To me, this is a stranger decision than any tire width questions. 50/34t max limits a lot of people who would consider this, myself included. I have a Crux, which officially doesn’t support a 50/34 but it fits fine. So I’m guessing you could squeeze a 52/36 on the Roubaix. But like you said, this will never see the pro peloton with the officially supported gearing. I am curious if they’re going to do another Team edition frameset. Racier geo, no extra mounts, larger gearing options.
The only person in the pro peloton, AFAIK, that was still using the Roubaix (for said named event) was Sagan. Seeing as how he is moving on to MTB next year, I don’t think this is a concern for Specialized.
In general, I think suppliers will do well to stop thinking about whether every bike will be used in the pro peloton. Most consumers are oblivious to this……design bikes for a specific purpose and don’t worry about UCI design requirements.
Specialized did this with great success for the Aethos and, IMO, they could do the same with a new Venge. Go all-out aero and don’t worry if a pro team uses it. The aero geeks will buy it regardless, just like the weight weenies did with the Aethos.
I agree with that. But my point about gearing still stands. One of the most common complaints I’ve read about the Crux is lack of normal 2x gearing options. And I would imagine that there are a lot of people who want more than a 50/34. Even if it’s never meant to be in the pro peloton, limiting your gearing options is going to put people off.
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I think for the majority of people looking for a endurance / all-road type bike, a 50/34 is sufficient. Some will want a 52/36 certainly, but for most use cases, the 50/34 should work.
I assume the gearing limit was a tradeoff for other concerns, likely tire clearance.
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Please correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t all Pro Sram sponsored teams running a 50/34 - 10/28 on their road bikes?
I have no idea, but if so… keep in mind that is a 50/34 with that SRAM AXS cassette. I’d wager that most discussing this gearing are thinking of “the good ol’ days” where a 50/34 crank went with an 11-28 cassette like Shimano still offers and SRAM used to before all the AXS and new gearing they now make standard.
In the case of a few SL8’s I checked:
- Shimano are 50/34 + 11-36 (Comp & Sport).
- SRAM 2x are 46/33 + 10-36 (Pro) or 10-33 (S-Works).
- Different path to a similar but still different range.
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Thanks Chad!
I guess I was just stabbing in the air saying that if the current WT pros are using a 50/34 - 10-28 than the enthusiast will be fine with a max gear choice of a 50T.
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I know the “10t” is inefficient, but it does provide top gearing similar to a 54x11 but has lots of benefits in every gear but the 10T
50x10
54x11
For Roubaix, which the Roubaix bases the marketing story around, many Pros run 54t+ rings. SRAM makes big “pro rings” for these days. The pros would gear for efficiency and reliability (meaning not counting the 10t in the gearing plan)
I assume SRAM wants at least one pro on their Roubaix for Roubaix. In the past Sagan got a FutureShock spacer
50/34 is fine if you’re running the 10t cog (50-10). 50-11 is a different story. Hence why a 52/36 would be a very welcome option.
Who is the intended market for this bike? Flat Gran Fondo riders who occasionally travel on tame-ish off road? Casual group riders with sore joints?
I don’t mean that as disparaging at all. I am middle age and nowhere near peak fitness, but I have no interest in this bike. Why? If I am honest I just don’t like the looks of it. Add to that weight, and the futureshock. And the price.
I doubt that
Could be someone who wants a bike that is a bit racy (improved aero design), but can’t cope with the typical race geo from a Tarmac. Quick check shows Stack height could be around 50mm different between similar sized Tarmac vs Roubaix. In tandem with that is a tad more stable geometry that may eliminate toe overlap in some case.
All that geo consideration is in total ignorance of the potential comfort differences that may matter a lot to people with certain road conditions and/or physical demands that a Tarmac or similar won’t address.
Jumping to a Diverge comparison swings a bit the other way with the Roubaix having more road bike handling vs the dirt focus on the Diverge.
This all is splitting hairs to a degree, but are ways to legitimately separate these very close model specs in some areas (tire size for one).
I’ve done a bunch of fondos and charity rides, so I’ve seen many Roubaix (Roubaixes?) out there. My anecdotal data suggests these are popular with folks in their 50s-60s who want to be comfortable and reasonably fast. I’m sure Specialized can sell a bunch to folks who want to do fondos and dabble in rides like BWR/SBT GRVL etc.
Just my observations as a 41 year old (does that make me middle aged 
) Roubaix owner, who likes being comfortable and reasonably fast 
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Roubaix was my first bike purchase a few years ago when I was 36. The wider tire clearance (at the time) and comfort aspect was a selling point and I wasn’t sure where riding would take me next. The future shock has needed no maintenance and the seatpost wedge can be tightened using any wrench.
It was race-y enough to let me grow into fast group rides (+ a few crits) and if I wanted to venture out to smooth gravel I could use the same bike. I even messed around on some single track in New York recently on it. The future shock absorbed most of the bad road nonsense that is just common on most rides. My pandemic purchase bike will always have a special place in my heart.
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yes, not everyone wants to ride for 5+ hours on a race bike. And I’ve got twenty years on you. It has taken me 2 years to get ‘comfortable’ with my Tarmac SL7 and it is far more punishing than the Trek Domane it replaced. I’ve done bigger climbing rides on the Domane, and much longer rides too.
the struggle is real!!!
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Roubaix is probably perfect bike for most of riders, but in cycling it’s constant struggle between bike you want and you need. I know I would not fit tarmac without spacers and my body does not fit long and low racing bike. Roubaix and Diverge have a way better geometry for most people who are not 2X years old, 6X kg weight with great flexibility putting 300W in their Z2. So despite not being particularly sexy I would say (along diverge) it would be my resonable choice from Specialized.
Fortunately they are so expensive that for me it’s the same debate if I would like to own residence somewhere in Switzerland or Tuscany 
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This sums it up very well…at least from my experience and talking to/seeing people in charity rides/fondos. I’ve run across plenty of folks who got a “race bike” but have a positive angle stem because the stack is too low and mash up hills because the 52/36 with 11-30 cassette just isn’t cutting it.
You can go plenty fast on a Roubaix. It’s supposedly more aero than a Tarmac SL6 (per Specialized), you can get the front reasonably low if you get a negative stem and ditch the riser bars, but it does cost you a bit of weight compared to a Tarmac. But man is it comfy after 5, 6 or 7 hours 
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This is my current thinking - comfort as a base of riding. I will never win any race in my life and local KOM is my best bet for glory.
I love looking at all racing bikes and reading about them, but in the end most of my rides will be fairly long and fairly calm, so at least they can be comfortable. Yes, I am getting older.
I do not say nobody should buy a racing bike (or rather bike with racing geometry), but some people just do not fit the mold of a racer. Personally I am happy that not every bike is top of the range, racing bike.
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