Really not sure what to make of this…

Quantifying Smoothness: Specialized partners with McLaren on new Roubaix w/ Future Shock Suspension

https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/smoother-is-faster

Disc brakes, springy suspended bars, and that bloody fugly seatpost. It’s a bit of an abomination.

Still, if it really is faster then surely it’ll migrate to the Tarmac and Venge. I doubt it somehow 😕

HeadShok? Have Cannondale patents expired or does it avoid them in some way? (There must surely have been some)

It’s the placement of the shock and what’s being suspended that’s different, so probably no issue with headshock. I guess the idea of suspending the rider is nothing new, at least in mtb, with thudbuster seat posts and flex stems.

Oh. It’s *above the headtube*. Have they actually reinvented the flex stem?

Well, compared to flex stem, at least it’s damped. Up to 20mm of travel too. Can’t get away from it changing the stack and reach height as you’re riding along. Wonder how weird that would be on a road bike?

My Roubaix SL4 is already super-smooth compared with my hooligan bike; I don’t know why they want to keep on tinkering with the Roubaix. After 50 miles on the hooligan on Lancashire roads my arms and shoulders were goosed. After 100 miles on the Roubaix they were fine.

Looks stupid. I can only imagine how crap that will look with a stack or spacers loaded on top.

The Girvin type devices have had a mini resurgence e.g. this air sprung thing

I guess at the least it would feel a bit odd for the hands to dive down a bit under braking but who knows it could become popular.

Surely it would be better to do a headshok type setup but maybe Cannondale’s patent prevents that.

More reviews here..

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/frames/road/product/specialized-roubaix-2017-review-50696/

They really seem to like it, but then you wonder how much the specialized marketing budget influences such things!

At least they’ve got rid of the silly huge headtube and made it longer (10mm in reach) and lower (20mm in stack.) Though that does mean it’ll be an even worse fit for most of the people who would normally buy a roubaix and you’ll likely see it with a huge stack of spacers…

I can only imagine how crap that will look with a stack or spacers loaded on top.

🙂

Surely it would be better to do a headshok type setup but maybe Cannondale’s patent prevents that.

Well the claim is that they’ve found it to be better as the geometry remains unaffected, giving more predicable handling when the shock is working.

Doesn’t actually look that bad without the silly swat thing and that seatpost…

I’ll still only believe the “it’s faster” claims when they start fitting it on the tarmac and venue.

Edit… more here… and they like it too…

First-look review: Specialized Roubaix 2017

Must be end of press embargo day!

I like it, but i’m not a proper road rider. I just ride on the road to work and back and any extra comfort would be welcomed.

I like that.
The old Roubaix suffered by being extremely tall, it had an annoyingly high front end with it’s “endurance” (ie fat mamil) geometry but that looks much racier.

Yes. Curious that as fat mamil was a huge market for Specialized and they’ll be a really poor fit on the new Roubaix (stack’s actually 30mm lower!) I wonder if they’ll add another bike to the line up that’s more like the old Roubaix?

It is growing on me somewhat in this guise…

I think it looks awesome and I can see a lot of this tech ending up on the new Diverge.

The old Roubaix was an abomination to look at. in anything over a size 52 the head tube was ridiculous.

This doesn’t look so good…

But take off that silly triathlete picnic box, swap the MTB rear mech for a road one, straighten out the seatpost, fit it for a decent racing position, and pop on some skinwalls, and it looks so much better.

I’ve got a 2009 Roubaix and while it’s not the prettiest it does ride well. While I’d agree the new one also isn’t a looker it certainly wouldn’t stop me going for one.

Slightly off topic, but those hoods are an abomination, absurdly long.
Great if you are getting aero in your race winning solo break, not so great for the other 99.99% of the time.

I’ve got an old Roubaix and mine is the biggest size they make so the head tube is huge. I’m flexible enough to ride a race bike but for the sort of social or training riding I do the Roubaix geometry is a lot more comfortable.

If you’re a fan of the previous shape, Specialized’s fitting will allow you to change the top cover of the head-tube for a deeper 28mm version and choose a bar with more uplift from the three (flat, mid and high)

The elastomer inserts that defined the Roubaix are no more, replaced by a mix of clever carbon construction

I thought I’d read that the actual inserts were just cosmetic – it was the holes in the carbon frame/fork that provided the shock absorption.

I’m pretty sure the big fat elastomer/gel inserts under the bar tape on the bars on the old Roubaix were a big contributor to the comfort…..

Odd that they’ve shortened the wheelbase.

Planet X ahead of the game again I see.

Planet X ahead of the game again I see.

😆

Odd that they’ve shortened the wheelbase.

Still a fair bit longer than the Tarmac. And it’s still a fair bit taller and shorter than a Tarmac too. I guess you need to add about 20mm to the stack height for the boingy bit too.

🙂 , is that the new carbon London road.

Cheapest new Roubaix, with mechanical discs and 105, still 1900 quid. Full ultegra and hydros will be £3200.

WTF, have McLaren played a massive practical joke on Spesh? What were they thinking… there’s so much wrong with that it’s impossible to know where to start! It’s a genuinely remarkable achievement, but not for the reasons they think

I don’t get the bit about the lower seatpost collar and the enlarged seat tube.
Why not make the top tube sloped to begin with and have more seatpost exposed?

otsdr, from the bikerumor article…

Why not just match the height of the top tube to that of the seat clamp? Aesthetics for one, and Specialized claims the higher top tube equals a stiffer frame.

I don’t get the bit about the lower seatpost collar and the enlarged seat tube.
Why not make the top tube sloped to begin with and have more seatpost exposed?

😆

shurely you’re not suggesting its a load of old snake oil?

Had the chance to ride one of these today. Trying to avoid all hyperbole but it was mind blowing. So comfy, stiff with no noticeable bob when out the saddle. Really comfy over rough potholed roads. I always thought my Diverge was as comfy as road bikes got. This thing was amazing. Love the new SWAT box too.

A mate has one. OK he works for Spesh, but he was genuinely blown away by it. So much so he bought one of the first in the country.

Most reviews seem to be equally effusive.

I’ll still only believe it’s quicker when they fit it on the Venge.

I always thought my Diverge was as comfy as road bikes got.

I can see how someone going from a Diverge to a Roubaix might be impressed. I’d be interested in hearing what someone going the other way (e.g. from a Venge or a Tarmac) to the Roubaix thinks.

Having been cycling as a hobby for more than 20 years, it was one of a handful of bikes I have ridden that made be genuinely rethink what I thought I knew.

A flex stem wasn’t great compared to proper suspension fork. But it was faster than a not having one. Hide it in the bike at 200g and it does make you wonder

But then the video says something about 4,000% and I think really

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DslYAPIPAR0[/video]

That is horrible, somone shoot it.

I had a good look over one in the LBS on Saturday.

Just nasty. The “travel” on the stem feels notchy, cheap and nasty, and I can only imagine it being very off putting for out of saddle efforts. Should be able to get a demo on one soon, so will report back if I can bring myself to ride it.

The SWAT Box has me torn. While it’s uglier than my seatpost, it’s a very good idea in reality. A clever use of space to carry stuff you need, and to carry it low down, too. Clever. Ugly but clever. A bit like a CGR seatpost, then! 🙂

The “travel” on the stem feels notchy, cheap and nasty, and I can only imagine it being very off putting for out of saddle efforts.

Having ridden one (although not very far) that is definitely not the case. I was surprised as expected it to feel bouncy and horrid 🙂

The SWAT Box has me torn. While it’s uglier than my seatpost, it’s a very good idea in reality. A clever use of space to carry stuff you need, and to carry it low down, too.

You’d think they’d never heard of a Camelback 😉

I was blown away at how well it rides. It’s an incredible machine. My Diverge’s days are very much numbered.