maybe 2,000 times over the past
25+ years). >><BR><BR>

I answer-It doesn't matter whether you have a spring or not. The idea of a
suspended rear end with a 'pivotless' rear triangle on a road frame has been
around for a long time and is another instance of a 'gizmo, in my view, that is
another attempt to sell bicycles. To imply that is it a revolutionary idea,
poorly marketed is...well I don't agree.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> Mike J-<< I have no idea why you'd need a spring on a road bike. The
> elastomer
> alone
> does a great job (speaking entirely from first-hand experience here,
> having
> ridden one on my regular ride that I've done maybe 2,000 times over the
> past
> 25+ years). >><BR><BR>
>
> I answer-It doesn't matter whether you have a spring or not. The idea of a
> suspended rear end with a 'pivotless' rear triangle on a road frame has
> been
> around for a long time and is another instance of a 'gizmo, in my view,
> that is
> another attempt to sell bicycles. To imply that is it a revolutionary
> idea,
> poorly marketed is...well I don't agree.

OK, perhaps not just poorly marketed, but poorly executed as well. I think
Moots overshot the mark trying to go for 1" of travel. It's almost more of a
gimmick; something to show that they're working with such a wonderful
material that they can do something like that. The Klein approach limits the
travel to 1/2", and the effect is that it doesn't feel like a suspension
system of any kind... you just feel the bumps a whole lot less. Kind of like
going to a much-larger tire.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Qui si parla Campagnolo " <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Mike J-<< You just gotta ride one and see. With Moots, the concept may
> never
> have
> gained legitimacy, and the sad thing is that a lot of great ideas don't
> catch on simply due to how they were presented. >><BR><BR>
>
> I answer- I have ridden many Moots, including the Vamoots YBB and altho
> 'interesting' I sure don't see any reason to have it. Samo for the YBB
> tour
> frameset, Interesting but not really amazing.
>
> Great ideas are great ideas regardless. Well marketed ideas are not
> necessarily
> great(Ksyriums come to mind).
>
> Mike J-<< I have no idea why you'd need a spring on a road bike. The
> elastomer
> alone
> does a great job (speaking entirely from first-hand experience here,
> having
> ridden one on my regular ride that I've done maybe 2,000 times over the
> past
> 25+ years). >><BR><BR>
>
> I answer-It doesn't matter whether you have a spring or not. The idea of a
> suspended rear end with a 'pivotless' rear triangle on a road frame has
> been
> around for a long time and is another instance of a 'gizmo, in my view,
> that is
> another attempt to sell bicycles. To imply that is it a revolutionary
> idea,
> poorly marketed is...well I don't agree.
>
> Peter Chisholm
> Vecchio's Bicicletteria
> 1833 Pearl St.
> Boulder, CO, 80302
> (303)440-3535
> http://www.vecchios.com
> "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"