10 year old Specialized Roubaix for newbie??

[VTCaraco]

Can anyone offer any feedback/advice on this?
Got a buddy, a fit, marathon-runner / through-hiker in his early 50s, looking for cross-training options. I suggested he take up cycling as a nice complementary activity.

He's a fiscally conservative guy, so wants to wade rather than jump in.

Would a 10 yr old Roubaix with Ultegra be a good option?
I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be, but I'm not terribly knowledgeable on the different Specialized configuration or whether particular iterations should be avoided.
Presumably a more upright position will make more sense and something that leans towards comfort, but this guy is certainly an athlete...

I'd love some feedback...anecdotal advice.
I'd appreciate fit-comments, too. He's right around 6'/6'1" tall.

[shinomaster]

Sure depending on the condition.

[kppolich]

Only thing I've heard and seen in general around the Roubaix is that a common failure point is the 'Zertz' on the seat stays.

[benb]

Nothing wrong with those bikes.. depending on his dimensions he might be a 56 or a 58 as this is a pretty "short TT & tall HT" bike.

Were the Zertz themselves a failure thing or was the carbon breaking around the stress points near the zerts since it was feeding all the stress through a small amount of carbon?

I think maybe I'm a little traditionalist I'd rather have a Roubaix from before the "stem shock" thing so this bike would check that box.

I have a Domane from before Trek put the ISO speed thing in the headtube, same thing there. Maybe too much complication in a critical area for me.

[rnhood]

If you going to buy a 10 year old bike then you better be getting it for peanuts.

Frankly, for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2K you can get a new Roubaix, with full warranty, 11 speed 105 group (including the 105 crank and not an inferior third party crank), ability to run large tires for gravel or credit card touring, and bike with stiffness and handling that puts it right at home on a fast weekend group ride...while staying very comfortable. You won't have to go looking for discontinued or obsolete parts.

A 10 year old Roubaix, or early Domane, are very good bikes. But I'd rather have a new bike with modern parts, disc brakes, and dealer service. It's just personal preference, and your mileage may vary. Nothing wrong it it. Just that I like to ride, not fiddle, mix & match, and swap parts.

[zmalwo]

Can anyone offer any feedback/advice on this?
Got a buddy, a fit, marathon-runner / through-hiker in his early 50s, looking for cross-training options. I suggested he take up cycling as a nice complementary activity.

He's a fiscally conservative guy, so wants to wade rather than jump in.

Would a 10 yr old Roubaix with Ultegra be a good option?
I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be, but I'm not terribly knowledgeable on the different Specialized configuration or whether particular iterations should be avoided.
Presumably a more upright position will make more sense and something that leans towards comfort, but this guy is certainly an athlete...

I'd love some feedback...anecdotal advice.
I'd appreciate fit-comments, too. He's right around 6'/6'1" tall.

Won't trust it even if it's NOS. Resin degradation can cause a lot of problem for bikes. Why not get a cheap alloy bike? Sagan raced on a Allez Sprint and got second place recently.

[Dude]

A 10 year old roubaix is a great bike. The zertz on that generation never had issues - some older generations the glue would fail and the zertz would pop out which had no bearing on structural integrity AND i believe that was in their seatposts, not the seatstays. And resin degradation...what is it 1994?

And because I'm feeling feisty - you cite Sagans second on an alum bike without mentioning his other 100+ professional wins on a carbon bike.

[C40_guy]

And because I'm feeling feisty - you cite Sagans second on an alum bike without mentioning his other 100+ professional wins on a carbon bike.

I raced a bunch of times on carbon and never won. Only race I ever won was on a steel bike with Nuovo Record parts and friction shifters...

Of course I'm completely non-competitive, so not winning (or not placing, or even being pulled) has never been a surprise!

[Dude]

I raced a bunch of times on carbon and never won. Only race I ever won was on a steel bike with Nuovo Record parts and friction shifters...

Of course I'm completely non-competitive, so not winning (or not placing, or even being pulled) has never been a surprise!

HAHA good point!

[VTCaraco]

Thanks for the thoughts....

So some of you suggest caution with the "zerts", others say it's okay. That would be an area I'd have him look at/inspect.

As for why carbon and not something else, it's all about price/opportunity. I see a nearby option that looks like a good deal, but I don't have direct experience.

[benb]

Pretty much any used bike you better be getting it for peanuts.

Just cause it's a Trek/Specialized/Giant is no different from a Sachs/Vanilla/Kirk/Whatever.

It's a buyers market.

[pdmtong]

There are no issues with the zertz from that era. my s-works tri-cross is a 2008.

fitting should be based on eTT like any other bike, knowing that for a given eTT the HT will be taller than a comparable eTT tarmac/madone etc.

these frames offer a great value used

the major complaint you might see is from folks who want to attach a frame pump...the curved TT isnt a good aesthetic match with the straight pump.

my daughter has a 2010 48cm ruby comp (think womens roubaix). that bike suffers from heavy parts (10v 105 triple and aksium). swapping wheels makes a huge difference

the current bar/stem shock adds a lot of weight and only dampens the rider not the bike, so the rider still should not be riding at low height lips or through potholes. better solution is just use some cushy thicker tape. as someone lese said, if I wanted a cushy endurance fit frame I would find an older model used.

[ultraman6970]

OP, I dont see why not...!

[Clean39T]

If you going to buy a 10 year old bike then you better be getting it for peanuts.



Frankly, for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2K you can get a new Roubaix, with full warranty, 11 speed 105 group (including the 105 crank and not an inferior third party crank), ability to run large tires for gravel or credit card touring, and bike with stiffness and handling that puts it right at home on a fast weekend group ride...while staying very comfortable. You won't have to go looking for discontinued or obsolete parts.



A 10 year old Roubaix, or early Domane, are very good bikes. But I'd rather have a new bike with modern parts, disc brakes, and dealer service. It's just personal preference, and your mileage may vary. Nothing wrong it it. Just that I like to ride, not fiddle, mix & match, and swap parts.Second this notion.

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[buddybikes]

Assume he can get cheap, great riding frame. There was a model difference 2008 and 2009, the SL2 is nicer with lighter wheels. I enjoyed mine till I parted ways with a paceliner here

[dave thompson]

Only thing I've heard and seen in general around the Roubaix is that a common failure point is the 'Zertz' on the seat stays.
I’ve had 2 Roubaix that were 9~10 years old. Both great bikes, comfortable, good handling, solid.

If the bike he’s looking at is in good condition and well equipped, there’s no reason at all that it wouldn’t be a good, long-term bike.

[soulspinner]

I raced a bunch of times on carbon and never won. Only race I ever won was on a steel bike with Nuovo Record parts and friction shifters...

Of course I'm completely non-competitive, so not winning (or not placing, or even being pulled) has never been a surprise!

Its not about the bike:rolleyes:

[93KgBike]

There is a nice 59cm 2012 Roubaix in the classifieds. There are lots of great bikes that come through PL.

I'd recommend your friend start with a metal bike, so that he can make all the mistakes he might without worrying about the frame getting damaged.

High-zoot steel.

But that's me.

[woolly]

I think it could be a great place to start, if you can help him source a specimen that fits, is in good condition, and the right price. At this point, one of those will be waaay down the depreciation curve, so if he decides he likes cycling & wants to "upgrade" he could flip it for probably close to what he paid.

I'm not arguing that the mid-level, or even entry-level bikes these days are a good value for what you pay. But if he tries a new one & decides it's not for him, good luck flipping that without a big $$ hit.

As far as the Zertz go, I wouldn't have any concerns about them. One of my riding buddies has tens of thousands of miles on pretty close to this exact model without any worries.

[OldCrank]

If he's a thru-hiker, might he want something for trails?

Either the roadbike plus a just-OK hardtail, or a gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels...?

Old rides can be gotten for a song, but when (for instance) the shifters fail, replacement gets pricey.