Combination of comfort and responsiveness, rare in any bike. Dual bearing sized headtube design is especially stout for smooth tracking and variety of riding positions. Good clearance for over 23mm tires. Internal cabling eases cleaning the frame members.

It is so comfortable that you might forget to vary your arm/back positions on long rides. Some consider internal cabling a drawback, I do not so far. Screwed-in Zertz looks odd, but does the job. My particular scheme has bright stripes on top tube "deck," annoying until I put a frame bag over part of it.

Caveat: I have never paid full-price for any S-Works frame, or ever bought a complete bike. My Value Rating is somewhat meaningless.
I was sold on the Specialized Roubaix concept from the alloy Elite model I bought in 2005. I later rode a "used" 2007 carbon SL compact version from 2009 until I retired it in Aug 2016, when I purchased my used “paint demo sample” off of eBay, I have not quite 1500 miles on it so far. I only retired my 2007 SL out of concern for some slight creaks that were getting harder to pin down, and after an early crash at about 2000 miles in, I figured that I was pushing my luck at 15,000 additional miles on a "used" frame. But I could still ride that frame today, had I not transferred all of my klediments to the SL3 (except for the required non-clamp derail.)
For me, the Roubaix SL3 outfperforms any competitors (copycats) for the combination of compliance and stiffness where they need to be. Pinarello and Bianchi have come close, but a Bianchi with countervail was the only model that I short-listed for comparable comfort.
I no longer make the long rides that I used to, but I still appreciate the comfort level for the conditions of road that I face out in the country. With carbon S-Works bars and 25mm tires on “wide” rims, I admit to preferring a Buick LeSabre over a sports car, but there is nothing stodgy about the handling of the Roubaix, it is simply a smidge more “tolerant” than the Tarmac or any shorter-wheelbased racers, where a sneeze might throw one off the road. And Tom Boonen seems to have not been held back by performance issues on this model. The headtube construction leads to precise tracking while allowing for a more upright position, making sharing trails and riding non-competitive-level group rides more safe, especially on long descents. If the chainrings on the Specialized “modulus” for the compact version are as well-made as the 2007...I put over 17,000 on my 2007 and it outlasted more than a couple of cassettes. I have been perfectly happy with the S-works seatpost as pictured here. I would like to test the cobl-gblr post, but it has lacked the power to make me care enough to pay the price. I am not sure I can follow Spec into the SL4 and beyond, since this model is perfection for me.

Much has been made lately of the disadvantages of internal cabling, and all I can say is: if every other consideration of design meets your requirements, do not avoid a model with internal cabling unless you can get comparable price/performance somewhere else. I cannot.

Similar Products Used:

1972 Motobecane Gran Touring (first bike), 2015 Bianchi Ultimo, Pinarello Kobh

- Handling
- Compliance
- Tall Head Tube
- Lifetime warranty

- None I can find.

Very easy to handle relative to standard geometries. This tends to become more important, the more tired one becomes (like descending at the end of long rides with a bunch of climbing). Race bikes are, for me, kind of twitchy. Nothing of the sort here, just smooth and easy steering with the longer wheelbase.

The longer head tube means that you don't have to stretch out, and makes riding in the drops much more accessible (especially with shallow drop bars).

If you're looking for an endurance bike, I can find no fault with the S-Works Roubaix SL3.

PS...I had an SL2, but heard a slight noise when going over bumps. Sent the frame to Specialized and they warrantied me a new SL3.

Similar Products Used:

Trek Madone, BMC Team and ProMachine

Long wheelbase. Stiff mainframe. Fork/seat stay engineering.

Rear seat stays look a little odd.

I did not set out to buy a Roubaix, as I have always ridden straight race bikes. Plus I heard that the Roubaix was a little slow to respond to rider input and also not as responsive to pedal input. But I wanted a change so went for it anyway. After logging 2000klm on the Roubaix, I have to admit that I really like the way it rides. The taller front end means on standing climbs you can stretch out a lot more and loosen up compared to a standard race bike, also it means you get into the drops a lot more on the flat or descents. I cannot detect ANY lack of responsiveness, this bikes mainframe and seatstays are rock solid and put everything into forward movement. The handling is secure and it tracks really well. From my first ride I noticed that I crested and rolled over the top of climbs with a lot more speed than other bikes, maybe it is the longer wheelbase, not sure, but I really enjoy punching it over the top of climbs any chance I get. I tested a BMC granfondo as well, it felt similar to the Roubaix, but it just didn't grab me like the Roubaix....each to there own.

Similar Products Used:

Cannondale Supersix, Merlin Extralite, Serotta Ottrot.