IANative

At what distances/durations do you begin to realize the comfort benefits of the Roubaix over the Tarmac?

My current rides (on the Crosstrail Sport) range from 15-30 miles and 45min- 2 hours, based on terrain and whether or not my wife is riding w/ me. I'd like to extend both my range and my speed w/ the addition of a carbon road bike, just not sure which of the above would suit me best. We've talked about doing a leg or two of RAGBRAI next year, but outside of something like that I would be willing to bet that 90%+ of my rides will be less than 50 miles.

Finally, at 42, I have a 15 year history of some lower back issues, stemming from an injury sustained while in the military. However, after two years on the hybrid my back feels great, and I don't want to jeopardize that by being "too agressive," if that's possible.

akansaskid

To resolve the "too aggressive" question, simply flip (turn upside down) the stem on you Crosstrail to lower the bars. Ride it for a couple of weeks like that. If that feels great, take the spacers out below the stem (place them on top of the stem). Try it that way for a while. Then you'll know where your comfort zone is. The Roubaix and Tarmac can each be set up somewhere in the middle, but the Roubaix will ultimately allow a higher handlebar, and the Tarmac a lower one. Ride quality on both will be fairly similar with the same tires. Handling on the Tarmac will be quicker/twitchier; the Roubaix will seem lazier/steadier. I strongly suggest lowering the bars on your Crosstrail first, though, as you probably won't get to test either the Roubaix or Tarmac long enough for discomfort to set it.

calamarichris

Another 41-year-old veteran with a history of lower back problems here.

Consider yoga. I've had two back surgeries (L4-L5 & L5-S1), and everyone said, "After the operation, your back will be better than it is now, but it will never be 100% again." Well, BS! I started doing yoga, and now my back is better than when I was a 19 year old firepi$$er.

Bikes can be counterintuitive when it comes to backs. I've found that a slightly racier position is better for me, because instead of having all my weight on my butt & lower back (in a more upright position) absorbing all of the bumps and shocks of the road, my arms are now supporting a portion of my upper body. Doing yoga and lots of back strengthening (and core) exercises helped immensely too. Yoga also teaches you to elongate your spine, instead of slouching, and focus on breathing deeply and relaxing. When you can do this while boogying on the bike, you can really fly!

Also, consider spending the big bucks to get a pro-fit with your bike--that made ALL the difference for me. I'm not only more comfortable on a more aggressive bike than I was in my 20's, I'm also much stronger and faster now than I was back then too.

Good luck and keep us abreast, (or two.)

IANative

chris,

Thanks for the input. No surgeries for me, thankfully. Between Yoga X, monthly trips to Massage Envy and the occasional trip to the chiropractor, my back behaves pretty good. It just got to the point a couple of years ago where I could no longer tolerate suburban running (or even fitness-walking in excess of 5 miles) without a myriad of aches and pains starting in my lower back and points further south. It was my chiro who suggested switching to bike for my cardio. Two years later and I'm hooked!

And yes, no matter which bike I choose, it will be accompanied/preceeded by a professional fitting.

calamarichris

Glad to hear it! I had a hard time remaining focused on my spinal elongation, relaxation and that profoundly deep yoga breathing in a room full of fit, young, sweaty, scantily-clad women. So I found this DVD at my library. After checking it out several times, I finally broke down and bought a copy. Lot easier to focus on the aforementioned, and as a bonus you can even fart in mid-session if you have to.

bonz50

former mil guy here as well (infantry and turning 43 in 2 wks) and currently have 5 herniations in my back, 1 pretty severe, I found the tarmac to be PLENTY comfy for me... in fact, I enjoyed it more than the roubaix... when I have cash available my next bike will be a tarmac...

IANative

Antioch? You're just up the road. I'm down in Naperville.

cyclezen

have both
like both
62 with a bunch of serious structural issues - including herniated disks
prefer my position spread forward, both accommodate well enough.
they each ride a bit different - what is good is personal preference
haven't done a 100 miler yet on the tarmac, but doin 75/80 is no problem.
100 on the roubaix - I usually finish much stronger than when I started.
I know both the tarmac and roubaix have been up'd on the performance end since my '06s came out.
So I would definitely ride both before deciding.

However, I would have no qualms on using the roubaix in any race. Surefooted, quick enough - I'd worry more about the motor...

I recently thought I wanted another long distance bike and considered selling the roubaix.

I've decided to now keep the roubaix and just put on the new A23 wheels. Thinking back, whenever I ride the roubaix in a group, I'm always doing more pulling and ridin stronger at the tail end of the ride.
I guess I'm not immune to the head games we all play with ourselves about how glorious we would be iff'n we only had Fabbio's/Alberto's/Cav's bike...

not

they're both great machines, best I've ever been on... workin hard to keep the motor firin as best it can...

MPress

Got both. I use the Tarmac for short fast rides of 45 miles or less. The Roubaix I save for the longer rides. That being said, I have done my share of centuries on the Tarmac.

Campag4life

OP...I am torn right now myself. Considering both bikes but am leaning toward the Roubaix for doing a lot of half centuries.
A tip is...the Tarmac has a very generous head tube length...and the Roubaix has a nice and tall head tube.
If you have average leg length for your height, you will be fine on the Tarmac. If you have long legs like I do, then consider the Roubaix.
Both are great bikes...tires matter for either as mentioned...and position on the bike trumps the difference in compliancy between the two frames.
If you plan to race, then I believe the Tarmac is the choice but some race the Roubaix successfully as well.

bonz50

yup, mostly ride up in S. WI (Kenosha and Walworth Counties) since I'm literally about 1/4mile from the border... good riding there with little traffic to deal with...

IANative

svtmike , got your message, but apparently I need 50 posts before I can respond to it!

ThinLine

Count me in on this one...........I have had two lower back surgeries L4-5 which did'nt work very well. I ride approx. 250-300 miles a month on aggressive racing geometry type bikes.
It hurts but I do it anyway. I take oxycontin daily and it helps alot (wonderful drug).

I am looking to buy a Specialized Roubaix Expert, but now realize that it may hurt even more.
I think I agree that the more aggressive position takes weight off lower back, where the Roubaix with its more upright geometry will make things worse.

97% of the people don't give a sh#t about your problems the other 3% are glad you have one.

Eclectus

I have a couple Specializeds, a 1995 Stumpy, which I have modified over the years, and a Crux cross-bike. Totally fun. I test rode a Roubaix, and a Cervelo RS. 30 miles in fairly strong winds. I chose the RS. The Roubaix felt good, the RS felt great. But, with having to deal with crappy pavement, I'm pretty much riding the Specialized Crux, with replacement Schwalbe Dureme tires (after getting 3 puncture flats with Crux factory-buld tires in 200 miles, Duremes are more puncture-resistant). If you are looking for a ride-around, pavement if not that good bike, the Crux is a really nice bike. You can always install skinny tires for more speed, if that's what you want.

garciawork

Probably not the most helpful with me being 22 with an at least ok back, but I am on my second Tarmac, and rode around Tahoe earlier this year on the old Tarmac (74ish miles), and had no comfort issues. My boss, who is in his later 40's, did the exact same ride on an uncomfortable (IMO) Giant TCR Advanced, and he was totally fine as well. I personally love my Tarmac, the way it climbs, handles, everything, so even though I originally wanted a Roubaix (years ago), I couldn't be happier with the Tarmac.

Never thought about lower being easier on the back, but the different weight distribution theory makes perfect sense, so I would take that into account for sure.

revchuck 

How tall you are will influence, to a certain extent, which might be better. The head tubes on the larger sizes of these bikes are relatively big as compared to other companies' offerings, while the medium sizes have about the same size head tubes.

I've got a 2011 Allez frameset that I've built up, which has the same geometry as the Tarmac. Mine's a 61cm; the head tube is 235mm. My present main bike (the Allez is my former one) is a 61cm 2010 Look 585 Optimum, which is supposed to be their "relaxed" geometry bike, and the head tube is 10mm shorter than the one on the Allez. The head tubes on the Roubaix are taller still, to the point that I'd ride a 58cm Roubaix rather than a 61. If flexibility is a concern, it probably wouldn't be an issue on either the Tarmac or the Roubaix.

I'll be 60 in December, and have lower back problems due to a motorcycle accident in my late 20s. I'd do a century on the Allez in a heartbeat. Shoot, I've already done three metrics on it.

IANative

Building off of revchuck's post, is the frame geometry the same between the Allez and the Tarmac, and/or between the Secteur and the Roubaix?

Also, what's the difference btwn the E5 aluminum (Allez) and the A1 aluminum (Secteur)?

ColinL

Yes. The Tarmac SL3 and 2012 Allez OSBB geometry is very similar, but not quite identical. The Secteur is likewise similar to the Roubaix. There used to be aluminum versions of the Roubaix before there was a Secteur.

The Allez has a longer top tube and shorter head tube than the same-size Secteur. This the typical 'race bike' versus 'endurance bike' give and take. You can race on either. You can do a century on either.

rbart4506

Had both...Did notice a difference in ride quality on bad roads...

Tarmac has tighter handling....Roubaix feels a bit sluggish climbing and accelerating, but makes no difference in time or speed...

Started with a Roubaix Expert, then got a Tarmac Expert...Preferred the tight handling and quick acceleration of the Tarmac over the Roubaix, so I sold the Roubaix...

revchuck 

Check them out: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...01&scname=Road for the Allez; https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...01&scname=Road for the Tarmac. I need to take back what I said...IIRC, last year's geometry was about identical, but there's a bit of difference this year.

IANative

For those of you who've been through the fitting process, is it possible that (all things being equal) one bike will fit you better the other, regardless of what you think you're looking for in a bike?

For example, I think I'm looking at the Secteur/Roubaix because it's supposed to be more comfortable, especially for longer rides. However, is it possible that-because of my physique and/or the bike's geometry- the Allez/Tarmac would actually be more comfortable for me, even over longer distances?

I'm trying to become as well-informed as possible prior to going in for my fitting and deciding which bike to buy.

ColinL

Yes it is very possible for a completely stock, unfitted bike.

Here's one way in which a Tarmac could be more comfortable: longer torso and arms in proportion to your legs.


But this is assuming we customize nothing on the bike. If you customize just using the original equipment adjustable stem, you can change the fit fairly significantly. If you change the setback seatpost to a straight one, you can change it more.

You can dial in the exact same reach, bar height, and setback on both bikes.

What you can't do is make a Tarmac soak up bumps like a Roubaix, and you can't make a Roubaix feel razor-sharp in corners like a Tarmac. But don't kid yourself that the Roubaix isn't racy enough. It's no beach cruiser.

jmX

Also keep in mind that you can still get the front end on a Roubaix pretty low. It comes with a stem that can be set at -16 degrees, and you can get a shorter top cap for your headset which brings the handlebars down another half inch. Of course slamming a tarmac will still get you 1.4" lower than a slammed roubaix (on a size 58), but I don't see many people riding around on slammed Tarmacs with -16 degree stems.

revchuck 

+1. I've got two dissimilar 61cm bikes that I've been fitted to - a 2011 Specialized Allez frameset set up with a mixed Ultegra 6600/DA7800 drivetrain and a 2010 Look 585 Optimum frameset with a mixed Ultegra 6700/DA7900 drivetrain. They've got the same reach, setback and seat-bar drop in spite of a 2.6cm difference in top tube length and a big difference in seat tube length (the Allez has a "compact" frame, the Look a "traditional" one). They fit me the same, but they handle differently due to having different geometries. The Allez is more responsive, while the Look is more stable...though the Allez is far from unstable, and the Look is far from unresponsive.

Campag4life

Rev...wondered if you would comment please about the ride quality difference between the '11 Aluminum Alez compared to your Look?
Just how good is the ride on that Aluminum Alez?
Thanks.