THis is the Result of Boardroom Decision Making | Specialized Roubaix SL8 Sport

[@kyleericson9777]

I think the problem with cycling (both road & mtb) is that we simply don’t have enough categories of bikes!😂

[@bikemike1118]

Yes, we need at least about 20 more „different“ categories 😂

[@happydays8171]

Haha, sarcasm has entered the chat.

[@nl3712]

😂😂😂😂

[@mrlaw711]

It has confused me into not buying or upgrading to a new one.

[@johnlesoudeur3653]

Or enough "standards".

[@andyjackson5404]

I train on my roubaix . Use my Madone to group ride. Less stress on my body and makes me feel fast when I’m on a group ride…lol.

[@robbiefranklin8093]

My brother works at a Specialized dealer and they had an extremely hard time moving these 1x Roubaix's. However, for $500 less there's the same bike with the new 12 speed mech 105 and those sold like hot cakes. I've got one and I ended up buying a lighter road wheelset for road tires and put some knobbies on the wheels it comes with for gravel and being able to hot swap between the two to do whatever you want TOTALLY rocks. It's a great bike but I think Specialized misjudged the market with the 1x option. The massive cassette on my 105 model even has the same 1:1 ratio on high end as the 1x option does, but I can bomb a hill at 40mph without spinning out

[@chrismccannIRL]

So we’ve a Tarmac SL8 for you to race on. Or if you want the same geometry but more compliance and lighter we have the Aethos. Or if you want more endurance geometry and a bit of aero then we’ve a Roubaix. Now if you want more gravel orientated rides than roubaix we’ve the Diverge. Wait you want more race geometry than a diverge, but you want more tyre clearance we’ve got a crux for you.

[@heregoesmike]

And they all look completely identical from a distance. NOT a good look for Specialized... :(

[@jarhead4657]

I have no idea why this is the decision of boardrooms. It clearly is the decision of people who do a lot of road and gravel riding. It’s not that complicated.

[@chelolelo]

I Recently test rode one. i def. felt the difference. I started riding single speeds/fixed gear bikes and moved up to a '16 allez sprint and 2022 Look 795 Blade. Everything Id ridden has been notoriously jarring. But test riding this, I felt the difference on my hands and even at 32c tires, I felt that absorb more of the road. I do concur I felt significantly slower. But it does seem slower compared to my other road bikes also running 12 speed at 11-30t // 52/36. Where as this COMP version is running 11-36 // 50/34 Since I plan on using this as a training bike, I should be doing plenty of Zone 2 training. So primarily I wont be worried about speed and leave that to the other bikes.

[@highanddryful]

How does this bike compare to the 2024 2x12 Shimano 105 Specialized Roubaix SL8 Sport?

[@erics9214]

For all those questioning the suspension, what is the name of this bike? What kind of surface is that race famous for? It is amusing to see Specialized making what amounts to an all around road bike. Kind of like all bikes used to be. Gravel bikes in general are a return to a more practical type of bike. One that has a comfortable, not a racing ride position. One that will take at least 32mm tires. A bike that you could put a rear rack on and do light touring or run to the grocery store. This isn't exactly that bike, but for someone who wants something more practical than a race wannabe bike, this bike has a lot of practicality. Yet is still reasonably light and responsive.

[@theatomic430]

A $4000 bike for groceries?

[@Legacysteve2469]

@@theatomic430 🤣

[@harrygrimley4352]

Wow. Looks fast and spensive 😮

[@joules531]

The industry is pushing for 1x for several reasons: 1. Cheaper to manufacture. 2. Easier pre delivery assembly. 3. More sales of after-market cassettes and chainrings, as customers try to switch out for lower gears. 4. More servicing and replacement costs, once partly worn parts reach the limitations of 1x systems, which are more critical than traditional 2x set-ups. I have a 1x on the bike I use to pick up groceries from the store, and my grandson has 1x on the bike he rides to school, but personally, and especially since this bike is targeted at gravel riders, it's almost ludicrous to have a 40x44 as its lowest gear. Anyone with gear on their bike, riding up a gnarly track, and not on top form physically, had better switch to flat pedals and walking boots for this bike, because they're going to be doing a lot of walking.

[@br5380]

All my bikes are 1x (Enduro, FS, HT and gravel).

[@jack002tuber]

For newer younger riders a 1x system is easier to use. No confusion over what gear to be in

[@br5380]

@@jack002tuber based on the age demographic in the UK’s Brexit vote, age is not a defining character of knowledge nor intelligence

[@Not_Sure_]

19+ pounds ? That's heavier than many steel framed bikes.

[@IIISentorIII]

Its also lighter that most cars.

[@georgeandrew8388]

Yet faster and more comfortable. Weight doesn’t matter anymore. It’s not 1998.

[@christolliday3054]

Just brought this one have a Roubaix road bike rides like a dream on long distance .The SL8 though makes a better ride for both road and gravel..but in the end its a personal choice

[@clintonslayton4512]

As a rider of 2006 & 2007 S-Works Roubaix models, true endurance frames, I think that this being more "Tarmac-like" negates the model name. I avoid gravel whenever possible and prefer a longer wheelbase. Relying on a single chainring sacrifices distribution of wear and lack of alternate gearing, for a dubious weight benefit, meaning sooner replacement.

[@edgartokman4898]

Sick bike you could go coast to coast on that id carry en extra tire just in case though.

[@JogBird]

trek is correct in that using larger tyrs at lower pressure removes teh need for over engineered psuedo suspension gimmicks.. esp proprietary ones that can only be serviced at S dealers

[@Hintonbro.]

Love how the FS triggers people

[@IIISentorIII]

Yea, the "Experts" crawling out of their deep slumber have never ridden one of those. In the meantime the people that did test rode those new models (myself included) stay silent 98% of the time and have to endure those Kindergarten comments@@Hintonbro.

[@lukewalker1051]

Of course. Proprietary gimmicks that will fail over time. Profit for Specialized who well sell every future shock twice.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Love my TREK Domane and the built in suspension😂 Trek doesn't mean it. They know what the benefits are😅

[@veganpotterthevegan]

​@@lukewalker1051I know a couple people with over 50k miles on their original futureshock. I'd still buy a few as backup if I planned on keeping the frame forever though

[@drill_fiend1097]

Enduro bikes with 1by option should design frames so that having no FD gives additional tyre clearance. That gives such setup a worthy tradeoff.

[@nursematt]

i am trying to find my first bike. i am torn between the apex, with electronic shifting being a plus. the color is a negative as well as the 1x is a concern for me. vs. roubaix sl8 sport 105 vs tarmac sl7 (either sport 105, or comp Di2). this has really proven to be a challenging purchase decision for me. all advice welcome.

[@Sweetskis]

This bike with the new Pirelli 700x40 road tire would be a comfy ride.

[@hokiturmix]

The only problem I can see is that this is a 1 by. 2 by always nice to have if we calculate a sudden hill wrongly.

[@jarhead4657]

With the electronic shifting, you can easily get in the gear you need to be in you don’t need 2 by to do that. If anything it’s faster.

[@hokiturmix]

@@jarhead4657 So if i underestimate going up then I dont need too much cut back on torque? Because If i drop the front then it worth a hell lot of shift compared to the back.

[@markhoffmann5941]

true... i will never buy a 1x....

[@falcoperegrinus82]

That weight includes all those reflectors and dork disk, which pretty much everyone will remove.

[@auricschiller]

Apex AXS is a great deal for a wireless group, but part of the built-in limitations of it from SRAM are that it is 1x only (and part of the savings is not paying $200 for the electronic FD). SRAM was nice to add the HG driver cassette which is great for upgrading old bikes, but I think they should have offered a 10t XDR one as well because every OEM is speccing the 11t cassette because it's part of the group. I bet it would have cost Specialized less than $50 to upgrade the cassette to a 10-44 (XDR freehub and rival cassette), which would have made this more livable for a road bike / gravel-lite. There are so many little thing across the line that Specialized could do to make their bikes that much better with small investments and effort, but they seem to choose not to. Apple isn't perfect, but it would be great if their ethos would rub off on them. The best thing about Apex AXS for me is that I upgraded my old 1x post-mount Crux to electronic for around $600 and gained some nice lower gears in the process. Not sure what the headline of "inbreeding and groupthink" is about, seems like a bit much don't you think?

[@tezzanewton]

Seems they’ve done a good job of keeping the weight down. That’s 9kg. It’s lighter than both my gravel bikes at 10.5 & 11.8kg

[@MorganBrown]

Um, a 1x with front and rear suspension, 40 mm clearance and they call it a “road” bike?

[@993mike]

My god - not another gravel bike! The Roubaix is a perfect compliant road bike, so don't mess with it. I also noticed all the new Creo models are gravel bike spec. Not everything needs to be gravel.

[@jarhead4657]

It’s does both very well. I think they get rid of the Diverge and just sell those

[@nl3712]

Could be argued that the bike is perfectly aligned with its original reason for existing, viz. paris-roubaix

[@dracorosso7129]

You need a gravel bike where I live. The roads in my city are trash.

[@roadcyclist1]

Gravel is for kids.

[@elachichai]

Future Shock spoon bill is the Achilles heel?!

[@gc641]

Nice, might have to jump ship from Cervelo

[@co7013]

So now we know everything expect the only thing that matters: how it rides. This is a bike, not an art object. You test it by riding it.

[@highanddryful]

That's up to the individual so why not purchase one and test it yourself? My undies are a size large that fit me great but a large pair of undies may feel uncomfortable or a bit loose for someone else. Like asking me what does ice-cream and chilli ketchup taste like?

[@hughjanus7354]

@@highanddryfulthey didn't want to know how size 54 rides, they wanted to know how this model of a bike rides. Are you saying size 56 would ride differently to size 54? Your comment could win "the thickest of the decade" award, no doubts about that.

[@wyatberp3611]

​@@hughjanus7354 Don't get your undies in a wad! 🤣

[@hughjanus7354]

@@wyatberp3611 brain stronger.

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Specialized is hedging their beta that Gravel is going to explode next year. Sadly, there's limited areas to ride and many are being closed due to abuse. Areas that can handle one hundred bicycles are now getting one thousand. The phrase tread lightly and take what you bring are really necessary now.

[@huhummmmmmm]

Why would a top tube mount be a gravel ride thing? Nonsense.

[@rlake349]

I don’t see how 42/11 would give you enough speed. To me it’s like a gravel bike that wants to look like a road bike.

[@djkim1019]

My thoughts exactly. I'm thinking you'd have to spin like crazy to maintain 25mph. (not saying that's my cruising speed 😅)

[@jimharrison5511]

i just ordered this bike and am having my dealer switch out the chainring to a 46T and replace the rear with an 11-36. Makes it a better geared road bike for what i do.

[@LOZUPONEJ]

‘Let one up cannondale and trek’s endurance bikes and have 2 more mm of tire clearance’

[@cjelvado]

Who the hell taped the bars on that Tarmac?!

[@heregoesmike]

I think the SL4 frame design would've benefitted tremendously if it were fitted with the FutureShock system. I am not, and never will be, a fan of these straight-tube, edgy, sharp and jagged bikes. I understand, gone are the days of the curvy and smooth looking designs (literally EVERYONE is doing this new style now)... But I have noticed especially that Specialized has ZERO diversity between their road models. They all look almost identical at first glance. That just makes it look like they can get away charging customers $17,000 for a $3,000 bike... Yes, I know that's not the case either, but still... I absolutely ADORE my SL4 Roubaix Pro Race.

[@chrissammels5444]

Specialized need to persuade the UCI to devise an endurance gravel race series, to justify this bike.

[@frankpeter9145]

Has been justified on the cobbles of Paris Roubaix.

[@kevinhall5199]

The bikes have gotten more ridicules each year and Specialized seems to change things with no substantial improvement. I switched to a titanium frame with carbon fork and I'll never be outdated.

[@Ivan-ny4qi]

Specialized is missing the mark on no internal storage…….

[@josiahlomas2111]

I passed on buying a roubaix because that funky stem shock...

[@timident]

9 kilos is nothing, for a bike that can do gravel and road with a hot swap of wheels .. excellent… only issue 1 x lack the gear range for hills off road …….500% is best and lacks a2x range and steps between gears for the road ….. 2x on this is better

[@serpadu]

I know its the law, but man, these reflectors look terrible 🤣

[@E.T_rode_bikes_As_well]

So every discipline now is like mtbs

[@IIISentorIII]

yes and mtbs are now Downcountry's ;)

[@workshopninjathe1st]

Why has a roubaix got a UCI sticker… no one is racing this…

[@993mike]

I guess you've never heard of that long running race called the Paris-Roubaix? 😂

[@noptimized]

Cancellara, Boonen, Terpstra, Sagan, and Gilbert all won Paris-Roubaix on the Roubaix, no less.

[@workshopninjathe1st]

Nope - Boonen and Sagan use the much older and better Roubaix race bikes - with rim brakes and 2 chainrings… and raced it because they were contractually obliged to do so! They were designed for dentists and bike shop owners… my boss (at a Specialized dealer) bought the first gen Roubaix and loved it - he was older and inflexible - and it suited him perfectly.

[@xcg1234]

Even with my 20% veteran discount, it's still overpriced, especially I want the 105Di2 version,. Canyon's Endurace 105Di2 is $2700…… Heck of a deal. Yes it does not have Future Shcok but saves you thousands

[@eduardserra621]

An expensive bike that looks cheap

[@IIISentorIII]

Kinda like your Jacket.

[@MiCoopRS]

Hey @lukewalker1051 why do you say this bike is for Overweight dumb people who don't understand value? I am not Overweight, or dumb, maybe dumb with my Money, but it is mine to be DUMB with... so it's 20 pounds, is this not a LIGHT or lite bike? A little SHOCK system up front and even somehow in the seat stem system. Last July 2022, I was slightly overweight and did not have the Heart strength, LUNG capacity and leg muscle endurance that I do NOW.... I chose an e-bike, a super-light... albeit 48 pounds, I destroyed one engine at 2,500 kms, replaced under warranty and now equipping that bike with SNOW TIRES with STUDS. It's now my Winterized bike. 4,500 kms in total.... however I had to purchase another when the thing got its 2nd rear tire flat and bought an ALL SPORT or DUAL SPORT Trek DS3 Rev5.... not even as light as this one on this video... 20 pounds WOW, mine I suppose is 28 at most, however that is 20 pounds lighter then the e-bike... I FLY on that thing....I climb hills that were even with the e-assist HARD to do, I guess it was the 48 pounds vs. 28 pounds... 20 pounds OFF makes a HUDGE difference... and that thing was only 1200$ so this Roubaix looks PRETTY GOOD in my opinion... however I am taken in by my next "DUMB" "Overweight" person purchase... a Cannondale BAD BOY 1 2024. oh, the reason, it has a belt drive and an internal gear hub...and looks weird with the LEFTY FORK.... it will freak all of those people I WIZZ by on the paths here in Calgary, Alberta..... What kind of Bikes do you ride ?