2018 Roubaix Expert Ultegra Di2

I am 66 years old. I bought this bike 2 years ago. I am an average rider. I was concerned that the price of this bike would not be worth $5,000 for my level of riding. I was surprised to find the fit, gearing, brakes (the whole standard package) was worth every penny. No problems with this bike so far.

Bought the Roubaix Comp and love it. Have had a few roubaix's and this one is significantly better all round. For commuting i'm running 28mm tyres along the Yarra trail from Eltham into CBD, 50km each way no prob. Weekend rides are not an issue with bigger tyres, rims run 21mm inner so a good setup for our rubbish road surfaces. The damping provided by the future shock is good and becomes unnoticeable after 5 minutes for me. The biggest difference moving upto this one for me aside from the ride comfort is how it handles. This one is noticeably sharper through corners whilst being more stable to boot over mid corner bumps n ripples. I did fit a power saddle, personal fit thing. Take one for a spin down your favorite roads, its fun.

I'm going on a trip across the US this summer and wanted a bike that would provide me with a comfortable ride for 3200miles in 30 days. I purchased the Roubaix Expert Ultegra Di2, have put about a 1000miles on it since the purchase and am really excited with the bikes performance. The future shock provides some reduction in vibration and does not noticeably affect the performance of the bike. I just had to charge the battery for the first time since I got the bike which is impressive. The electronics have performed exemplary in hot humid weather and pouring rain. The electronics using E-Tube software, as usual, are finicky to setup, but once done work great. I was a little disappointed that the ew-wu111 bluetooth device needed to use the E-Tube software on your phone needed to be purchased separately. The only real complaint I have is with the construction of the frame. The layout of the carbon fiber is functional, but really quite poorly done esthetically. In a couple of locations not using established technique, squares of carbon fiber were stuck on at the last stage in highly visible locations. This occurred at the cable entrances and around the head tube. This is not the S-Works frame but still seems to lack the detail for an expensive frame. That being said this is a great bike providing a comfortable ride not lacking in performance and I would recommend it to anyone.

When I first started looking for a new bike for my commute, I wanted something that was light, comfortable, and fast. After testing at the beginning of this year the previous 2017 version at a local bike shop I was convinced at getting a Roubaix with the future shock. The only thing was that Shimano just released their new Ultegra 8000 series groupset so I held off a bit and ordered a 2018 version of the Roubaix Expert with Ultegra Di2. No regrets in getting the Roubaix. The Future shock just smooths out the bumps and dips in the road to provide that extra level of comfort and confidence. In direct comparison with my old aluminum frame with carbon fork bike on my usual commute route through the city, the ride on the Roubaix is significantly smoother. There are bumps that were jarring on the old bike that I still brace for but am pleasantly surprise how the 20mm movement of the future shock just soaks them up. Also, have to I am very happy with the uDi2. I did wish that the d-fly unit was included but found a decent deal online for it. The ability to change modes is a plus with the electronic shifting. I've set it to semi synchro shift so that the large chain rings shift automatically as I shift up and down the rear cassette. Also, the swat box has already saved me even though I do ride with an additional saddle bag when my regular bike pump head seized up so I ended up using the CO2 and inflater head stored there (though the Expert model comes with the swat box, you have to buy the CO2 cartridge and specialized inflater head separately - glad I did). The one additional item that would have made this the perfect bike would be some hidden eyelets for fenders during the rainy months. I was able to mount some Crud 3 temporary fenders but the ability to mount full fenders would have been awesome. (I considered the 2018 diverge but it didn't come with uDi2 option).

I wanted a bike that was not a compromise on the road but also could handle dirt and trails. I was not interested in a mountain bike. I trialled a Roubaix Ultegra with cable gears from Beasley's in Footscray and was mightily impressed both how well it handled the lumps in suburban streets and the gravelled tracks of the Maribyrnong trial. I was doing 30kph on dirt tracks, keeping up with a couple of younger blokes on cyclocross bikes. On smooth bitumen it cruised easily up to 40 kph (which is fast for me). I compared it with my road bike on local streets and I could ride it over all sorts of lumps and bumps that had me jarring on my Cube. I bit the bullet and got a DI2. Expensive, but no regrets. Easier shifting and easier tuning. In the last month I have done 800km from road around Portland, Alpine trail area, and Bairnsdale to Bruthen rail trail. I have loved every bit of it. As fast or faster on the road than my Cube road bike. Fast and comfortable on gravelly tracks. My only gripe is on a steep downhill from Stanley to Myrtleford (around -10% and tight corners) riding the brakes, they started squealing, so I desisted and rode back up. I have learned that the general issue brake pad is not up to that sort of treatment. I also really like the integrated tool kit at the bottom of the frame. No more satchell hanging from the seat. It includes a tube, CO2 canister, tyre lever, note holder, and multitool. It has space for a CO2 nozzle but I haven't found one to fit yet. Gary at Beasley is trying to get me one. So basically I am stoked, but am going to get some hi temp disk pads, and I am getting a second set of wheels that are tubeless and treaded for more outbacky riding.