The newly re-designed Specialized Roubaix came out this year, and everyone at the shop was very excited by this bike. With larger tire clearance, a more aero frame, and more progressive Future Shock, it nailed all of the specs we had been wishing for on the previous version.
Riding here in Harrisonburg is huge, and gravel is a normal part of our riding, and I love it. However, it’s not always the best feeling if you’re riding a super stiff bike with small tires and no way to easily add comfort to your ride. It’s not that you can’t ride gravel on whatever bike you want (like my Tarmac), it’s that there’s a certain amount of fatigue that builds up if the bike wasn’t made for what you’re doing with it. That fatigue even happens with paved roads - chip seal, water damage, just not a great road surface… The hand jostling, body constantly bracing, slowing down because things just don’t feel great anymore, it gets old and it can sometimes take the joy out of a ride.

BUT now there are more capable road and gravel specific bikes, the 2020 Roubaix being one of them, and IT IS AWESOME!

I came to riding our demo 2020 Roubaix Pro eTap by way of cyclocross. I know that doesn’t make sense because the Roubaix is not a CX bike, but my Crux is, and it went through the transformation of gravel racing rig to ‘cross racing rig in September, and I didn’t want to change it back. There are possibly a few CX races I’d like to do in Dec. and I had only one gravel race left for the season. So I asked if I could ride our Roubaix and then race it at the unPAved Pennsylvania gravel event. It all worked out and now here I am, about to tell you about how much I enjoyed this bicycle.

The frame - the Roubaix went through a similar transformation to both the Tarmac and the Venge with frame tube shapes that are more aero, stiff in places that make sense for performance, and compliant/allowing for compliance in the places that will make riding more comfortable. And according to Specialized, It’s now lighter than Venge and more aero than the Tarmac. The frame also now easily clears a 33c tire, perfect for around here because our favorite all around tire for combined pavement and gravel riding is a tubeless ready 32c.

The Future Shock - all 2020 models of the Roubaix went to a different and/or new future shock. The base model Roubaix up through the Roubaix Comp now comes with the same Future Shock as the Diverge - a progressive spring setup to appropriately damp everything from small bumps to big hits. From the Expert Roubaix up to the S-works, these bikes have the Future Shock 2.0. Hydraulically damped internals control rebound, giving the bike an extra-extra smooth feel, and a knob that sits like a stem cap allows for locking out the shock if you feel so inclined.

The Pave’ Seatpost - the seatpost is more aero with the D-shape, has compliance at the top where the saddle is clamped, and also has compliance through the new drop-clamp design. All of this has been designed to keep harsh feelings from hitting the rider.

“Smoother is Faster” and “Aero is Everything” - both of these mottoes from Specialized have always felt like it was a one or the other type deal. Now that this new Roubaix is out, it feels like they can be said together, and describe this bike perfectly.

All of the re-design in the specs described above have come together to make a bike that feels incredible. If you want to stomp on it or stand up and hit a section of road/gravel as hard as you can, the bike responds immediately. And on top of that instant response is the smoother than ever ride-feel so that not only do you feel like you can go faster, but you feel safer, more planted, and able to react more appropriately to the conditions set before you.

I got to feel all of this while riding the 90mile route of unPAved Pennsylvania. There was smooth rail trail, smooth pavement, less smooth pavement, forest dirt roads, marble size gravel rail trail, chunky and jarring gravel… Quite the variety of road surfaces. There was also a variety of terrain - everything from flat, to long climbs, and steep descents. Most of the climbing and descending was done on gravel surfaces, and the whole day I was so pleased that I was on the Roubaix. I really enjoy going fast on gravel, but don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to get hurt or crash or feel out of control. There were definitely moments that day where those things could have happened, but they didn’t. I could ride as fast as I wanted and never felt out of control. I could feel how the bike was rolling on the roads but never felt like I had to brace my body against potential bumps.

Add onto all of this that this specific bike comes with the new SRAM Force AXS eTap, and you’ve got a setup that feels unstoppable. The gearing is perfect for both climbing and hammering it out. The shifting is very exact, quick, and smooth. These components feel reliable and are incredibly capable in a whole variety of riding conditions. I never had a dropped chain, or weird shift out of this drivetrain the whole day, even when I came out of steep descent and turned right back into a steep climb in quite the wrong gearing for a climb - it handled shifting to that easier gear wonderfully.

I was really happy the whole time at unPAved, and this bike was a part of that.

This was only the second year of unPAved Pennsylvania, so if you haven’t experienced it yet, I highly recommend it. The vibe is very positive, friendly, safe, and happy. Any time an event wants to share a love for riding on unpaved roads, I’m down to join. Everyone that shows up is there for a good time, and that really makes the day a great one. Since it happens in the first half of October, the leaf-peeping is in its prime. You get non-stop gorgeously colored leaves and beautiful vistas as you reach the top of the climbs. The Chaise from Salsa’s #chasethechaise challenge was there, too. I love the ‘Chase the Chaise’. Everyone stops to get a pic snapped. It’s fun, it’s disarming and goofy, and it gets you to stop and enjoy the moment. You’re not there for long (I think I waited a minute?), but it’s enough time to get you to refocus on being present, and as far as I know everyone starts pedaling again with a smile on their face.

The 2020 eTap Roubaix & unPAved PA

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