Domane vs Roubaix

Devon Lad

A friend of mine has been looking for a more sportive orientated bike as a first venture into the world of road cycling.

With decent stockists of Treks and Specialized where we live, the choice is between the Domane and the Roubaix, as for a first bike it's probably better to buy what you can actually try out rather than buy off the internet.

The budget stetches to £1800, which lines up:

Trek Domane 4.3
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/domane-43-triple-2013-road-bike-ec041048

Specialized Roubaix
http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/detail/13roubaix/roubaix/roubaix%20elite/

When asked, the shop assistants weren't able to offer extensive comparison of the bikes side by side with regard to their particular strengths and weaknesses.

Aside from brand preferences, and "choose the bike you like best", which bike is better and why.

Thanks in advance

mattv

Parts on the 2 bikes are similar except the wheels are maybe slightly better on the Roubaix. The thing putting me off the Trek is the BB90 bottom bracket. It's a hollowtech 2 width but pressfit. Not many shops will stock it and you need a press. The Roubaix is conventional hollowtech 2. Replacement is £15 and tools to do it £11.99....

Mikey23

Got myself a roubaix comp for a Christmas present and am delighted with it. I am told that it sportive friendly and for an older body its ideal

alihisgreat

I'd go for the Domane if you want a comfort bike to be honest.. it gets great reviews and the de-coupler means its going to be more comfortable than the Roubaix.

oh and the roubaix is ugly.

nmt

There is an article in the May edition of cycling plus comparing steel-alu-carb framed bikes, The Roubaix is in there along with the alu Domane 2 series

Personally I have the Roubaix elite and I love the bike but I have to say the Domane always seems to get good write-ups

JayKosta

The Trek is a triple-crank and has a 30-30 low gear which is great if there are lots of hills or mountains.

The Specialized is a compact double with a 34-28 low gear which is not quite as low but probably adequate for all but extreme climbs.

I'd also pay attention to the seats, for recreational riding wider has been better for me. It's difficult to judge how a seat will feel after a few hours, but I'd suggest choosing the widest one the doesn't rub or feel 'too big'. Having an uncomfortable seat is probably the cause of most discouragement for beginning cyclists.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Mikey23

@alihisgreat... In what way is the roubaix ugly?

alihisgreat

Mikey23 wrote:

@alihisgreat... In what way is the roubaix ugly?

the zertz inserts.

TakeTurns

Can't believe my eyes...a triple on a £1800 bike

slowmart

Test ride them both and buy your preferred ride.

Both bikes deliver value and decent ride and the purchasing decision if you can't differeniate between the two rides could be down to the colour scheme. Or is it just me that is shallow

bigmat

The Roubaix is hideous, for an £1,800 bike it really is eye-wateringly ugly. To be honest, there is no need to spend that much on a bike for a beginner to ride sportives on. Of the two I'd go for the Domane but really I'd recommend saving a bit of cash and maybe looking at Ribble / Planet X. As for saddle, that has to be the easiest thing to change on a bike so dfon't let the saddle it comes with influence your decision!

ride_whenever

mattv wrote:

Parts on the 2 bikes are similar except the wheels are maybe slightly better on the Roubaix. The thing putting me off the Trek is the BB90 bottom bracket. It's a hollowtech 2 width but pressfit. Not many shops will stock it and you need a press. The Roubaix is conventional hollowtech 2. Replacement is £15 and tools to do it £11.99....

No press for bb90, bearings are cheaper and need fewer tools than HT2.

I'm sorry but your reasoning is entirely fallacious.

MattyyP

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Mikey23 wrote:

@alihisgreat... In what way is the roubaix ugly?

the zertz inserts.

I think they make my Secteur look beautiful... :P

slowmart

No doubt some members will think Eva looks minging :roll:

brettjmcc

What size bike does he take? a quick 1600-1900 search on Evans showed this up available in 51 and 54 reduced to 1800 from 2800: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc ... e-ec031065

Just as a left field thought for you

elbows

i will give you my opinion after purchasing a Trek Domane 4.5 two weeks ago. I have been riding a Boardman Team for the past 18 months which was an excellent bike.
The Domane though is a completely different bike. It is much much smoother, more comfortable, lighter and "just seems right"
It is more of a sportive bike than the Boardman but it does not feel as upright as i thought it would. I opted for the 4.5 for Ultegra over 105 as i had 105 on the Boardman.

In my opinion the Trek is a bike which will allow you long days in the saddle with some degree of comfort. I am well happy with the Trek.

NorthWales

JayKosta wrote:

The Trek is a triple-crank and has a 30-30 low gear which is great if there are lots of hills or mountains.

The Specialized is a compact double with a 34-28 low gear which is not quite as low but probably adequate for all but extreme climbs.


Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Not true, available as compact (50/34) or a triple.

Both perfect bikes for their Sportive intentions. Go with what feels best on test rides and matches your preferred spec more....or just pick the best colour Enjoy whatever the choice.

samsbike

Both have good warranty and personally I would go for the domane, but then I like new concepts. I am also not too enthused about the roubaix styling. However I would take long test rides on both and as long as both are set up right buy what feels nicer. Also.don't underestimate buying what looks good as you are more likely to ride it

me-109

Do we assume your friend is a keen MTBer with some pedigree and decent kit already? I would not point anyone just venturing into the sport at spending 1800 quid to start off. A third of that would be more than enough.

mhughesuk

The Domane seems to have better reviews but I bought my first road bike recently and opted for a Roubaix Elite purely for comfort. I cycled a road bike several years back and hated it due to the levels of comfort. I can honestly say the Roubaix is a quality piece of kit.

I tested mine before buying and any decent bike shop knowing you have an £1800 budget shouldn't be pressuring you.

secretsam

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

I'd go for the Domane if you want a comfort bike to be honest.. it gets great reviews and the de-coupler means its going to be more comfortable than the Roubaix.

oh and the roubaix is ugly.

That's like saying one bucket of sh17 is smellier than another. You'd not want either of them dumped on you. Can't say I like the look of either bike, but I do wonder about the Domane's bendy bit breaking. Plus I know how to pronounce Roubaix, French accent and all, whereas Domane sounds suspiciously made up. And Lance rode Trek.

So I'd get a Cannondale Synapse