First ride on my Specialized Roubaix

Philinmerthyr

I picked up my Roubaix today. It's a superb bike. Very light and it certainly stands out in a crowd. I only had a short time for my ride today so I did the Swansea bay ride from the marina, past mumbles and on to Bracelet Bay.

This is my first road bike and after a short time getting used to it, I loved it. The ride was very comfortable. My height should fit a 54" bike but on testing I went for the 56" as the smaller frame felt cramped. I only did 14 miles today but my average speed was 2.5mph faster than on my Orange Crush MTB.

Planning another ride in the morning but again I only have a couple of hours and I'm off to Leicester to watch the Ospreys beat the Tigers in the Heineken cup rugby on Sunday so riding will be limited this weekend. Planning to extend my longest ride beyond 30 miles next week.

I fitted some mudguards and better tyres to get me through the winter. The MTB will come out in the bad weather but I plan to get the Roubaix as much as possible. Does road salt really damage carbon Frames?

8)

lc1981

"Wow, that's a high saddle", I thought, and then realised that that wasn't the seatpost I was looking at in the photo!

Gizmodo

Great bike, my choice last year was between that and the Trek.

No, salt does not affect carbon, it is covered in paint which in turn is covered in lacquer. Salt will however rust metal, so your chain, rear cassette and other metal components will need regular cleaning and lubricating.

elderone

congrats on the new bike,its a beauty and good luck on the 30..

houndlegs

Nice bike ,when I'm in that neck of the woods, I always like to have a bimble up the millennium coastal track to pembrey, absolutely stunning.

Philinmerthyr

houndlegs wrote:

Nice bike ,when I'm in that neck of the woods, I always like to have a bimble up the millennium coastal track to pembrey, absolutely stunning.

That's a loverly ride. Not done it for some time but I will soon 8)

unixnerd

I bought one earlier this year and it's just stunning. It's so comfortable! Recently did a seven hour ride and only my legs were sore. Love the saddle and comfy oversize handlebars. Light and very fast too. I'd live on it if I could :-)

clelanj

Beautiful bike - hope you get a lot of pleasure out of it.

I used to do that ride when I was at college in Swansea some 25 years ago - some really happy memories - also some really steep hills!

steve6690

I bought one two days ago. I wanted the Roubaix but they didn't have it in a 56cm, so they did me a deal on the Roubaix Sport Compact. Lovely bike. Bit of a step up from my 2005 Claud Butler San Remo.
I've only ridden it a couple of miles home from the shop but it really was so much nicer to ride.

Philinmerthyr

I've now done over 100 miles on my new bike and love it. I did 40 miles on Saturday, a really comfy ride even in the cold wind.

dai_t75

Philinmerthyr wrote:

I picked up my Roubaix today. It's a superb bike. Very light and it certainly stands out in a crowd. I only had a short time for my ride today so I did the Swansea bay ride from the marina, past mumbles and on to Bracelet Bay.

This is my first road bike and after a short time getting used to it, I loved it. The ride was very comfortable. My height should fit a 54" bike but on testing I went for the 56" as the smaller frame felt cramped. I only did 14 miles today but my average speed was 2.5mph faster than on my Orange Crush MTB.

Planning another ride in the morning but again I only have a couple of hours and I'm off to Leicester to watch the Ospreys beat the Tigers in the Heineken cup rugby on Sunday so riding will be limited this weekend. Planning to extend my longest ride beyond 30 miles next week.

I fitted some mudguards and better tyres to get me through the winter. The MTB will come out in the bad weather but I plan to get the Roubaix as much as possible. Does road salt really damage carbon Frames?

8)

Cracking looking bike!

Did you park up in the marina and go up and back along the coastal road? How was it? The roads always seem quite narrow driving down there and they are busy most of the time.

unixnerd

Does road salt really damage carbon Frames?

No. Only the drive train. Get some Muc-off and use that now and then to clean it. Washing up liquid often has salt in it, don't use that!

Philinmerthyr

dai_t75 wrote:

Philinmerthyr wrote:

I picked up my Roubaix today. It's a superb bike. Very light and it certainly stands out in a crowd. I only had a short time for my ride today so I did the Swansea bay ride from the marina, past mumbles and on to Bracelet Bay.

This is my first road bike and after a short time getting used to it, I loved it. The ride was very comfortable. My height should fit a 54" bike but on testing I went for the 56" as the smaller frame felt cramped. I only did 14 miles today but my average speed was 2.5mph faster than on my Orange Crush MTB.

Planning another ride in the morning but again I only have a couple of hours and I'm off to Leicester to watch the Ospreys beat the Tigers in the Heineken cup rugby on Sunday so riding will be limited this weekend. Planning to extend my longest ride beyond 30 miles next week.

I fitted some mudguards and better tyres to get me through the winter. The MTB will come out in the bad weather but I plan to get the Roubaix as much as possible. Does road salt really damage carbon Frames?

8)

Cracking looking bike!

Did you park up in the marina and go up and back along the coastal road? How was it? The roads always seem quite narrow driving down there and they are busy most of the time.

No. There is a good cycle path from the marina to mumbles. The roads are very busy so the cycle path is a better ride. You can also cut inland at Blackpill up past Dunvant RFC.