Leinster

Hiro11

I like the Giant Defy. It's a bit more performance oriented than some of the other endurance models and Giant has the best carbon quality in my opinion.

I recently bought the top of the line Defy. After decades of riding aggressive race bikes, I came to two realizations:
1. When riding with a 3"+ drop, I was locking out my elbows while I rode. This was also true of everyone I ride with who uses a race bike. Also, most guys I ride with were never using the drops, they were on the hoods all the time. Why not raise the bars a bit, ride the drops and bend your elbows? This is what even the pros did twenty years ago.
2. Comfort matters a great deal, especially on longer rides. At hour four, jarring slams over potholes, road vibration and aching backs makes cycling a drag.

veganbikes

Maybe get a new club? The Roubaix is a fine bike and those knocking it probably haven't ridden one or are too wrapped up in the easily remedied recall that was preventative. If you are having issues and want to be more comfortable then guess what if you get a more comfortable bike you will be able to ride farther and faster.

No No I get it, it's gotta be ridiculously stiff and super aero because that guy in the tour rides the bike and he is super fast so yeah! However ride what works for you. Most of these "bike experts" know very little about bikes and mainly just ride sometimes which is great but don't work in the industry or don't spend their time focused on tech and riding and learning about other bikes. Sometimes these folks do know something but they would be able to go into why the bike isn't good for you and not just the same old boring stiffness conjecture.

LargoPQ

raceboy

fastfour

I can't comment on the Endurace as I haven't ridden it but did cross shop it with the Roubaix Comp Ultegra Di2 (which I ended up buying for a few hundred more than what you've quoted). I absolutely love the bike. It's stiff (I'm sure not the stiffest) and light (I'm sure not the lightest) and has done everything i've asked it to do. I did add the Roval C38's to the bike as I felt the stock wheels weren't worthy of the rest of the bike. To be honest I can't tell much of a difference between the wheels except for looks (they look amazing and match well).

If you enjoyed it when you rode it then you know what you should do. Don't listen to those snobs that don't give specific reasons for why you shouldn't get it. Lots of haters on Specialized and the future shock say its awful and just for mountain bikes and blah blah. I have it on two bikes (Diverge and Roubaix) and i've enjoyed them both immensely. Ride what you want. The icing on the cake would be to drop any of those snobs that say the Roubaix isn't worthy.

rollagain

^^^^^
This.

LargoPQ

HTupolev

I think you're expecting way more difference in performance to exist between road bikes than actually exists.

"Semi aggressive group ride" could mean a lot of things, and for any particular group ride, whether someone can keep up has a heck of a lot more to do with the rider than the bike.

That's not to say that the bike doesn't matter. It does. But, even insofar as the bike matters, reasonable configuration is most important. Get a bike that fits and pedals well for you, is geared appropriately for the riding you're doing, and has tires appropriate for the riding you're doing.

As long as your bike checks off the above boxes... this notion you have that an "endurance" road bike is going to peg you down a tier in the groups you're able to ride with is silly nonsense. If you like the Roubaix, get the Roubaix.

downhillmaster

chicagogal

I haven't ridden an roubaix or a canyon, but I do love the look of the Canyons right now. My riding buddies who have them also seem to have gotten killer deals. Furthermore, I am sucker for buying locally. It is very cool that you can go to the Canyon factory, see where the bikes are made, and talk to the guys. That would be a major selling point for me, just because there is something "romantic" or personal about it, which I really like.

leob1

Ask the guys that are knocking the Roubaix if they have ridden one. Chances are they have not, and don't like it because it's a Specialized. Others will say the same about Trek or Canondale bikes.
I have a Roubaix, I like it, I like the ride now. The stock wheels where a bit soft, and combined with the frame I felt isolated from the road. It was less that confidence inspiring, and a general lack of road feel. I changed the wheels to a stiffer pair and it made a world of difference. I now have better road feel, the bike feels more planted in the corners, and the frame still doesn't transmit much road buzz. This is all subjective, but at least it's from somebody that rides one.
And a Roubaix Comp Di2, for $3450 is a pretty good deal, is it a left over? I'd still buy it.

WizardOfBoz

Agree: I have a Domane and love it. But I've read reviews about the Roubaix and the Domane that find them comparable. I think that they're both good bikes. Assuming you meant "not stiff enough", isn't that the point of the Roubaix (and the Domane)? They have some shock/vibration absorption that other CF bikes don't. So, if the Roubaix was designed for a comfortable ride, and you liked it (especially since you tested it in climbing) that would seem to me to invalidate the naysayer's comments.

The shock absorption of the Roubaix would be a feature for me, not a liability.

The Canyon frame looks to be designed for stiffness, as the top tube/seat tube/seat stay joint looks massive. In the Domane, that joint has a flexible coupling. The Roubaix claims to be "Ride Engineered" whatever that means. They seem to imply that the frame, like the Domane, will absorb some road shock and vibration.

LargoPQ

surak

I'll be joining the Roubaix owners club today. Also getting a Comp Di2, it's really a great deal and wheels are whatever because I plan to pair some deep section Light Bicycle wheels to it in the near future. I've seen many Roubaix on my club rides, but then again I was on an aluminum frame on those same rides, so like everyone is saying, it likely won't matter as far as speed goes.

The Roubaix is designed to suspend the rider, but not the frame. That's why it can still be as stiff and responsive as its geometry dictates. If you compare reviews of the Roubaix vs bikes where the compliance is solely provided by the frame and fork, you'll notice that reviewers will often note flex in the latter that appears in forms like rotor rub during out of saddle efforts. I personally thought on my test ride that the most enjoyable aspect of it was the planted feeling I got on a fast descent. Specialized says the Roubaix's design allows it to stay in contact with the ground more, and it does at least when compared to my alluminum bike with composite fork.

Since I'm between sizes, I chose to go for the smaller frame which has a very similar geo to my current bike that Giant considers an "all-rounder" to get the same nimble handling rather than sizing up and getting a more relaxed ride quality that comes from higher stack and longer wheelbase. This is probably where the Roubaix may not work for some people who can't size down and therefore get a more disconnected feeling.

LargoPQ

surak

Yup, nothing else I looked at came close in value, and I really like the shop I'm buying it from. I didn't seriously consider a Canyon because I can't test ride one and also would have to change quite a bit to get the fit I want, though.

Maelochs

By the way .... nobody with fewer than ten posts should ever try posting a URL ... y say, leaving off an "h."

ttps://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/1168468-looking-buy-endurance-bike-club-members-pushing-me-away-roubaix-2.html

LargoPQ

frogmorton

aclinjury

Ugh Specialized had a recall of all bikes with the future shock. Yeah, when you make things more complicated than need be, you run a higher risk of components failing. Of course a lot of people foresaw this with the future shock and pointed it out, but they were called naysayers and luddites.
Stay the hell away from any bike with future shock. It's unnecessarily complicated. Need more comfort at the handlebar? Use an extra layer, or two, of cut up bar tape underneath, in addition to a 32c tire. You're in Carlsbad, roads are smooth around there. My god that entire region have roads with wide clean bike lane. Why do you need a complicated suspension handlebar?? And when Specialized moves on to their next model and obsolete the future shock (and they will), what will you do when you need components replaced? Yep, there's a reason why your highend-bike ridding buddies in Socal steered you clear. I'd too, especially considering that there are plenty of other makes and models to choose from.
Now if you say the Roubaix is a good deal and saves you 300 bux over an equivalent model from another make, then ok, who am I to argue that's chump change. But me personally, a 300 bux saving ain't enough for me to go with the Roubaix.

surak

The recall was for a collar bolt that could corrode, not the uncomplicated spring inside that some people think can never be replicated once Specialized loses interest in making them.

Just a cursory look shows that there've been recent recalls for stems, seat posts, flat pedals, and quick releases. I'm sure the luddites point to those with glee that it proves they were right to question whether a bike needs any of those things.

aclinjury

Ah, so users might potentially need to find or source or replicate the spring. I guess every city has a spring replicator in the yellow page eh? And who's gonna replicate the collar once Specialized has stopped making them?
But you missed my part about the road condition in Carlsbad. Notice that my reply to the OP is one that takes into account of road condition, and not just about the future shock itself.
I take it that you've never been to the Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Diego area? They have some of the best roads in the nation.

Atlas Shrugged

I have had the privilege of spending extended periods of time on your blessed roads and yes they are good however that does not mitigate the advantages a compliant bicycle gives. The future shock really helps with that compliance. Your area also has many secondary roads and gravel which the Roubaix opens up for the rider to enjoy. As far as obsolescence goes I guess I will just have to take the risk. But saying the future shock which is basically a spring is going to be the item which mothballs the bike is a bit much. By the way, I have a 1980's Custom Marinoni you may enjoy building up with its126mm rear end spacing, downtube friction shifters, 6 speed freewheel etc. Time and technology move on and I am choosing to enjoy being on that continuum and if that means I need to skip a meal out or order a less expensive bottle of wine so be it.

Baldy1953

There is not a valid reason not to buy the Roubaix if this is the bike that is desired. My Roubaix was included in the recall. My collar was replaced and from what the owner of the shop and myself could see, there was no corrosion to the collar. I do not ride mine on a trainer either. The "so called" corrosion problem was from sweat while riding on a trainer. This was told to me by my trusted bike shop owner. He had read this direct from Specialized.
If my future shock becomes outdated,then I would bet I could find a spring with the proper rates for a replacement. It is a spring. Not a proprietary special gear or other some such device.

It appears to me the naysayers of the future shock are just jealous they do not have such a comfortable riding bike. Get off the fence and buy yourselves a Specialized with the future shock. You just might find you won't go back to your old bike.

Everyone has their own opinions on the different aspects of bicycles. Trying to dissuade someone from buying technology makes no sense to me. Suggest they ride the bike in question and make their own mind up. After all, they are the ones with their butt on the seat.