Bike Setup: Ful Carbon, Full Ultegra including wheel set, Specialized Proride tires.
Summary: Wow! I have waited until now to review this bike, and I can't believe how smooth
it rides. I'm not a racer or hammer head,
but I do club rides and t-shirt tours. This bike is heads above all others in it's class. I would encourage anyone who is in the market for a full carbon frame
and is willing to spend the extra cash, to seriously consider this bike. I replaced a Cannondale R-2000 Cad 9, full
Ultegra with Krysirum wheel set with this Roubaix with full Ultegra and it's
a difference in night and day. Test ride one and you'll see what I am talking about.
Strengths: Frame, Zerts inserts, weight, smoothness
of shifting gears, especially the Ultegra
componets.
Weaknesses: Only the saddle, I replaced with a Avitar
gel that I had on my Cannondale.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Six 13, R-2000, Giant TCR.
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Favorite Ride: Barton Park - Rolling hills with a view of Huron river
Bike Setup: Neuvation R28 Aero 4 wheelset
SRAM Force Groupo drivetrain
Profile Design Carbon Stryke aerobars
Speedplay Frogs
Summary: I am an entry level cyclist so I was very please by the weight of bike and the overall steering. The handlebars are upright than the more aggressive upper-end road bikes. This makes long rides easier on my back, again a plus for an entry level cyclist.
The saddle on the other hand, takes some getting used to. I haven't tried other saddles (for road bikes) so am not in a position to comment on its quality.
Other parts of the bike can really use some upgrade before you take the bike out of the shop. First and foremost, the hubs are horrible. After about a month of riding (and I don't ride very much), one of the spokes came out. Admittedly, I was riding freehanded and took a small fall at low speed, but I was annoyed by the fragility of the hub. What makes the matter worse is that I could not find any replacement spokes at the LBSs.
The rims are Mavic OpenSport, decent so far. But since
I am satisfied with the drivetrain but shifting down a chainring is often difficult and clumsy. More a problem with the Shimano 105 front derailleur than the bike itself.
In summary, it is definitely worth the price; but I would have appreciated more if Specialized used higher-quality hubs with easily replaceable parts.
Bike Setup: 2007 ROUBAIX EXPERT(FACT-AZ1), ULTEGRA COMPONENTS AND WHEELS, VITTORIA DIAMANTE CLINCHERS, FIZIK BLACK BUFFED MICROTEX BAR TAPE, ZIPP CARBON BAR ENDS, POLAR CS200cad COMPUTER.
Summary: Overall this a very sturdy frame and fork set-up. The roubaix expert for 2007 is constructed using a manufacturing process Specialized calls—FACT Az1(seamlessly joining carbon monocoque sections into a single chassis), making the frame extremely rigid and efficient. It is a very comfortable bike for long rides, over pothole riddled los angeles roads. The Shimano Ultegra components Work flawlessly(I did upgrade the 105 front derailleur to Ultegra). The LBS(Montrose Bike Shop) was helpful and very informative, which made it a much easier bike shopping experience and ultimately leading to buying a Specialized instead of Cervelo or Cannondale.
Weaknesses: Specialized specified all ultegra components, but did not delivered when they opted to substitute a shimano 105 front derailleur instead of an ultegra one. Also as previously mentioned the supplied Specialized Roubaix Pro tires suck!, mine had several slits and a couple of flats in the first few rides.
Similar Products Used: Tested: 2007 CERVELO SOLOIST TEAM and 2007 CANNONDALE SYSTEM 6.
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Bike Setup: All Shimano Ultegra 10 speed.
Specialized Seat, bars, steam.
Summary: The 2008 (Please update site options) Specialized Roubaix Expert Triple offers everything the long distance rider is looking for:Comfort, stability and handling and light weight. This bike is designed for people like me (51) who want to keep riding 500 mile rides, do time in the pace-line and still feel good the next day. I fell in love with the bike after the first 100 miles. Chose the triple over the compact to protect the knees. Glad I did. Shifting, after some on-the-road tweaking is crisp and smooth.
Strengths: Frame: Fact 8r is stiff, yet very comfortable. Some call this category "Plush" I call it about time somebody built a bike for the over 20 something crowd.Oversized bars with gel strips under the bar tape a real plus.
Weaknesses: Tires: Cheap Specialized branded tires are a waist of good landfill.
Similar Products Used: Giant TCR
Cannonade Synapse
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Bike Setup: Stock '06 Roubaix Expert (53x39x30t) silver/carbon, new Durace derailleurs, toupe saddle and Michelein Pros.
Summary: When the going gets wierd this bike encourages me along like a big brother. Very comfortable, responsive, fast and stable. Had some steel old school road bikes (Kalkoff & Royce Union) and in searching for a more current model I tried Giant, Trek, and a Specialized Roubaix Elite (an'05 which really felt great) which made me put money down on a new one. When the '07 arrived, I got on for the test ride and it felt like a dog! I figured this would somehow change with familiarity, but it never did and I happily traded in on this '06 Expert - what a difference! It has that snap! I also love the older paint job that doesn't camoflage the shape of the tubes so you can enjoy the actual bike profile. I've upgraded to Durace f&r derailleurs, toupe saddle and Michilein pro tires. Weather providing I usually do 30 miles 3 days/wk and I'll swear this bike makes me feel 45 in those last 8 miles (I'm 69). Love the bike.
Strengths: As advertised, it makes it easier to go faster and longer. Easy and Comfortable in drop position (lungs don't feel constricted).
Deceptively smooth and stable - doesn't feel like you are going as fast as you actually are! (I trade off riding a 10 mile course with an Allez Expert which always feels like I'm flying - the times over course are nearly always the same!)
Weaknesses: I find all sorts of weaknesses in older and newer Roubaix Experts but with the upgradee on mine I currently find no weaknesses.
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