Upgraded from a Secteur to the Roubaix. The combination of a carbon frame and future shock completely eliminates any wrist and forearm pain and stiffness that I usually get from long rides. I see other riders shaking their hands out to loosen them up and I kept wondering why they need to do that. Then I remember I used to do that too. I'm riding longer and faster much more comfortably.

This the best bike I have ever owned. Rode RAGBRAI with it and it provided great comfort and endurance. Being tired was not a problem.

I live in Pennsylvania, Northwestern part of the state to be exact. That means snow, lots of snow. Lots of snow and you will also get lots of road salt. So what happens when you put them together? Come spring you get bad roads. Pot holes, cracks, gravel burms. After a three hour ride on my Trek Madone (rim brakes) my arms, hands and back our sore from the harsh ride. This is were my Roubaix shines, I was amazed how it smooth out the sections of road that were almost unrideable on my skinny tirer Trek. My Roubaix made my cycling enjoyable again.

I purchased a 2018 Roubaix Expert 2 days ago. I've taken it on two 30 mile rides so far over a variety of terrain, including flats, hills (4000' of climbing), a smooth dirt road and a beat-up section of road with small washboards. The bike is a joy to ride on all of these surfaces. I have been riding a Trek Madone 5.2 for the past 9 years. It has been an awesome bike (and I still have it), but I was intrigued by the advances in the ""Endurance Bike"" category. I narrowed my decision to the Trek Damone SL6 Disc and the Roubaix Expert. I chose the Roubaix Expert because I really liked the way it rode on my test rides. After my first 2 real rides, I am very happy with my decision. The bike is so smooth, and I believe this translates into faster average speed (for me at least), especially on flats and low-grade hills. On steep climbs (I've gone up to 11% grade so far), the bike does not really feel any less efficient in transmitting power to the pavement than my old Madone. The frameset and forks are actually quite stiff, and the Future Shock headset is hardly noticeable when climbing out of the saddle. Note that I had my bike shop install the stiffest spring in the headset, which I think was the right decision for me. I also purchased an ELEMNT BOLT cycling computer, which is totally awesome - but that's another story.

The biggest problem with the Expert Roubaix for me is that my heels strike the chainstay on both sides of the bike when pedaling; not with every revolution of the crank, but often enough that I'm marring the finish. It's not just cosmetic because that lateral bump that I feel on my heel disrupts my flow. I could eliminate the problem if my feet were parallel to the bike, but I pedal with a slight amount of turnout. This was not a problem on my 2010 Roubaix, which had rim brakes. I measured the distance between the centerline of the bike and the inner edge of the crank, and it's considerably less than that on my FSR XC mountain bike. I don't know whether this is an oversight, or intentional to minimize wind resistance, but I would strongly urge Specialized to redesign the crank arms to move the pedals a bit further from the centerline of the bike. The second problem is relatively minor: the Turbo Pro tires give a somewhat harsh ride. Perhaps Specialized rationalizes that everyone has their own taste in tires and will simply replace these. But I would argue that it would be better to sell the bike with Turbo Cotton tires. They are more consistent with the philosophy of the Roubaix. I would definitely recommend the Expert Roubaix in spite if the two issues that I raised. The Ultegra 8000 series components are terrific. Shifting is smooth even when under load. Disc breaks are a significant improvement over rim breaks, especially when it rains. Contrary to the opinion of some reviewers on the internet, I find the vertical motion of the handlebar when pedaling while out of the seat to be negligible, and it's not because I'm small. I weigh 97 kg. I noticed it the first time that I got out of the seat, and then forgot about it. Bottom line: this is a great bike!

Bought my Roubaix Expert last August & loved it ever since. Awesome on a Centennial and long distance rides. Future Shock is a major accomplishment! I actually enjoy chip seal and cracks in road!! Endurance geometry is way more comfortable than traditional road set up. Ultegra shifts like silk. As with other reviews, the seat is the one drawback. Nonetheless, a great rig