New Specialized Roubaix with suspension - who's interested ?

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Globalti

Legendary Member
My 2014 Roubaix SL4 is, for me, the perfect compromise between comfort and stiffness and I find it fine for 100 mile rides although the zertz inserts don't do anything, I'm sure.

My next general purpose bike was going to be another Roubaix but with discs but now, having seen what Specialized have done with the steerer and seatpost I'm not so sure. My main objection is that these things may work fine in sunny dry California but what happens when they get into wet and gritty Britain? Years ago I bought a USE suspension seatpost for my mountain bike but after a few rides it siezed, wrecked by Lancashire grit getting inside the seal as muddy water dribbled down the seatpost.

Thoughts?
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Despite being the combined efforts of Spesh and McLaren, the suspension seems to be no more than a coil spring under the handlebars.

There's not much to go wrong, and I suppose a road bike doesn't get a lot of mud and grit in that area.

I've no idea if it does what Spesh claim, but it seems likely to me it will function reliably.

https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/roubaix
 

T4tomo

Legendary Member
Lefty fork, the height of uglyness, coupled with small wheel, big tyres to enhance that munterness. I'm out.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
Back to the op. I can see the roubaix concept becoming popular if they start fitting it to lower cost bikes.

As someone with a bit of joint pain in the elbows I would certainly be interested in trialling the suspension headtube .

It would be interesting to hear Mike Lanes take on it.He does massive mileage on a roubaix(audax annual points winner at least once) .I know he has some type of seatpost suspension fitted.
 
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Despite being the combined efforts of Spesh and McLaren, the suspension seems to be no more than a coil spring under the handlebars.

There's not much to go wrong, and I suppose a road bike doesn't get a lot of mud and grit in that area.

I've no idea if it does what Spesh claim, but it seems likely to me it will function reliably.

https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/roubaix

Indeed so, it seems a bit of a marketing triumph to me, I mean anyone could whack a spring into a tube, call it hi tech and give it endorsements and you can add several hundred quid to the price of a bike.

I think it's bollox, looks stupid ugly and doesn't do anything your wrists and elbows can't do better.
 

mustang1

Legendary Member
Location
London, UK
I'm waiting for Ferrari to bring out a diesel engine.
 
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