Fred or race geometry?

I don't know the geometry. I just got a look, but I would say it is less Fred than the old one. The head tube wasn't as long, though the telescoping steer tube probably adds some height.

That zertz bullshit always kept me away from what could be a fantastic bike. Basically a Tarmac with more clearance.

Would love to see a new version.

Basically I see the big S moving to a world with 2 race bikes. Roubaix (disc) and Venge(disc?). While the Tarmac may be the best bike in their lineup today, it isn't aero and it can't do wide tires.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Hmm. The Roubaix is Specialized's best-selling bike not becomes it's compliant over cobbles or other rough stuff, but because it has a more relaxed geometry for your typical middle-aged weekend warrior. So if the new Roubaix has both a more aggressive geometry and damping explicitly intended for cobble-like conditions, what does the weekend warrior looking for a road bike, but minus the racy geometry of the Tarmac, end up riding?

A fatbike

Hey, if Specialized doesn't want to sell all those people road bikes with slightly more relaxed geometries anymore, I'm sure other bike companies will be happy to take those sales from them. I wonder why Specialized doesn't do like Trek and develop more and less racy geometries for the same lines of bikes?

http://www.bikerumor.com/

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My TT bike
BMC TM01

http://www.bikeradar.com/...x-2017-review-50696/

More here. Quite interesting.

Pre production media bike looks hot

Customer versions look much less nice !

Are they even same bike?
TT slope is very different

The rear triangle is dramatically different. Perhaps they were going for relaxed after all.

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

No Zertz on the new bike.But disc brakes unfortunately.

http://www.bikerumor.com/...flanders-to-roubaix/

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

One of the ugliest bicycles I have seen announced in recently. I would ride a Ventum before I rode one of these.

Full disclosure, I work for a Specialized retailer. So to answer your question, Specialized Diverge Carbon. Ever since that one came out we tend to sell it over the Roubaix for the weekend century crowd.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

I'd like to try it out.

I also wonder what it'd be like to try that spring system on a TT bike.

Doesn't look good to me. But I have a domane team edition which is a seriously fast gravel bike that is also a fast race bike, so I am biased.

Fabian Cancellara sure made that gravel bike go fast on pavement! I love the new Venge and I am an aero weenie above all else, but the Madone with the seat damper sure is appealing. I am getting too old and frost cracks and chip-seal seem to get more punishing every year.

How different is this from the other Roubaix's?

Very cool!

The real question is can you fit 33-34mm cross tires on it? If so then this is a really good move as you could have a great gravel/road bike for training, with slightly compromised geometry ( essentially cross geometry as seen on their Crux). The problem is you have bikes like the open UP and 3T exploro which can easily handle cross tires but have better geometries, even some race specific cross bikes like the Niner have better stack/reach numbers than the Roubaix.

In general i will be either buying a Niner cross bike or the Open Up as they do the same thing but can accept tires up to 40mm and have stack/reach numbers much closer to my Venge. Honestly i am not sure what specialized has been doing lately, pushing the VIAS disc brake model with little to no demand for such a bike (have not seen one yet at a road race this year). Then dropping the high end Allez sprint options, which in my opinion were some really nice bikes, followed by bring discs to the Tarmac, again why when you have the disc Roubaix? Finally, in peak cross season their Crux offerings this year are incredibly weak and not competitively priced.

Thank you for putting something into words that I have been struggling to wrap my mind around. I tried to hold off on buying a new road bike until this whole disc vs rim brakes thing shook out. Ended up buying an Emonda frame on the ST classifieds and I'm very happy with it. Fits tires up to a true 30mm and has rim brakes.

These "endurance" bikes that every brand has had for the last few years should all be dead now that we "know" that frame layup, vertical compliance, etc is all bullshit and if you want a comfy ride on the road, run 28mm tires at 60psi.

So the logic is that if you are going to have only one road bike it should be an Up/Exploro or whatever "gravel" bike gives you the most flexibility to choose the right tires for what you are riding.

If the new generation of rim-brake road bikes can fit 30mm tires, what does a disc-brake road bike that can fit 32's do for me? Not much.

If I'm going disc, might as well be able to ride some 40mm WTB Nanos (or a proper mtb tire on a 650b rim) and have some real fun.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Bingo, just get the cross/gravel specific bike, i can already ride 28mm tires on my Venge, so what is the point of the Roubaix? The Roubaix is worse than getting a Crux, at least on the Crux you can slam the stem :)

Man, you are just unreal... Sometimes I think you say things just to see how people respond.

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Colorado Triathlon Company, CO2UT 2021, Crooked Gravel 2022, Steamboat Gravel 2022