It's the most relaxed bicycle in their road lineup. It certainly wouldn't be my first choice for crits, but I'd happily commute on it.

Also, the Roubaix is not the same as Fauxbaix that Boonen and others ride, just as the Domane and Domane SLR differ. The geometry and headtube are completely different.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

The sprinting doesn't impact the Future shock, but it does take a minute to get used to. I was skeptical at first but after a bit of time you forget its there. Descending is actually the best part about the bike. It holds great traction and you can rip corners.

If youre trying to do a mountain top KOM sprint, it can handle it but its not the weapon of choice.

For a Crit, comfort and endurance isnt usually the target, but its a race geo and a light frame. Maybe not the #1 choice but a great platform.

I suggest you demo one but consider what I said above...It feels strange at first but you really will forget about it after a few rides.

Thanks. I should have stated that I do a lot less racing now than I used to and this bike will be primarily a fast group ride bike along with a solo trainer during the summer. I still throw the bike around and ride really hard at times in close quarters with other riders and I didn't want a bike that feels like a beach cruiser. The problem is as I get older the local roads seem to get rougher and I was looking for a way to "pussy out" on ride comfort without giving up much performance and handling.

Any idea if a C1 will bolt onto this thing without changing the crank? That will be the first question I ask at the LBS if I decide to go with this bike.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

The cranks on the Expert Ultegra UDi2 are Ultegra, so the C1 won't bolt up.
I have ridden the new Roubaix. I was surprised just how easily it was to compress the fork, even in the firm setting.
It was not to my liking. I must admit aesthetically, it did not appeal either which may have contributed to my feelings.

I was in a similar spot a year ago with what I was looking for in a new road bike with respect to comfort on rough roads.
I bought a titanium bike and like it more than my carbon bikes.
If, however, you really like the Roubaix Expert UDi2, the cranks can be swapped to accommodate the C1 you have.

The new Roubaix with the Future Shock looks intriguing to me as well. One thing that would concern me about being an early adopter, however, is the proprietary nature of some of the components, including the headset bearings. The Roubaix has been a big seller for Specialized, and hints have been dropped that this is just the beginning for Future Shock so it's likely that parts availability won't be an issue. But if, for some reason, Future Shock isn't accepted by the market and Specialized lets it fade away, you could have a orphan bike that's difficult to maintain in the future.

Have you seen the RedShift ShockStop Stem? Seems to offer a lot of the same benefit of Future Shock, can be used on virtually any bike, and only costs $139. If there's a problem with it, you can swap back to a conventional stem in ~5 minutes.

I'm planning on replacing my road bike this spring. Unfortunately, the new Roubaix is outside the budget parameters so I'm going to have to go with something more conventional. Once I have the fit dialed in, and therefore certain of what stem length I need, I'm gonna give the ShockStop a try.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

The bike is very much a race bike with added comfort. It is not a suspension...It moves but in a pretty quiet way. It takes some getting used to but The weight and the look would be the only reasons to not consider. Not because of bobbing, or stiffness, etc...unless you're at the sharp end of the stick

As for the Powertap C1, no it will not fit. It doesnt fit a lot of shimano due to 4bolt asymmetric Spiders now. Here is a detailed list of compatibility: https://www.powertap.com/...nk-compatibility.pdf