Summary: 2009 Roubaix with 105.Great bike. Comfort all the time. Can ride in the drops for the first time without pain. Love the carbon seatpost that deflects most hits. Seat hurts a bit but has removed all numbness. Full shimano 105 group set! No substitutes by off brand companies.
Strengths: Upright all day comfort.
Weaknesses: Wheels. Broke 2 spokes after 200 miles. They break just where the it's cut for the threads. The rim does not allow the nipple to sit lined up with the spoke.
Similar Products Used: 5 or 6 road bikes, touring, and road racing.
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Favorite Ride: Arkansas River Trail and Big Dam Bridge
Bike Setup: Specialized FACT 9R carbon frame, Az1 construction with Zertz inserts;
Specialized FACT monocoque carbon fork, full carbon legs, crown and steerer with Zertz inserts; Ultegra SL brakes, derailleurs, shift levers, cassette/freewheel, chain; Speedplay X2 pedals; Ultegra SL wheels; Michelin Pro 3 tires.
Summary: This is a review of the 2009 Specialized Roubaix Expert Ultegra Triple (I also have a 2007 Roubaix Expert Compact Rival). I bought the bike on Martin Luther King Day and have put about 140 miles on it in the last month. It's a tremendous ride. The components - Ultegra SL groupset and wheels - are smooth. The frame - a FACT 9R carbon with Zertz inserts -- is supple, rigid and a joy to mount. The color scheme, gloss white and black lettering with the ice grey Ultegra components,is minimalist yet extremely eye-catching. The bike is fast, easy to maneuver, climbs hills with ease and gobbles up miles. The best part, though, is the lack of stress to your body. Even after a two-hour, 30-plus mile ride, you feel fine the rest of the day.
Strengths: Fact 9R carbon frame with Zertz inserts.
full Ultegra SL groupset.
Ultegra wheels.
Michelin Pro Race 3 tires.
Weaknesses: The Toupe Gel saddle is a bit stiff but I'm gradually getting used to it.
Similar Products Used: 2007 Specialized Roubaix Expert Compact Rival (I alternate that with the 2009 Expert Ultegra SL Triple).
2004 Specialized Allez Comp.
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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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