Rode a Specialized Roubaix Comp today. Just couldn't take riding my 24 year old Trek, had to see what the "new" bikes were all about.

Maybe I'm a complete novice but this bike is amazing. Fast, quick and beautiful handling. I'm a little concerned, I weigh 240, weightlifting strong, not interested in racing but do like to ride 4-5 days a week, 25-35 per ride in the beautiful hills around Madison, WI.

My question....am I going to beat this bike up too much? Am I too heavy to ride this all carbon frame? Should I be looking at a Trek 5200? Others?

What about pedals, any advice. I have a pair of touring shoes that do have a removeable plate for clips...

Thanks

Rode a Specialized Roubaix Comp today. Just couldn't take riding my 24 year old Trek, had to see what the "new" bikes were all about.

Maybe I'm a complete novice but this bike is amazing. Fast, quick and beautiful handling. I'm a little concerned, I weigh 240, weightlifting strong, not interested in racing but do like to ride 4-5 days a week, 25-35 per ride in the beautiful hills around Madison, WI.

My question....am I going to beat this bike up too much? Am I too heavy to ride this all carbon frame? Should I be looking at a Trek 5200? Others?

What about pedals, any advice. I have a pair of touring shoes that do have a removeable plate for clips...

Thanks

I agree - that's really an excellent bike. I rode one about a month ago, and was amazed at how smooth the ride was. I'm 6'2"/225#, and ended up buying the Specialized Allez Comp. The ride is slightly less soft, and the steering is quicker, but the carbon seatpost really smooths things out. The Roubaix Elite is also an excellent ride. Carbon seat stays and post (and of course fork), plus the relaxed steering geometry really give it an "all-day" feel. (And it can be had for around $1600 w/ Ultegra). I too was a little concerned about an all-carbon bike. Huge strides have been made since the first Kestrel rolled off the line, but I still felt better about time-tested aluminum (for a Clydesdale, anyway- I'm sure plenty of people will say Trek's OCLV is "time-tested" too.) But realistically, most road frames have a carbon fork anyway, and a fork is the last item on my bike I'd like to have fail. :eek: The engineers have obviously done their homework. Just about all frames carry a lifetime warranty these days (with the exception of Giant). My decision came down to the Roubaix/Klein Aura XV/Allez Comp. In the end, I just really liked the quick handling and acceleration of the Comp, and I was willing to forgo a slight amount of vibration damping for the snappy feel of the all-aluminum frame. Loved the Klein, too, but I just wasn't ready to lay down the extra money for the paint - beautiful as it was. My feeling is just go with what you really like. You'll kick yourself if you don't. I also believe carbon will probably hold up just fine, despite the reservations in the back of my mind. There are plenty of liability attorneys working for cycle companies that don't want catastrophic frame failures either. :D

Doug