guadzilla

I had posted a couple of week ago asking about a Domane - it turns out that I need a 58, and that size is entirely sold out in most of Asia. A different dealer does have a Roubaix in stock, so am looking at that (Diverge will take a month to get in and I’d rather get instant gratification now, if i can).

I’ll be riding some roads that are quite potholes and narrow, with vehicular traffic. So want something a little less twitchy than a typical race-oriented bike. However, looking at the geometry of the Roubaix - other than a higher riding position (which i dont particularly need), and a slightly greater BB drop, it doesnt really seem that different from, say, an Allez Sprint or Venge.

From folks that have a Roubaix - any first hand feedback on how it handles? Is it a lively, agile ride like its race-ish geo, or it is a little more stable/comfortable? And how does the FutureShock 1.5 work for you? Is it a bouncy POS that throw you off while riding, or is actually helpful?

TIA.

Calsun

A lot of the road shock absorption with the Robaix bikes is there shipping with 32mm tires that require far less pressure to support a rider. A 185 lb rider on 23mm tires needs 110 PSI as compared to 32mm tires where only 80 PSI is needed.

The other unique feature on the new Robaix bikes is the Future Shock fork that provides up to 20mm of travel and makes the bike more comfortable on very rough surfaces. This is the component that makes the most difference and it depends on the rider as to whether this is a positive for them or not. I would expect there to be an adjustment period to feel comfortable with this fork.

Ogsarg

I've been riding a 19 Roubaix Comp since early 2020. If you look at some of my posts on the Empty Road Ahead thread, you'll see what the pavement is like that I ride regularly or if you don't want to bother, I'll just say it's pretty bad. Some of the bad roads have some pretty good hills on them and I've had no issues with squirrely handling or anything like that but honestly, I'm not an experienced enough rider to say how this bike compares to a Domane or others. Prior to this I was riding an 09 Roubaix and the new one is way more comfortable.

The Future shock is not really noticeable in normal riding. It's really there for the jarring kind of bumps from potholes and it works well for that. I understand the 2.0 version has rebound damping, which I suspect would make it feel better but I have the 1.5. It came with extra springs so you can change them to make it more/less compliant. I've heard of people taking the springs out altogether as well but have no experience with that.

I will also say that the tire width makes a big difference. Mine came with 28's and I swapped those for 30's and noticed an improvement in comfort and I've run 31's also. Just recently ordered some GP5000S's in 32 and looking forward to seeing how those do.

I think the Roubaix is a great bike but you definitely want to ride; hopefully on some bad pavement and see if you like it.

scottfsmith

When I bought my Roubaix a few years ago (2020) I did a frame compare with the Diverge and there was not much difference. It really is between the Diverge and the Tarmac.

For me the Roubaix has been the perfect bike, great on the road with my old inflexible body and I also use it for gravel with 35mm tires. It is definitely a twitchy bike on rough gravel but still a lot of fun.

msu2001la

I rented a carbon Roubaix for a week last summer when I was in Colorado.
My normal bike is a Cannondale SuperX, which I use for both road and gravel riding. I expected the Roubaix to feel way more sporty/responsive/twitchy in comparison, but it was very smooth and stable. I did some big climbs and it felt great doing that, and was also fun on the way back down. I even rode it on some light duty gravel (with 28mm road tires) and it seemed to handle that fine.

I didn't really like the Future Shock at first, but got used to it. I'd definitely buy one.

PeteHski

I thought they shipped with 28 or 30 mm tyres, but anyway it certainly isn't a unique feature of the Roubaix. This is what all similar fast endurance bikes ship with. The Future Shock is the only unique part and the stack is particularly high - especially with the riser bars it comes with. Note that the pro riders have access to a lower frame stack version of the Roubaix in various sizes, but I'm not sure if they are available retail.

aliasfox

Rented a Roubaix Comp Di2 with FutureShock 1.0 a few years back for a single, 40ish mile ride. Tbh, didn’t like anything about the bike, least of all the bounciness when getting out of the saddle. Sitting and spinning up a climb was fine, but standing on the steep bits was frustrating. Dunno if FutureShock 1.5 or 2.0 solves that issue.

PeteHski

FS 2.0 has a damper, which should help with this bouncing. It also has a lockout. I don’t think 1.5 has the damper. I haven’t ridden it though, so just going off reviews I read when I was thinking of buying a Roubaix.

badger1

2 cents from an owner. The FS 1.5 is just an improved version of the original (1.0), I believe, so no 'active' (hydraulic) damping; spring rate (? I'm not technical!) is adjusted with interchangeable springs.

I have the 2.0, with hydraulic damping/lockout, which was a warranty replacement for a defective 1.0. Both work as it says on the tin. The 2.0 is noticeably 'smoother' in its action, and dead quiet. I'm glad I have the FS; it's a main reason I bought the bike.

Climbing out of the saddle: there is motion with both versions, though slightly less so with the 2.0 (damping?); I think that's unavoidable. Many (self included) don't pay any attention; it doesn't bother me and seems to make no difference to anything. The motion is nothing at all like a 'bobbing' suspension fork. Others don't like it. The advantage of the 2.0 is that when locked out it really is locked out: the bike effectively becomes a conventional rigid frameset -- so there is that.

By the way, if interested: the dial on the 2.0 is graduated, with clicks, but the intermediate settings do nothing. The thing is either fully open or locked out.

scottfsmith

I have the 1.5 and never had any bounce when standing. The only time the thing is a bit annoying is some undulating bumps occasionally synchronize with the spring and I get a bouncy ride for a few seconds. It happens so little as to be noise though.

If you push down when standing it might be possible to bounce, but I am either neutral or pulling up.. No chance to bounce.

Overall I think wide tires at lower pressures will give you more dampening than the FS but it adds some to that.

I like the head tube height myself, my back can’t take too far down. But that is always adjustable including getting rid of the hover bars which add several mm. Not sure they are still using those on the latest models..

aliasfox

Admittedly, my experience was from one ride, and I know my tastes differ from much of the mainstream market - I don’t like carbon frames (steel or Ti for me), don’t like Di2 (buttons too similar in feel, and I get satisfaction from dialing in my mechanical shifters), and didn’t like the bobbing feeling out of the saddle from FS1.0 - I also don’t like riding below 80psi on my 32mm front tire, either. I guess what I’m saying is there are different strokes for different folks, and that it might just be worth a test ride, if possible.

ussprinceton

are you getting the S-Works version?