Specialized Secteur v Roubaix

rodgers73
rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
edited August 2013 in Road general
I currently have the Secteur which is basically the same geometry frame as the Roubaix but in aluminium with a carbon fork. The Roubaix by contrast has a full carbon frame and fork.

The issues I have with the bike at the minute is that the groupset (old Sora levers in particular) is a bit crappy and the bottom bracket clunks and clicks a lot despite servicing. It's also a little heavy and I wonder what extra comfort levels I might get with a carbon frame.

My options are to upgrade the bits on the Secteur slowly but it could still be a bit heavy even so, or replace with a Roubaix. If I replace though the kit levels on the Roubaix aren't great. £1200 only gets you the Sora groupset and some average wheels. £1500 gets you a Tiagra/105 mix. Can't really justify going much higher.

So, with my budget its either the old frame and new bits or a new frame and average bits.

I'm aiming to use the bike for long distance rides (audax etc) and these two are the only ones I'm bothered about. I've no plans to have a winter bike etc. I'm only going to run one - a bike for all seasons.

Any thoughts??

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Get the £1500 Roubaix on 0% and sell the old one on ebay ;-)
  • simonhead
    simonhead Posts: 1,399
    Wait a month or 2, the £1200 roubaix may come down a bit, then upgrade the weels and sell the original ones.
    Life isnt like a box of chocolates, its like a bag of pic n mix.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Carbonator wrote:
    Get the £1500 Roubaix on 0% and sell the old one on ebay ;-)

    Simonhead gave me an even better idea............

    Get the 2014 £1500 Roubaix and some nice wheels on 0% and sell the old bike and stock wheels that came with the new bike on ebay :D
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    My roubaix comp with 105 is a lovely bike and I've done a few thousand comfy miles already. I got mine with a 2011 spec from a local dealer at a good price so it pays to look around
  • carrock
    carrock Posts: 1,103
    if you can afford it get a higher end one as the frames are lighter and the spec better.

    expert level or above can be had for just over £2k and is 10R carbon with full ultegra

    http://www.freeborn.co.uk/specialized-2 ... tAod6VQAow
  • deswahriff
    deswahriff Posts: 310
    ..as suggested, wait till the 2013 models are discounted...In Jan I picked up a 2012 Roubaix Comp reduced from £2,400 to £1,600...and on 0% finance ..( nearly went for the Expert, but just a wee bit rich, despite another huge discount...)

    ...and keep a few quid over to upgrade the wheels, the stock ones are very disapointing...
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Seems like a consensus in favour of buying the new one. You bad bad men. I'm going to be broke now...
  • Flycatcher
    Flycatcher Posts: 185
    I have both of these. The Secteur for work/wet and the Roubaix Comp for longer dry weather riding. The Roubaix is far better, as you would expect, but it's not the comfort aspect but the quality of the specification. It is lighter but not significantly so and yes, they both have the same geometry which is why I went for these. The comfort comes from nicer gear shifting and, as you say, less clunking which I also get. I find a douse of WD40 around the crank stops it although I would never use it on my Roubaix.
  • d10brp
    d10brp Posts: 70
    Are you sure it is the BB that's clicking. Although completely irrelevant for this piece of advice, I have a Sectuer Elite and I had really annoying clicking for months. I had the BB changed and it remained. Turned out it was the cheap entry level SPD-SL pedals. I upgraded to 105s and I now have a smooth quiet running machine. (The BB needed doing fortunately as a lot of grime had got in there)

    My Sectuer is about to be downgraded to my work/wet machine through as I'm going to build a Scott CR1 Pro at the weekend. It was a bargain from Westbrook Cycles. Worth looking at if they have your size as you can spec it out with the groupset of your choice and if you're not confidnent enough to build you can always pay a LBS to build it for you.
    Scott CR1 Pro
    Specialized Secteur Elite
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    d10brp wrote:
    Are you sure it is the BB that's clicking. Although completely irrelevant for this piece of advice, I have a Sectuer Elite and I had really annoying clicking for months. I had the BB changed and it remained. Turned out it was the cheap entry level SPD-SL pedals. I upgraded to 105s and I now have a smooth quiet running machine. (The BB needed doing fortunately as a lot of grime had got in there)

    My Sectuer is about to be downgraded to my work/wet machine through as I'm going to build a Scott CR1 Pro at the weekend. It was a bargain from Westbrook Cycles. Worth looking at if they have your size as you can spec it out with the groupset of your choice and if you're not confidnent enough to build you can always pay a LBS to build it for you.

    Yes, have had clicking from the basic Shmano SPD-SLs before but I know what that sounds like and its a bit different.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Flycatcher wrote:
    I have both of these. The Secteur for work/wet and the Roubaix Comp for longer dry weather riding. The Roubaix is far better, as you would expect, but it's not the comfort aspect but the quality of the specification. It is lighter but not significantly so and yes, they both have the same geometry which is why I went for these. The comfort comes from nicer gear shifting and, as you say, less clunking which I also get. I find a douse of WD40 around the crank stops it although I would never use it on my Roubaix.

    Would the same results be achieved with a change of groupset on the Secteur then? Or is it more fundamental than that?
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    the Roubaix groupsets , in particular the £1200 Roubaix, are seriously poor spec when you consider the price of the bike and that's why im waiting for the 2014 cannondale synapse 105 to go on sale.
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • steve6690
    steve6690 Posts: 190
    I went for the Roubaix Sport Compact because I like the black frame. It came with a 105/Tiagra mix but I'll upgrade all that when it wears out anyway.
    My mate bought the Secteur last year, but after I got the Roubaix he went and got one too. He raves about how much more comfortable it is.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    steve6690 wrote:
    My mate bought the Secteur last year, but after I got the Roubaix he went and got one too. He raves about how much more comfortable it is.
    Given that it's the same geometry - where is the difference in comfort? Saddle and Bar tape ... ?

    I've gone from an Allez (for sale) to a Tarmac (same geometry) - the Tarmac does feel more alive, but the difference in comfort is the saddle and bartape - the rest of the bike is of the same comfort. The better groupset on the Tarmac is nicer, but doesn't do anything for comfort.
  • steve6690
    steve6690 Posts: 190
    Slowbike wrote:
    steve6690 wrote:
    My mate bought the Secteur last year, but after I got the Roubaix he went and got one too. He raves about how much more comfortable it is.
    Given that it's the same geometry - where is the difference in comfort? Saddle and Bar tape ... ?

    I've gone from an Allez (for sale) to a Tarmac (same geometry) - the Tarmac does feel more alive, but the difference in comfort is the saddle and bartape - the rest of the bike is of the same comfort. The better groupset on the Tarmac is nicer, but doesn't do anything for comfort.

    Much less vibration.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    If I can get a 105 groupset and a carbon seat post for, say, £500 all in - am I not as best off as if I'd spent 3 times that on a mid-range Roubaix??
  • carrock
    carrock Posts: 1,103
    No because you would still be schlepping round on a heavy uncomfortable aluminium bike with crap wheels. The high end Roubaixs consistently score highly in tests. The secteur scores badly. Why do you think that is?
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Fair enough. Just going on what some have said on here.
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    I have a Roubaix SL3 expert, it's not just the wheels and groupo that are different but it's a much higher grade of carbon and lighter frame (under a kilo) than the new 1200 quid model. It also has internal cable routing. Mine cost 3k, a two year old one would be 1500-2000, I'd spend my money on that rather than a new one at 1500.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!