H.S.Clydesdale

Hoping the road bike experts on this website can help me clarify an issue that has been bugging me lately. What was the main cause of my most recent epic ride?

I recently took a business trip to San Francisco. While there, I rented a Fuji Roubaix (aluminum with 105 components) to get in a few post work rides. The rides turned out to be epic. Was this because:

a) San Francisco is cool. I was in a new city, that has a lot of bike lanes, and generally its just fun to ride a bike while on travel. There was nothing special about the bike.

b) The Fuji Roubaix is cool. I did not know anything about this bike before renting it. In fact, as it was their "least-expensive-but-still-decent" road bike, you might assume its rather run of the mill. But I found it to be very comfortable and responsive, over 44 total miles riden. I have since read online reviews of the bike, and they all seem to say the same thing. Is the Fuji Roubaix actually very good? Should I get one so I can have these epic rides at home?

c) The race geometry was cool. My current bike has a more relaxed geometry. Maybe I just liked the more aggressive geometry, and should look into getting a Giant TCR or just anything with a similar geometry to the Fuji Roubaix.

What do you all think?

caloso

d) All of the above.

Jed19

Ride a few other brands with similar geometry to the Fuji Roubaix, then decide if it is the bike or the geometry that was responsible for your epic ride.

Seattle Forrest

I think it's mostly the novelty of riding in a new place, exploring unfamiliar surroundings, and finding your way around.

TrojanHorse

Isn't the Fuji Roubaix "endurance" geometry?

Are you taller than average?

dr_lha

Not according to Fuji.

H.S.Clydesdale

so far seems like a=1, b=0, c=1, and d=1. Perhaps not enough data to make a conclusion, but early indicators are that the Fuji Roubaix does not have a solid fanbase.
@TrojanHorse I am taller than average. Though the Fuji fit me well. It was smaller than my current bike, but not by much. 61cm, but as we all know, that means nothing. The stack and reach of the Fuji were just a bit under what is probably ideal for me.

AlTheKiller

I know personally I often overthink the bike, and not the ride. And I know this mindset often attacks other people who spend hours on cycling forums about gear... If I'm at my home turf, on my own bike, surrounded by familiar sights, I'm often thinking about my bike. How it's riding, how the tire pressure is, or how far from home/work I am, etc. etc. Plop me on a reasonable fitting bike in a new area, and I'm thinking about the bike much less, and maybe just enjoying the overall experience more.

Hell, this is why I currently ride my modified, mid 90s, $100 commuter MTB I pick up about two weeks to every one day of road riding. It fits well enough and is comfortable. It's not nearly as efficient, fast, or pretty as my road bike, but there's a certain piece of mind to just dragging it out and cycling into the horizon, and then deciding to turn around and come home.

eduardo76

HSClydestale...probably all of the above, but I owned a Fuji Roubaix and really liked that bike. I think it's an undervalued and underestimated entry aluminum frame. Though I don't think that a bike alone would make a ride epic.

lyrictenor1

No, the Fuji Roubaix has a race geometry. The aluminum endurance bike in Fuji's lineup is the Sportif.

The Fuji Roubaix is a very good, and very underrated frame. I enjoyed mine quite a bit before moving on to a Fuji SST.

rms13

Yeah, I thought the Roubaix was like the original endurance bike

Paul W.

That would be the Specialized Roubaix.
Roubaix Link

utahp8ntballer

The Roubaix has race geometry and is rather stiff. It's of course heavier than carbon which to me is the only downfall. I've owned lots of Fuji's and the Roubaix is my 2nd favorite next to the Altamira I had. If it was lighter it would be in the same category. It's very nimble and leans in well making you feel very comfortable.

woodcraft

The San Francisco hipster contact high factor should not be overlooked.

Jax Rhapsody

A met bike heavier than a carbon- gasp.

I think if Ilived in SanFran, I wouldnt even know what a bike was.