# Newbie - Tarmac or Roubaix question



## new2tri (Apr 27, 2007)

Hi

Good day!

I am a regular visitor to this forum, and did so as a guest. Always felt it is an excellent forum for Specialized droolers or owners. Thanks for your participation. 

Now that I have a question of my own and would like your suggestions. So, here comes my first post. With background info, it has become a bit long - thanks for your time and inputs. 

Background 
am 31, road biking noob, trying to get back into cycling after a long pause and back discomfort. have prior biking experience on mountain bikes, though no road biking. 
primary interest in road biking - to avoid stressing my back on mtbs and trails; to get fit and do a triathlon this year. 
current level of fitness - average. 
a specialized fan since a test ride on a Roubaix comp last November. 
have taken a few test rides on Pilots, Giant, Specialized. 

Reason for considering a) mid range, b) new / almost new bike, c) carbon: 
a) am a firm believer in buying it good and crying once strategy (i.e., while paying for it). looking at minimum of 105 gruppo (noticed an extra couple hundred bucks typically gets an ultegra gruppo, and am not complaining about the buttery smooth shifts  ). 
b) Not comfortable with: buying a used cheapo; swapping it for better one down the line. As I said above - don't mind spending a bit more upfront to get a good bike that i can relate with. However, open for suggestions on buying good quality used bikes.
c) Carbon - smoother than aluminum on my back. Quite a bit of difference may be becoz am a noob.

Many LBS I checked out have said.. "get a relaxed geometry bike like roubaix, get used to riding, then you can set Roubaix for races / buy a Tarmac once you get more nimble". As I said before, I cannot afford to have multiple bikes, and dont like to take a loss on selling my used bikes. I want to buy one bike that will work for me. I have even been suggested a tricross (I felt lot more realxed on the tricross though. almost like mtb, though sluggish than roubaix. but not sure if it will keep me happy in long run).

I checked out a LBS yesterday, and the salesperson said 'while relaxed geometry is a good marketing strategy, an experienced pro can take any modern road bike and make it fit like a 'relaxed geometry' bike'. so I ended up test riding a Tarmac Expert size 56 bike. (reason: Coolness factor. i know, its not good, but i wanted to see if he really meant it). He had to extend the seat height to accomodate my 'extra lengthy legs' and swap the stem to raise the handle bar. But the short test ride was awesome - zippy and stable, and i did not feel the pressure on my back. I am going back soon to take a longer test ride to make sure it really is good on my back.

Now, for the question:
Is that sales person correct - can any road bike be modified to mimic the relaxed geometry. i.e., Can a Tarmac be fiitted to feel like a Roubaix, and let me take long rides like a Roubaix. 
(I know my core fitness is a factor here, and I am working on it.. PS - I did some searching and found about the French Fit on CompetitiveCyclist website. Not sure if that guy was talking about the same thing. He did tell me that I may want to upsize and try a 58 Tarmac..).

Or is it the coolness factor of Tarmac blinding my rational thinking (which means, i will cry later). In other words, should I just focus on 'function' and not 'form', and look at a relaxed bike 'to begin with' (and.. get used to the fact that i may end up with multiple bikes and depreciation/losses).

Any and all suggestions welcome. Again, thanks for your time and inputs.

Cheers
A.


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## Stratmosphere (Feb 28, 2007)

Umm, the sales guy is wrong. No matter what you do the Tarmac will be lower in the front than any Roubaix all things being equal. I would have loved the Tarmac but the front ends are like 15mm lower and the forks are usually cut short on all bikes so spacers are limited. Super hi-rise stems are possible. I would rather own the Roubaix, and take ALL the spacers out when I want to get low. The Tarmac is too limiting.

When you upsize, in general, you get a taller head tube. But more top tube. So to get upright you could do just that with a shorter stem and shorter reach/drop bars.

I like the Tarmac better myself but I couldn't buy it.I would buy the new Roubaix version or the new Tarmac version. Not the old frame versions that they still offer as 2007. Fits in with the buy good cry once strategy.


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## beer weasel (Jan 23, 2007)

You sound like me a year ago. Had mtb'ed a long time, but never ridden road. I also have a lower back injury from a car wreck years ago. I test rode both the tarmac and roubaix. The tarmac does have the coolness factor,but the roubaix is so comfy and not slow or heavy by any means. I got the roubaix comp, which sounds like it or the expert would be what your looking for. 105/ultegra and carbon.

IMO, there is nothing worse than that constaint annoying back pain on a long ride. Hard to enjoy the coolness factor if your back is hurting. Just my opinion. Roubaix!


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## sbthaut (Apr 17, 2007)

My two bits are as follows: Last year I sold my 04 Cannondale Six13, a comfortable but rather aggressive race bike. I loved it for the short 20 mile jaunts, but anything above 50 miles is just painful. I am 28, but I know I will never be racing competitively, so I am content looking like a poser in my team issued bibshorts and jersey and enjoying myself on the road. I find the long century rides on Saturday to be so much more rewarding then the short sprints up the canyon. The Roubaix is comfortable but not what I would consider unworthy of sprints and tears down the decline. It is however much more compliant when you are on the road for extended periods of time. Go with the Roubaix, you wont be sorry!


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## Stratmosphere (Feb 28, 2007)

By the way, I own an '07 Roubaix Expert Rival/Compact and an '07 Orbea Orca. The Roubaix has a better ride than the Orca, but Specialized is cheating a bit. They have these massive tires on the bike. If the tires were the same, it would be an interesting comparison. The Roubaix is rock steady down hills, the Orca has given me some wobbly stuff at speed. -P


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## allison (Apr 19, 2006)

I'd still say it highly depends on the kind of riding you want to do. If you want to be really competitive at tri's, you may want to go for the Tarmac. 

To be honest, though, I think the 07 Roubaix Comp (carbon/red) and the Roubaix Expert (red/white) are bling looking also, and the Expert is pretty sexy. The Expert even comes with SRAM rival components. 

If you're comfortable enough on the Tarmac and it makes you want to ride, go for it. If you think you may get into century rides, though, definitely consider the Roubaix. You can get it to be more agressive, but it'll probably never sprint like the Tarmac (due to its longer wheelbase, etc).

FWIW, I own the Roubaix Expert, but got it for commuting and all-day road rides. No intention of road racing.


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## larrytx01 (Mar 6, 2006)

Just bought the 07 Roubaix Expert Compact Rival last week and I have already logged over 130 miles on it without any complaints. Rides include Sunday morning rides in inner city to open country roads. The ride is by far the best and smoothest high performance bike I have ridden. One thing about the tires, they are both fat and slow. You can turn on a dime with them, but I replaced them with Vittoria Rubino Pros and gained 1-2 mph right away. Going to the Vittorias did not diminish the smooth factor much at all. One other upgrade was to get a carbon FSA wing handlebar wth some neat Cinellii colored tape to replace the original white tape that gets dirty almost immediately. Overall, a fantastic bike at a decent price point plus the Rivals are a good conversation starter at the bike club.


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## new2tri (Apr 27, 2007)

*Thanks for your responses...*

Thank you all very much for your time and responses. Really appreciate it.

Over the weekend, I spent some time to research what the different numbers on the geometry chart means, and how it differentiates the two bikes. It is not just the head tube or the handle bar position w.r.t seat. The Tarmac has shorter wheelbase, and many other characteristics differ from a Roubaix. Now, I can understand better when people talk about geometry contributing to the Tarmac's zippy ride vs. Roubaix's relaxed ride. 

It is also interesting that 3 of the 6 responses talks about SRAM/Rival components on the expert. I plan to locate a Roubaix spec'd with Rival and test ride it (ty larrytx01, allison, stratmosphere). I also intend to take the Tarmac for a longer test ride to see if I really like the fit/feel over longer, non-flat distances this week (ty allison). If it annoys me... then I know what not to do. (ty beer weasel)

quick question: ... How does the Rival compare to Shimano in terms of reliability, serviceability, cost of ownership/maintenance... I intend to check other forums too.. but.. if you know, please let me know.. ty.

I will update the post when I have more questions or when I make my decision. 
Thank you all once again.

Cheers
A.


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## yogi13 (Oct 20, 2006)

The SRAM is pretty new, and somewhat of an unknown quantity in terms of cost of service, maintenance, durability, etc.


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## coinstar2k (Apr 17, 2007)

SRAM is new, but they have a long track record of stuff working. The Mtb components that they have made over the years lasts forever and is generally engineered better than the Shimano alternative. I love my road SRAM, and I wouldn't go back. Roubaix is one of the top rides on the market. You can't go wrong buying one.

Brian
TheRoadBike.com


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## allison (Apr 19, 2006)

I haven't had any issues with my Rival stuff, but hubby hasn't had any with his Dura-Ace/Ultegra either. 

The Force stuff has had some recalls, but apparently it's due to the extremely low weight on the components. 

The guy at the bike shop said he hadn't had any issues with SRAM stuff, and I do really like my SRAM stuff on my mountain bike. I've got Shimano on one bike, and SRAM on the other. Both work well. 

I wouldn't rule out the SRAM unless you don't like the way it shifts (double tap vs. the Shimano shifting).


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## new2tri (Apr 27, 2007)

*Did my purchase... and first ride today..*

Thanks for all your inputs. 

Based on the inputs here, I decided to go with Roubaix. While shopping around, I found an 06 Roubaix Expert (all ultegra with DA rear de.) on a sweet deal. ($2000). I took that one.

(Reg. the bling factor.. I convinced myself - when I ride the bike, I don't see it myself. So it does not matter what color bike I ride as far as the ride is good. And I told myself - if I really find myself riding roadbikes a lot, i will go for a super bling bike in my next purchase. It helped me keep costs down for a superb bike).

The ride is awesome. just came back from a short spin.. sweet. hope to see many more sun rises on this baby.

will post a pic soon. (gotto resize it etc.) 

Cheers, good luck with your riding,
A.


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