specialized roubaix

stevercp

fancy a roubaix when the bike to work scheme kicks in next year however
the only prices i can see are £1600 ,readin all the reviews this bike will suit me for long day rides sportives and sprint triathlons ,any equivalent bikes about the £1000 limit
the sabbath bikes look good but frame only is 1500

gkerr4

the 'sectaur' is the same geometry as the roubaix but keeps the price down by using an alloy frame rather than carbon.

the sectaur range starts at about £550 so your £1000 would get you a decent model of sectaur.

The roubaix is nice though - but then I would say that, I have one!

stevercp

thanks for reply
i may look at the secteur but i still fancy the roubaix
may have to get some extra cash to make up the difference
i also looked at the felt z80 ???? but wiggle discontinued the model

le_grimpeur

Check out the DeVer website, as they have a wide range of bikes to look at and compare. Worth checking out the Tricross too, similar non-road bike set up (not too harsh angles)

Legshaver

My cycling buddy and I decided to get a decent carbon framed bike this year, mainly for sportives. Three models looked good, and they were/are all about the same price - £1600. These bikes - Specialised Roubaix, Cannondale Synapse 105, and the Trek 4.5 have very similar spec, and all seemed to be very similar in frame geometry. The Roubaix and Synapse are a little more upright than the Trek, and probably better suited for longer rides. The Trek has a more racey position, but still very comfortable.

I'm 5'7" and chose the Synapse 54cm, to which I fitted a Specialised Avatar gel saddle and turned the stem over to raise the bars slightly. It's without doubt the most comfortable bike that I've ever ridden. The saddle replacement suiting me perfectly.

My mate is 5'11" and chose the Roubaix 56cm. He tried the Synapse in 54 and 56cm sizes, but it was too short or too long a reach for him. The Trek was too low at the bars, but the Roubaix had a reach that was just right. It's surprising that all of the 56cm bikes had a different reach and bar height, so when looking at any new bike be sure and check out what dimensions suit you. It's not just the frame size. My mate also replaced his saddle for an Avatar with which he agrees is a very comfy seat.

I know that not everyone can afford £1600, but the difference that these bikes have made to the way that we now ride is amazing. We both wondered why we didn't buy carbon frames before.

Incidentally, the Planet X bikes are very competitively priced, and well respected, so you might just want to take a look at them. I was very tempted.

Mothyman

i agree with Legshavers comments as those were the 3 bikes I tried up against each other - I went for the Roubaix, loved the Trek, felt the Cannondale wasnt as stable for me..I agree with the sizing comments...I'm 6ft and went for the 58 in...still wonder if I should've got the 56 though....

let us know which you get

gregster10217

I am looking at getting a bike on my works C2W scheme, and the 3 I've norrowed it down to are:
1; Specialized Secteur Elite
2; Trek 2.1
3; Boardman Team Carbon

Would you suggest getting the Boardman simply for it's carbon from, and look to upgrade the components later, or get either or the other 2 - well spec'd bikes? My scheme's limit is £1,000 with no option to add more to go for a full carbon frame or even something like the Bianchi 1885.

Legshaver

All three bikes are good, so I would take a really good subjective look at them all, and above all be sure that you feel comfortable on the one that you chose. If you can get to each one in a day you'll know which one is for you.

Good luck.

Pross

The problem with the Boardman is that I don't think you can get it on any C2W scheme except Halfords own. If I'm wrong I'd be happy to know as it may go to the top of my list (if they ever have any for me to look at!). The components on it aren't bad with SRAM drive train.

kfinlay

Our company got my mate the Boardman thru Halfords on the C2W scheme and he got £150 worth of extras as part of the deal - I understand this was not any special offer. It costs him £55 a month for 18 mths from his top line pay so about £44 bottom line.

I'd agree with the others about getting a fitting or try of each bike before spending that much though. Also try to make sure that the guy in Halfords can actually fix and maintain bikes as many Halfords are poor in this respect so could mean spending money at an LBS to get it setup properly

stevercp

cheers for all replies
the roubaix is still a top contender i never thought of the synapse before
will have a look ....i better get the shed extended to accomodate all the bikes

amaferanga

You might want to have a look at the Ribble Sportive (NB: the Ribble bike builder isn't compatible with Firefox)

Evil Laugh

amaferanga wrote:

You might want to have a look at the Ribble Sportive (NB: the Ribble bike builder isn't compatible with Firefox)

God damn it, I wish I knew that before, I thought they just didn't like selling bikes.

Legshaver

amaferanga wrote:

You might want to have a look at the Ribble Sportive (NB: the Ribble bike builder isn't compatible with Firefox)

Thanks for clearing that up amaferanga. It's Firefox...doh!

I was really miffed about not getting Ribbles bikebuilder working, but in the end, although I respect Ribble bikes, I'm sure that woud still have chosen my Cannondale.

Pross

Our company got my mate the Boardman thru Halfords on the C2W scheme

Thanks KFinlay. What C2W scheme are you on? I think we will probably end up going down the line of Bike Scheme who don't appear to deal with Halfords / Bike Hut.

Sorry to hijack the thread! :oops: