Roubaix sl4

The Roubaix roubaix sl4 comes from the infamous Paris-Roubaix race that cuts across the landscape of northern France, covering km with approximately 53km of that taking place on rough cobbled roads, roubaix sl4. But how effective is their frame design and is it all just a gimmick?

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Roubaix sl4

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The rear disc is mounted inboard between the chain and seatstays, and up front the all-new fork has a carbon pillar mount for the caliper. On our test loop, which includes a couple of miles of gravel military roads, we got a real sense of what the SL4 is all about. On tarmac the Roubaix, with more aggressive geometry than the previous version, has an impressive turn of speed, with the stiffness in the frame rewarding hard-pedal efforts, yet the plushness of the chassis and the brilliant CGR Cobl-Goblr seatpost keep things comfortable. Intrigued by this smooth ride, we took the SL4 out again, this time for 60 miles of almost all unmetalled roads, and it shone even more brightly. Climbing on the Roubaix is a joy. On tarmac it feels light, even though the overall weight would suggest otherwise, and you can stay seated and grind up steep slopes with little traction, gravel even, with the wide cassette giving a light low-torque gear to avoid slips. Rear shifts proved snappy, accurate and consistent, though at the front the chain occasionally held onto the big ring teeth a pedal rotation too long. What does impress are the hydraulic brakes.

Roubaix sl4

While the geometry and positioning says "endurance bike", the rest of the bike screams "race me", with a rigid backbone, an impressively low weight, and a ride quality that's likely firmer than you expect — for better or worse. Specialized has hardened up its flagship Roubaix considerably for this year, setting aside its previous Barcalounger-like glide in favor of one that's surprisingly two-faced. On the one hand, it utterly erases any hint of road texture or buzz and feels more like you're riding an air hockey puck made of butter on a red-hot table. Seriously, on even moderately good pavement this thing is smooth. If vibration was like a field of greens, this new Roubaix is like some guy with a machete who's hopped up on caffeine and speed. Yet for all the bike's remarkable ability to gloss over smaller imperfections, the frame is much harsher on washboarded dirt roads, potholes, and frost heave than previous Roubaix iterations.

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At its heart, this is the same bike that's won four Paris-Roubaix titles. Jason Sumner 0 followers. A good look at the geometry chart and you can see this carried through. Log In. Follow View All Authors. Specialized Roubaix SL4 Double review. Forgotten Password? And while climbing was sluggish, this bike tracks like a missile whether ripping along the flats or carving downhill through high mountain switchbacks. To manage an existing Cyclist magazine subscription, please visit Manage your account or visit our subscription FAQ page. The tyres are Specialized Espoir Elite. Explore Our Forums.

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See an introduction to the test here and head over to our Shootout Round-Up Page to read the rest of the reviews. About this Article. It's worth noting here that Specialized is already pushing out its Model Year bikes, which includes a slightly revised version of this bike. But if you swapped on a saddle without a cut-out, things would get a little tricky. Full credit to Specialized. The Roubaix name comes from the infamous Paris-Roubaix race that cuts across the landscape of northern France, covering km with approximately 53km of that taking place on rough cobbled roads. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. At its heart, this is the same bike that's won four Paris-Roubaix titles. Log in. What is disappointing to see is that the same fork rake 49mm is used throughout the range, so the smaller sizes have a whopping 59mm trail but the 61cm has just 53mm, which is really short and nippy — not really the sort of thing you want a cobbles bike. Login to your account below. The bottom bracket is quite low too, which, when combined with the mm chainstays, gives the bike a longer-than-usual wheelbase, making for a very stable ride; perfect for the rough roads the bike was designed for. Written By: J. To manage an existing Cyclist magazine subscription, please visit Manage your account or visit our subscription FAQ page. Nearly a pound of that weight differential was in the wheels, which was also reflected in the price tag.