New commuter road bike

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Hey, recently started commuting to work by cycle and was looking to upgrade from my 10 yo Apollo XC26. From the research I have done seems to be a number of things to look out for but been fairly difficult to know where to prioritise (e.g hydraulic discs or better tyres etc). Have a budget of around 1.5k which I'm happy to use 'as an investment', obviously anything I buy for this price is going to be a world apart from the old bike but wanted to get some advice in terms of value for money and upgradeability.

Been looking at the 2019 Specialized Roubaix Sport Disc, specs pasted below. Any advice would be great or suggestions for other bikes. Thanks!

FrameSpecialized FACT 9r carbon, Endurance Geometry, Rider-First Engineered™, 12x142mm thru-axle, Future Shock suspension, 20mm of travel, flat-mount disc brakes
ForkSpecialized FACT carbon, 12x100mm thru-axle
Front DerailleurShimano 105
Rear DerailleurShimano 105, 11-speed
Number of Gears22
ShiftersShimano 105 R7020 hydraulic disc
Chain setPraxis Alba M30, PF30 50/34T
Bottom BracketPraxis, external bearings, threaded, 68mm
CassetteShimano 105, 11-speed, 11-34t
ChainKMC X10 Extra Lightweight, 11-speed
PedalsSupplied
BrakesetShimano 105, hydraulic disc
HandlebarsSpecialized Comp Hover Bar, 6061 alloy, 125x75mm w/ Di2 hole
StemSpecialized, 3D-forged alloy, 4-bolt, 7-degree rise
Bar TapeS-Wrap Roubaix w/ sticky gel
WheelsetDT R470 Disc, sealed cartridge hubs, 14g spokes, 24h
TyresTurbo Pro, 700x28mm
SaddleBody Geometry Phenom Comp, Adaptive Edge design, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm
SeatpostCarbon, single-bolt, 30.9mm
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Hello and welcome to the forum.
You can of course commute on any bike but you might consider a few things. If you're riding in all weathers can it take mudguards? If you want to carry stuff does it has fittings to attach a rack? Will the tyres be wide enough to give you a comfortable ride over potholed roads and do they have good puncture resistance?
I'd say the Roubaix above might struggle with most of those.
Is your commute hilly? Do you need all those gears?
Disc brakes are pretty much standard on most new bikes now apart from the most basic models now but better hydraulic ones might be preferable.
I should go and try a few bikes and see what you feel comfortable on.
Good luck.
 
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rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
It will work as a commuter, however will not take a rack or permanent mudguards. But neither of my bikes have a rack or permanent mudguards and I use them both for commuting and leisure. I have clip on (sks raceblade xl) mudguards that I use on my winter bike (and generally take off in the summer when its primary use is gravel and trails).
Nothing wrong with shimano 105 hydraulic discs. Mine are tiagra hydraulics and are great in the wet.
Try it out if you can before buying to make sure you actually like the ride
 

vickster

Legendary Member
How far is the commute? How much and what will you need to carry?

I don’t think fixing racks to a carbon frame is usually feasible or advisable. Seat post racks exist but they are a compromise
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
As per @Cycleops , you can commute on pretty much anything. I used to exclude unicycles, until I saw this:
Unicycling.jpg

I spent the first few years of my commuting life on a Specialized Allez - race geometry with 23mm tyres, and only Crudcatcher mudguards as a concession to practicalities. If you only have one bike, get a bike you love and use it for commuting.

After 10 years of experience, I would recommend the following:
1) Mudguards. Otherwise you will get very cold, wet and dirty on bad days.
2) Disc brakes. Just nice to have something where stopping distance isn't affected by weather

If you are looking at a dedicated commuter bike, then something you don't mind getting wet and dirty and leaving in the shed, rather than lovingly cleaning and drying after a horrible dark commute. Racks or rack mounts give you the option of panniers, but also allow you to carry other luggage (I use a cardboard box held on by bungee cords) for bigger and heavier stuff.
 
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Thanks for the advice all.

@Cycleops / @vickster should be fine on the carrying front as I prefer to have a backpack which I currently use and works well for me. The roads are fairly decent so potholes shouldn't be too much of an issue I hope (at least from current experience). Wrt mudguards, was planning on just getting a pair of clip on one's like I have now and using when needed.

For the gears wanted something that would work for a variety of uses if I do end up cycling more in spare time and wasn't keen on spending more on a bike after this one. Had tried a Roubaix a while ago and quite liked it, tried some Cannondales etc too but didn't notice too much difference - in the end I just looked for a decent deal and this once came up for around the 1.5k mark. I'll do the test ride too just to make sure it feels right. Does this seem reasonable for specs and price point?

@rivers / @BrumJim cheers for the advice, will keep in mind
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Spec looks fine for riding in hilly terrain. For commuting, you may want a more puncture resistant tyre. It has hydraulic disc brakes in the spec so not sure what that discussion was about
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Have you got somewhere safe at work to store a £1.5K bike and components? In your shoes, I would get a cheap(ish) bike for commuting and if you really enjoy it a different bike for leisure.

I have a full stable of bikes, but I commute on a battered Croix de Fer with mudguards, rack and dynamo. It gets cleaned by puddles or every couple of months by hand when it gets too heavy with mud, but it is well maintained. I would not put my fancy carbon bikes through nasty winter commuting, it would become too expensive to maintain. In summer however, I do often go the long way round to work (50 miles sometimes) on my posh bikes.
 
@Cycleops good point, although usually shower and change so shouldnt be too bad

@vickster no laptop just clothes / shoes in the bag, maybe that could help break the fall... And yep, will look into another set of tyres, believe the bike can take slightly wider tires which I'm happy to tradeoff for the comfort

@Milkfloat just wanted the one bike, the commute is fairly nice so bike shouldn't get too damaged from use and secure cycle storage. But appreciate the advice
 

Gekko21

Regular
Here's my twopenneth as someone who upgraded from an old Specialized Crosstrail to a Planet X London Road last year.

Your needs may change over time, so I'd suggest getting the most versatile bike you can. I used to use a rucksack and was happy with that even in the summer. However, I do a lot of other exercise and got injured late last year. That made me reconsider whether cycling with a rucksack every day was a contributing factor. At Christmas, I treated myself to a rack and panniers and it's been a revelation in terms of how much freer I feel when I'm riding. Also, I don't worry so much now about taking extra weight on - clothes for the office, lunch, my laptop etc.. You might get a new job in a different part of town or move house extending your commute, so personally I wouldn't limit myself by buying a bike that can't takes muds or a rack, especially if you are thinking of putting down £1.5K for it.
 
Here's my twopenneth as someone who upgraded from an old Specialized Crosstrail to a Planet X London Road last year.

Your needs may change over time, so I'd suggest getting the most versatile bike you can. I used to use a rucksack and was happy with that even in the summer. However, I do a lot of other exercise and got injured late last year. That made me reconsider whether cycling with a rucksack every day was a contributing factor. At Christmas, I treated myself to a rack and panniers and it's been a revelation in terms of how much freer I feel when I'm riding. Also, I don't worry so much now about taking extra weight on - clothes for the office, lunch, my laptop etc.. You might get a new job in a different part of town or move house extending your commute, so personally I wouldn't limit myself by buying a bike that can't takes muds or a rack, especially if you are thinking of putting down £1.5K for it.
That's a good point actually, hadn't thought of that. I'll look into that more though, cheers!
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
The Roubaix is designed - if you believe the marketing - for the race after which it is named.

The so called Hell of the North, famous for its dirt tracks and cobbles.

This means it ought to be tough enough for a commute.

Equally, Paris Roubaix riders don't carry luggage.

A backpack containing only soft items isn't much of a risk in the event of a fall, but the lump on your back can still cause you to pivot as you hit the ground, leading to possible neck and back injuries.
 
@Pale Rider that was part of the reason I figured it could take the fairly smooth commute I have.

The Roubaix was on sale - about £1k off. In general do people know if there are many bike sales in a year? Understand previous year models are discounted but ideally wouldn't wait for next year.
 
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