Campag4life

As a new SL3 Roubaix owner...yeah I'm biased, as you learned in your long test ride...if you plan on riding poor road surfaces...the Roubaix is probably the best road bike in the world. The Tarmac is going to rattle your fillings more on poor roads. That said, the Tarmac is a hell of bike with decent ride quality and a great racing bike if that is your inclination. But...for riding broken road surfaces or century rides the new Roubaix has few peers and as you figured out a faster bike than your TriCross on the same roads.

That said, there have been spy photos of the new Roubaix...speculated to be the new gen or SL4. They just released the SL3 in '11 so figure on the SL4 probably becoming available in '13. See a pic below. The Zertz inserts are significantly changed...no picture of the fork tho. Plus the seatpost tapers even more to a thicker connection with the BB for even more stiffness. So you may want to wait and decide. In fact...anticipating the future, I wouldn't be surprised to see Zertz...maybe a smaller version, filter to the Tarmac in future generations. The next gen Roubaix is gonna be one hell of a bike.

mpath

Not sure exactly why, it just sounds right? Ding, ding, ding, score one for the product marketers......."ok, geniuses, forget about what we're trying to sell, it's just gotta sound cool and awesome."

What did PT Barnum say again?

aztimm

Thanks for the replies, and for the PM. Unfortunately I can't reply until I have 50 posts

I rode the Beeline a few weeks ago with some guys and we met at the park near Hayden/McKellips in Scottsdale. Took McKellips over to Alma, left up to McDowell, then left onto the Beeline. We just went to Shea, turned around, then back. If I do it by myself, I'm thinking of going over Shea at least to Palisades, and probably up to see the Fountain--maybe I'll get lucky and get to see the fountain show.
I lived in Scottsdale in the mid-90s and rode out to Fountain Hills, up to Rio Verde, and died... Wasn't up to that level of riding at the time. At least going up the Beeline, I could coast most of the way down if I want, but that's no fun

Maybe I'll see you at the Tour de Mesa in a few weeks!

aztimm

I'm sure if I abused it they may not give me full credit to what I buy. But I'm just planning to rent twice, then decide on something. Yea I know if I wait I'll get a deal in Dec, there will be new models, etc. But riding just my TriCross for the next 6 months, after riding a Roubaix, well I just don't think that will work for me.

Sounds like there's some people who come to town for work and rent these bikes to use while they're here. A guy is returning the Tarmac on Saturday on his way to the airport, then I get it after him.

They valued the Roubaix at $3500.

aztimm

Here's the Beeline route I did the last time, and I was thinking of about the same next week. Plus a little more on Shea and into FH.
I don't remember the Beeline being too rough before Gilbert. After that was when it got pretty tough with a couple miles at 10 mph.

todayilearned

The Tarmac is an amazing bike. I love mine but might end up selling it soon.

If you're ever in Tucson hit me up.

whataracket

I have a 2008 Roubaix Expert with the stem angled down, and I see a lot of recreational riders using Tarmacs with the stem angled up, putting their bar higher relative to the seat than I have mine despite their shorter head tube. If you think you will have your bars at a middle position that can be achieved with either frame via stem changes, then the main difference between the frames is going to be the vertical stiffness rather than ride position. I have been very happy with my Roubaix.

TrojanHorse

I think your experience so far explains why shops that don't let you try bikes are crazy. Good luck with the Tarmac - they're both great bikes. Different though.

Dilberto

Well, your sig show you also live with a CAAD 10...a truly sublime Aluminum machine.

aztimm

I picked up the rental Tarmac today. Here's what I posted on dailymile:

https://www.dailymile.com/people/aztimm/entries/14198183
"South Chandler Big Loop 28.83 mi 01:33 18.7mph pace

Picked up rental bike #2 today, a Specialized Tarmac. I'm not going to sugar coat it, when I first got on the thing I felt horrible, nearly turned around and was going to take it back to the shop. But I kept telling myself to give it a shot...and I'm glad I did. This thing handles so well...takes on tight corners, and the speed...well the numbers speak for themselves. Even with windy conditions, I felt like I was just slicing along the road. This bike wants to go fast...I had recollections of, "Christine," for the last half of my ride. Weather was decent, mid-80s, sunny with some wind. Now for test 2 tomorrow morning with Thomas on AZ-87/the Beeline from Mesa to Fountain Hills "


I wasn't sure how far I'd ride; if I knew I would do 28, I would have just gone out in the desert directly, where I could have gotten some speed out of the bike.
But this ride made a good 2nd choice, I just did it on Thursday

Thursday (with my TriCross): https://app.strava.com/activities/6272594
Today (with the Tarmac): https://app.strava.com/rides/6371425

Time of day was similar, and I'd say weather was similar (my Garmin Forerunner doesn't track weather). It was windy both days.

I was kinda glad I took the Tarmac down onto Gilbert Rd in the desert; I was on this last week with the Roubaix, and I'm on it all the time with my TriCross. Yea it wasn't as smooth as the Roubaix, I did feel some of the roughness. But it was far smoother than my TriCross.

Last week on the Roubaix (during the century ride) I had a huge group pass me on the next leg (AZ-87) and they sucked me along for 2-3 miles--I had a couple of miles at 24 mph.
Today I was solo on the Tarmac, with a headwind coming at me...and I felt like I was just slicing through the wind. On my TriCross I'm lucky if I can hold 15 mph in winds like that, I held 18-19 today.

Truthfully, I'm not quite sold on the Tarmac right now (and not the Roubaix either). I'll see how it handles tomorrow on the AZ Ironman bike course. And I'll probably do another ride on it Monday morning before I return it.

aztimm

Why are you thinking of selling it?

Sure, I'll let you know if I'm down in Tucson. And let me know if you're ever up this way. Are you doing El Tour de Mesa next week?

Nick Bain

The base tarmacs have slacker head tubes for more of an upright position, something I regret being a racer and learned this later. It does the job though after slamming the stem. It climbs well and feels like a rock on out of the saddle sprints. Handling seems very quick almost too touchy for me.

aztimm

I had an excellent ride on the rental Tarmac today:

"Beeline Hwy, McDowell to Shea 31.35 mi 01:39 19.1mph pace Day #2 with my rented Specialized Tarmac bike. Met up with Thomas for a ride along, "The Beeline," aka AZ-87 from N Tempe to Fountain Hills. We did this a few weeks ago, me on my TriCross and I held an avg pace of 16.3 mph. Today, I cruised along to an avg of 19! My slowest split today (outside of the warmup mile) was 14.7 (compared with about 10 before). My fastest split today was 28.9 (my fastest time was 30.8). What a difference a bike makes! And it was great to ride along with someone...and have him as a target to try to catch "


the guy I was riding with kept looking back at me. I kept him within 100 feet on the descent, and afterwards he told me he was a bit paranoid that I'd go flying out of control and go off the road.



anyway, this ride pretty much convinced me that the Tarmac is the bike for me. to have such a speed increase in just a few weeks is amazing.


For reference:


today's ride: https://app.strava.com/rides/6409262
same ride on my TriCross: https://app.strava.com/activities/6273458


I'm planning to take this out tomorrow morning before work for one last ride, but right now I'm 95% certain I'll get a Tarmac. I'm glad I rented one too. the shop only had a 58, and I would have gotten a 56, but the 58 works really well for me.


I think the Roubaix was a compact, and the Tarmac is definitely not. That makes a huge difference.

aztimm

After looking through the shop's website, I'm kind of torn between 2 different Tarmac bikes:

Tarmac Comp mid-compact
https://globalbikes.info/product/12sp...t-131070-1.htm

Tarmac SL3 Expert mid-compact
https://globalbikes.info/product/12sp...t-131083-1.htm

There's actually quite a few differences. I was going to outline them, but after looking...it seems that I'd be creating a whole list of every spec.

I guess the question I have... Is the Expert worth the extra $500? The Comp doesn't really seem worth the extra $500 over a normal 105 (goes for $2500).
Not sure if there's any negotiation I can do with the shop or if Specialized sets the prices and everyone has to play along.

todayilearned

I was thinking about upgrading to SL4 w/ Campy but the deal passed so I'll probably be sticking with it for now.

Wish I could do the Tour but with work and stuff I haven't been riding as much.

Usually the LBS can adjust the price a little depending on time of year and your relationship with them. I got my 2011 SL2 Comp w/ 105 for $2,000 out the door (around $1,850 before taxes) around 2011 Oct. I told them I would buy $300 worth of stuff from their LBS if they could work something out plus I had already bought 2 bikes previously from them. I paid in cash and it worked out well for both of us. This was on a bike that retailed for $2,800 I believe.

I personally think the SL3 is a better deal with the Fulcrum 4's and full Ultegra gruppo. It's just annoying to see they keep a 105 cassette on there. I know it doesn't make a big difference but Specialized is being really sketchy with that. My SL3 frameset was $2000 + $1,300 SRAM Force + $700 for Mavic Elites (Conti G4ks tires) + Seatpost, Saddle, Stem, handlebars... etc and I broke my initial budget of $4,500. You're getting a comparable bike for $3,499. If I could do it again I would have gone that route.

My SL2 was nice and light but the 105 felt a little rough for the frame. Ultegra to me just felt a bit more refined and polished. SL3 really does feel a bit stiffer to me and more responsive and I'm just a casual rider.

You just need to decide if you really need that much bike though. My riding ability dictates I should be back on my 2009 Allez Sport (105) but after going through a couple of bikes I really had my heart set on the SL3 and now I'm finally content.

Would you be able to differentiate between Ultegra and 105? SL2 and SL3? If not then go with the cheaper options.

Also with the sizing remember that you will get fitted so pick the frame that is closest to your comfort. One of the bigger reasons I sold my SL2 was because it was a 58 (I'm 6'1'' w/ 33 inseam) and it was a bit bigger than I expected. After getting a 90mm stem on there it was great but dismounting my crotch was right on the top tube. My SL3 is now a 56 w/ 90mm stem. I thought I had made a mistake but after getting fitted it felt perfect and I'm glad I made the right choice.

aztimm

Thanks to everyone for the posts and tips here. I ended up ordering the Tarmac SL3 (they call it a pro). Along with Ultrgra, it has a better carbon frame (8r -v- 10r) and better wheels.

I know this is going to be very silly, but at least for Saturday, I'll just transfer over the mountain bike pedals from my TriCross and wear my mountain bike shoes. At least for El Tour de Mesa on Sat. After that, I'll look into road pedals and shoes. I don't think a tour is the time to mess with figuring in new pedals.

eippo1

Yah, don't mess with your pedals now. Enjoy the SL3, I loved mine. There is a nice difference that you can feel with the SL3 over the SL2. Plus you get a big bang for the buck with the Ultegra etc. Well done.

todayilearned

Nice, post pictures when you get it.

bermanfb28

I got the same bike and I love it as well I would recommend it

aztimm

Picked up my new bike today, as requested, here's the first picture I took of it



I'll be using it for tomorrow's https://www1.perimeterbicycling.com/el-tour-de-mesa/

todayilearned

Looks fantastic, I like the color scheme. How do you like it?

aztimm

So far I like it. It is taking a little while to get used to different shifting and it has a bit of a rough sound (kind of like a roller coaster going up a hill trying to catch the chain). I take it for a full fitting tomorrow and I'll ask them to look at it to make sure everything is ok.

I rode it for el Tour de Mesa on Saturday:
https://app.strava.com/activities/6734805

and for a little shake-out ride after work today (not a very interesting route, especially compared with Saturday):
https://app.strava.com/activities/6881119


I'll ride it to/from the shop tomorrow for the fitting, then a mostly normal (but flat) ride from home on Thursday (I work from home then and have a flexible schedule to sneak out during the day).

Sunday a friend and I are meeting at Saguaro lake...an open water swim and a spin through some of the area I rode through for el Tour. If I want to keep doing these tours, I've gotta work on my hills.

eippo1

Looks like you had a pretty good tour on the bike. Cool. That bike is pretty awesome. SRAM is pretty loud in general and as long as everything shifts smoothly, then all is good.

aztimm

The tour was ok until I got a rear flat around 65 miles, and my spare had a defective nozzle. Some women stopped and helped me, but I lost a ton of time. If you look at the time graph on Strava you'll see that, as well as a SAG stop (just 3-5 min around 46 miles).

I stopped by a shop to get another tube while riding last night. I thought the Tarmac was full Ultegra, but evidently the wheelsets are Fulcrum, which are supposedly noisy. I didn't want to go with SRAM because I was already used to Shimano shifting.

This is probably me adjusting to the bike, but the shifting doesn't seem quite as smooth as I'd like, and not as smooth as on my TriCross (with Tiagra gears). Before my TriCross, I hadn't ridden for years. It will probably just take me a few weeks to adjust. And I'm debating if I'll keep my TriCross, and if I do how often I'll want to use it.

eippo1

Ah, I see, thought you got the Sram version - I'll pay better attention to the photo next time. I highly suggest getting the Park Big Blue Book and learning to do general tuning stuff on your own. A little lube often goes a long way in quieting a noisy drivetrain as well. Fulcrum wheels are actually made by Campagnolo and are very nice wheels. They have a loud freewheel, but there are only a few that are quiet anyway. Personally, I like the sound.

Full Ultega does not mean wheels as that's a different animal and a set of Ultegra wheels would have driven the price way up. I believe that you have the OEM Fulcrum 4's which have a mix of parts from the 5's and the 3's. The Ultegra wheels are more comparable to Fulcrum 3 2-way wheels and both would go for about $750-$800 retail. As it is, the Fulcrums are a lot nicer than what comes stock on many bikes (see Cervelo).