CarolinaGuy

Not that I expect anyone here to have opinions.

I've been test riding plenty of bikes, and have pretty much narrowed it down to the Roubaix Comp, and am now debating between the 105 groupset and the Sram Apex. I currently run a triple on a relatively heavy Kinesis frame with 105 on the back, and Tiagra on the front. I don't use the granny ring often, but there are some times late in the day when I will sneak the chain down there for the final climb home.

I think I'm OK with the ratios on the Apex compact setup, and the although the double-tap shifting will take some getting used to, I think it's pretty intuitive. My main concern is reliability of the Apex group and any input folks have on the non-S-Works Roubaix frame, fork, etc.

As background, I generally ride 100-150+ miles a week at 30-50 miles per outing, with a few longer ones on occasion and at least one pretty fast group ride each week. Main reasons for upgrading are to get a somewhat of a plusher ride to make extending to those 60-80 mile rides more comfortable, while staying light enough to not give up any ground to the young bucks on the group rides.

So... thoughts on the Apex group and the Roubaix? Just want to make sure I'm not looking at second thoughts in six months before I get up off my wallet.

badhat

apex is well build and totally reliable and shifts well.

the nice thing about going that way is you can swap cassettes and have a less severe every day gearing but with just the sway to a cassette with a 34 youre all set for steeper stuff with no weight penalty or mechanical clunkiness from a triple.

CarolinaGuy

That's a good thought on the cassettes, and I definitely like the idea of not having to tweak the front derailleur every few hundred miles or so.

Grasschopper

We just bought my wife the Ruby Elite Apex so I hope it's very good. Seems like a nice build to me and the LBS swapped the bars, stem and saddle for no cost during the fitting (all included in the cost of the bike). Honestly she hasn't ridden it yet as we picked it up on Thursday and then got in the car for vacation...should be able to provide more feedback on Tuesday assuming the weather is good. I do like the ratios with that big cassette on it.

K&K_Dad

it has SRAM. nuff said.

Double tap is easy. You could put a closer cassette and a Rival RD on and not worry about the 'huge gaps' in gears.

eippo1

I have Rival on my cross bike and just got a new cross bike with Apex and will be only switching the shifters so that i can enjoy that 32 tooth cassette.

Painful Chafe

Sram shifting will become second nature. There is actually less thinking involved for me compared to when I had to learn Shimano road shifting. I switched from mountain biking a year ago and then switched from Shimano to Sram 3 months ago.

CarolinaGuy

Yeah, after reading Apex reviews, I was expecting to really notice the "huge gaps" in the gearing when I rode it. I noticed them, but "huge" is obviously a relative term. (At least that's what I've been telling my wife for years.)

springs

Ditto. I just bought a Rival bike and had the LBS put on an 11-32 and Rival mid-cage. I don't notice any "gaps", but I do notice the 32 on the many steep hills around here. I've gone from 12-25 to 11-28 to 11-32 and each was an improvement.

Adrianinkc

Apex is good stuff and it's very similar to rival's performance.

CarolinaGuy

Thanks for the in put on the Apex... pretty much what I expected to hear, but it's good to have that validated.

Not to get picky about opinions, but any input on the Roubaix frame/fork? Again, I'm looking at the "lower end" Comp SL2 frame. My wallet cannot afford the S-Works, and frankly, my legs and lung capacity don't warrant it anyway. As an aside, the stock wheels are Mavic CXP-22's, so I'll probably trade them in (coupled with some cash) for an upgrade if/when I pull the trigger.

sqharaway

Since everyone is validating Apex, I'll add my two cents and say that the shifting on my 105 group has always been a little finicky. I'd go SRAM, with no hesitation.

Also, I have a Tarmac Comp frame and it's been great! I can't imagine the Roubaix is much different, aside from the geometry.

caloso

Just so you know, that is a huge difference.

RoboCheme

You might also consider the Cannondale Carbon Synapse 6 Apex. MSRP is $300 less and basically the same bike. My friend loves his.

I switched from Shimano DA to Rival and it took me all of half a ride to get comfortable. I much prefer Double Tap

Kind of Blued

I have the bike, it rocks. Like everyone else has said, Apex shifts very well and has required no maintenance so far. Since you've found that Apex is quality, I'll mention the only things about the bike that I don't love.

The wheels are strong, but super heavy.

The saddle is the cheapest road saddle Specialized makes, is very narrow, and has too much padding in my opinion. Stock saddles are usually be replaced anyway.

The crankset is the heaviest crankset that SRAM makes, and the bottom bracket is one of the heaviest on the market.

These parts are all heavy, but work perfectly. The brakes, however, have mediocre stopping power and the cam used to open the calipers for a tire change is poorly designed.

As for the 11-32 cassette, the 32t cog is a lifesaver at times, and not neccesary at others. If you intend to upgrade the wheels, you might consider a narrower cassette so you can choose depending on the terrain. Personally, I'm planning on putting some 28c tires on the stock wheels and using them when I do mountain rides with gravel sections, otherwise it'll be lighter wheels with a more narrow range cassette.

NealH

I've run 28 All Condition Specialized tires on my Roubaix and it did fine. Just fine. Don't put too much pressure though. No reason to go over 80#. For the last year, I've been running 25 Conti 4000 and they are even better. I put 80# in these too and the ride is very nice. They will do fine on gravel also, though if its rough riding the the 28 might be better suited.

The drive train is a matter of preference. I have tried Sram Red and just could not get used to it. Apex is probably better as its a later model.

pbd

Just to be clear, you can't put a 34 cog on the medium cage Apex (standard on the Roubaix Elite), which has a max range of 32. You'd have to go to a long cage which can handle up to a 36 cog.


You can get the short cage (28 max) and medium cage (32 max) on Rival as well. My new bike that is on its way to me now has the medium-cage Rival derailleur for use with an 11-32 cassette, I'm very much looking forward to spinning up some hills on it.

caloso

28mm Conti GP4000 on a Roubaix? Must feel like rollin' in a mack daddy Caddy!

Muffin Man

what about ultegra vs. apex?

CarolinaGuy

Great information... Thanks!

A wheel upgrade is almost a certainty, and the shop I'm dealing with is offering credit on the stock saddle and wheels should I want to change them. I hate to hear that about the brakes... the Tektro's I'm currently running are crap, and I was hoping these would be a significant upgrade. I see at least two cassettes in my future... one for long rides with lots of climbing, one for the weekly hammerfest.

3373jones

i have apex on one of my bikes. NO complaints. i've ridden 105, rival, ultegra, and dura ace - and it stands with the best of them. (just switch the crankset).

IcySmooth52

I've been riding Apex on my new ride this season and as far as the shifting goes, it's as nice as Rival. It's just not as light. I'll be getting a smaller cassette and Rival derailleur due to my riding style, but I think the gear ratios are well thought out and don't have huge gaps.

Rival actually has a RD and cassette available with the same ratios as Apex.

urbanlegend

i've put over 500 km on my 2011 specialized roubaix elite. it's got the sram apex grouppo you are looking at and i've found it to be a great bike and the shifting has been no problem at all. i was coming from a hybrid so i didn't have any pre-conceived notions of shimano vs sram shifting but the sram shifting has become second nature to me.

i found a big difference in overall ride smoothness between the sl2 frame on the roubaix and the aluminum frame on the giant rapid 3 i was riding previously. i just did my first metric century and was about as comfortable as i could be under the circumstances.

overall i am perfectly pleased with the roubaix elite and the sram apex. if you like it, go for it.

j

badger1

Just a quick further note on Apex: I've installed the group (well Apex/Rival mix) on my bike this Spring, and so far it has been great.
Caveat: I use flat bars, but the shifters are true double-tap/10spd (sort of Rival + level).
Apex crank (50/34), front/rear der., Rival cassette 12-32 and chain.
Shifting is great (fast and accurate), and I don't notice 'gaps' at all, but do use the bigger cogs at times on hills.
One note: as someone else pointed out, the crank on the Roubaix Comp Apex isn't Apex; it's from a lower series and somewhat heavier (if that matters).

eippo1

FWIW, the entry level Roubaix of 2011 is a huge step up from the 2010 version - they did a great thing when they used the SL2 molds for the Elite and the Comp. I rode a Tarmac Comp 2010 was way impressed with my friend's SL2 in comparison. So much that I ended up selling the 2010 and getting a 2011 SL3 (only reason I went for the SL3 is because it was available in a frameset and I work in a shop). The same thing happened with the Roubaix and the Elite is an awesome bike.