News 2020: Specialized S-Works Roubaix - Specialized launches new Roubaix
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There are many positive things to be said about the Roubaix series from Specialized. The first Roubaix from 2004 was the first road bike to be developed explicitly for ambitious amateur cyclists instead of, as was customary until then, for professional cyclists. With its relaxed riding position compared to professional bikes and other details that put riding comfort centre stage, the bike became a role model for the booming genre of marathon racers. In addition, Specialized kept introducing exciting innovations on the Roubaix, most recently the Futureshock suspension system with up to 20 millimetres of suspension travel on the handlebars.
However, one thing was rarely heard about the Roubaix: That it is a particularly beautiful racing bike. The design language was always eccentric and controversial. The best example of this is the cobble-gobble seat post with its swan-neck look, which noticeably improved suspension comfort but always looked strange.
For the latest Roubaix generation, which has now been presented in Kortrijk, West Flanders, Specialized has dispensed with extravagances such as the cobble-gobble seat post. The bike has a much straighter design than its predecessor, is reminiscent of the popular all-rounder Tarmac and looks much more dynamic than before. This is not least due to the fact that the frame was given its final polish in the wind tunnel. According to Specialized, the Roubaix is even more streamlined than the current S-Works Tarmac SL6.
A large selection of 2020 models of the Specialized S-Works Roubaix is available from the following online shops:
Specialized has transferred the most important technical innovation of its predecessor to the new Roubaix: the Futureshock suspension element between the stem and the headset for up to 20 millimetres of suspension travel on the handlebars. However, the system, now called "Futureshock 2.0", has been refined and camouflaged so effectively that it is barely recognisable as suspension. The recoil of the coil spring is now damped hydraulically. The degree of damping can be individually adjusted while riding using a rotary control located above the stem. Instead of under a bellows as before, the spring element sits under an elastomer cover that is barely distinguishable from a slightly higher spacer ring. However, Futureshock 2.0 is only reserved for the top-of-the-range S-Works and Pro versions; the more affordable Roubaix Comp and Sport versions use a "Future-Shock 1.5" system, which works in a similar way to the previous model and does without hydraulic damping.
The developers also built on the predecessor model with the suspension at the rear. The Pavé seatpost, which has been given an aerodynamic profile on the new model, sits in a seat tube that has a larger diameter at the upper end than the seatpost itself. The seatpost clamp sits 65 millimetres below the top tube. This solution extends the effective extension length of the seat post, which can therefore flex much better.
What is also interesting is what the new Roubaix does not have. The developers resisted the temptation to integrate all the cables, as has recently been seen on more and more high-end racing bikes. A separate handlebar solution was also dispensed with. Despite the Futureshock, any normal stem will fit on the Roubaix - and therefore any normal racing handlebar. Mechanics are probably just as happy to hear that the brake and gear cables remain visible as that all Roubaix models have a maintenance-friendly and easily replaceable BSA threaded bottom bracket.
Instead of the previous seven, the new Roubaix is available in eleven sizes from 44 to 64 centimetres, including eight versions with a long-distance riding position and three sizes (53, 57, 59 cm) with a racing riding position. However, the latter are only available as an expensive S-Works version and only as a frame set. Gone are the days when Specialized supplied its professional teams with customised versions of the Roubaix with racing geometry that were not commercially available.
The new Roubaix is now available in nine equipment variants. The entry level starts with the Roubaix Sport with a 105 groupset from Shimano. At the top end of the range are two S-Works versions with a Dura Ace Di2 groupset from Shimano and the new eTap AXS groupset from SRAM. The Roubaix Comp Sagan Collection with a mechanical Ultegra groupset from Shimano is particularly attractively priced at € 3,999. The two S-Works versions cost €11,199 each.
