What a difference six years makes - 2020 Roubaix.

[Globalti]

It's R8020. Yes the shifting is crisp, a wee bit sharper than the previous gen Ultegra I guess but still not as good as Dura Ace. Are you talking about the Shimano "second click" for trimming the cage position? I've had that on a couple of Ultegra gear sets for some years and never found it a problem, as long as you set up the cable on full tension at the big ring position the subtle little click works fine and just hops the cage across a mm to stop clatter.

What Shimano have changed is the anchoring of the cable on top of the FD, which looks fiendishly convoluted. I'm going to need to take a careful note of the cable routing when I first change it.

 

[BalkanExpress]

For the non-locals... Whalley Nab is a VERY steep little lane. I rode up it with @Littgull last year, finding it steeper than expected, and I was already expecting it to be steep...

I quite like the simple black (lack of) colour scheme but I agree with vickster about the size of the 'horns'!

PS I accidentally touched a bare leg against a disk rotor on my MTB after a steep descent - I haven't made THAT mistake again!

I can’t remember which one but one of the mountain bike mags had a regular feature called “Ring of Fire” in which the best rotor burn photo of the month won a prize

 

[LarryDuff]

Does it come in any other colours?

 

[Globalti]

Just look at the Specialized website.

 

[postman]

Is it the Blue Crystal one,it must look stunning.Just seen Colin's report it's Black.

 

[newts]

Lovely bike, they are very comfortable.
I have the 2018 comp in purple & the pearlescent paint looks different from every angle.
Be careful you don't lock up the wheels, the hydraulic levers don't need very much pressure

 

[CXRAndy]

Aerodynamics are by far the biggest factor to bike speed after human power. The smaller you can make your frontal area the faster you will go.

Over 10mph air resistance starts to play a part. At 30mph 90% of human cycle power is to overcome air drag.

Drafting is so beneficial to riders behind saving upto 40% of effort

 

[Globalti]

Well I'm just back from a ride out to Settle with a local shop chaingang and it was the first time out with other riders. Really interestingly, I was slower up hills (still lacking leg strength after the time off the bike) but found myself catching up on the flats and passing other riders on downhills. The ride leader even commented that the bike was fast. I don't know if it's aerodynamics or the stiffer frame. Later in the day riding home alone I saw another solo rider a few hundred yards ahead and sure enough, on the hills he pulled away but on the flats and downhills I made up the distance, eventually passing him after three or four miles.

 

[JhnBssll]

I too had an old SL4, it was a great bike and still gives its new owner great pleasure. Whilst I wouldn't call them ugly they've never had the nicest curves or the cleanest lines but they have always been fabulous to ride. It seems from your experience with the new model that they've improved it even further which can only be a good thing

I'd choose fugly hydraulic shifters and great brakes over aesthetics any day but I don't have small hands. Di2 helps those with smaller hands as their simple internals allow much smaller hoods

 

[directo]

Hello - reviving this old thread as I'm currently looking at upgrading.

I'm currently riding a circa 2010 Allez (Tiagra). Want to upgrade to something carbon and a bit more comfortable and was thinking of the Roubaix line. Buying new, I'd be looking at getting a 2020 or 2021 Sport (105 groupset).

I've also been dabbling with getting an older bike, maybe a 2014 Roubaix (Sora), and upgrading it with (105, Ultegra or DA maybe Di2). I am slow, will not race, purely a recreational cyclist, but I like fancy things and would have fun tinkering! :P). They could net out to approximatey the same cost (if I'm looking at the U or DA options).

Admittedly I'm early on in this decision, but wanted to see what your thoughts would be either way (2014 vs. 2020 geometry, futureshock worth it, is it easy to upgrade, etc.)?

This was a great thread to read btw!