Trek Domane 5.2, Specialized Roubaix SL4 or Cervelo R3?

I will never give Trek any business because of Lance. They knew EXACTLY what he was doing and turned a blind eye. Same with Nike, Oakley and others. I will never support their brands ever again.

I'm sure they'll miss your big bucks when they realize you aren't buying. Especially compared to the hundreds of millions Lance generated.

Anyways, depending on your body geometry, either the trek or Cervelo. Go get fitted first

can't tell if troll

dentist bikes yo

chewbacca wrote:

dentist bikes yo

_______________________________

I'm not sure what you mean by that.

After 40 years of running, I have a number of little nagging injuries and I realize that I need to do more cross training.

These bikes are three local options.

They are not "pure" race bikes, but I want to upgrade from my basic bike.

I live in the country and my riding is on paved secondary roads that are very rough and "pot-holed" in places.

Do you have any other suggestions for a road bike?

All are good "comfort" performance bikes. You really can't go wrong with any of them. Test ride them and see which geometry works best for you.

go for the r3 or tarmac, then.

probably the tarmac would be good for what you're wanting, but i just think the r3 is riidculously sexy.

i hate trek bikes. have had two of them. hate the geometry or the ride. or lance. or astana. or radioshack. or anything about them.

my favorite all time bike was a specialized sworks, but if i could buy any bike now it'd be the r3.

Go with the bike that "feels the best" the second you get in the saddle, like a good pair of running shoes the "right bike" will feel natural. Secondly look at components, basically at that level the carbon frames are all on par, if you are getting ultegra level components with all the bikes, then I look to the most easy to upgrade part the wheels. I believe the trek and specialized are still using house brands to skimp a bit here, and the crank as I recall on the SL4 is specialized too I believe. So with all that said the R3 is a good deal.

R3 hands down. Miles ahead of the other two bikes you mentioned. Way more style and character, too.

Note about Specialized: The Tarmac is Specialized true "race" bike, while the Roubaix is their "comfort" race bike (just like the Trek Madone is their race line and the Domane is their comfort performance line) The geometry will be slightly different and the Roubaix has special inserts to make the ride more compliant. The Roubaix and Domane are certainly race-worthy and with your description of rough roads and somewhat new to cycling, I would stick to the Roubaix/Domane line if you decide to go with a Trek or Specialized bike as your original post suggested. As others have suggested, the R3 is a sweet bike. Test ride them and you'll know what fits you best.

I owned a Trek. It was sweet. I sold it for 2k because my bum wasn't made for bikes.

If you have nagging injuries, I'd worry about fit first. Many a bike shop will sell you what they have not what you need. A good fitting will help establish contact points and make it that much more enjoyable. Search out someone with a fit cycle to take measurements. (retul is usually pretty good)

The frame is only part of the equation, components make a significant difference. Most manufacturers put low end wheels on their frames, you will want to upgrade. Better wheels, lower rolling resistance greatly improves the ride. You may also want to roll a wider tire (25 vs 23). The wider tire will last longer and is a more plush ride. (doesn't slow you down on rough roads either, in fact, you ride faster because you can run lower tire pressure and maintain contact with the ground)

If you want to race, just get a CAAD 10. These are aluminum and you rather crash on alu than carbon when you start racing.

R3, clearly

I don't see why you would want any of these three bikes given that you are looking to ride on rough roads with potholes, and are not looking to race right now. Your best bet is a bike that takes at least 32mm tires (despite what marketers say in an attempt to brainwash you and clean you out, all frames basically feel the same; it is the size of the tires that make bikes comfortable or not). None of the bikes you mention takes tires that big. Look to cyclocross bikes, such as the Specialized Tricross models. Then, switch out the tires to 32mm or 35mm road instead of knobby cross tires. This will save you over a thousand dollars, which you can then use to fund a 5-day bike tour on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once you start to feel comfortable riding a lot, you can switch out to true narrow road tires (23mm or 25mm) if you like, and ride in fast groups (which is the best part about riding for me). All of this can be done with a mid-level cross bike and a couple of pairs of tires. This bike can also be used to race cyclocross, of course, which is the best entry into bike racing for former runners. Steel road bikes will generally fit these wide tires too (e.g. Surly models, etc.).

Red Panda, I bought an R3 after my beloved BMC was destroyed, and I can't stand it......now it may depend a bit on your weight (i used to race at 170, now closer to 190), but it feels like a noodle to me. I've ridden the Roubaix, if i could have found an s-works version that fit me (when i was looking), i would have bought it. best comfort bike, hands down....that said, I've never ridden the domane, and I've heard nothing but great things about it. as a former doper myself, my opinion might not mean much on this, but the lance aspect means jack squat to me on buying a trek. I loved my bmc, the fact that andy rhis condoned doping on his team didn't determine which bike WORKED BEST FOR ME. once you have that determined, then you can decide the other factors.

btw, contador rides specialized, lance rode trek, and garmin has a bunch of former dopers, still current. just find the one that you like best, and buy it. I like cervelos in general, but i'm not happy with the R3, personally. just remember that the trek & spec are 'comfort" bikes, the r3 is what tyler farrar (a sprinter) was riding over the last couple years, fwiw.

cheers, dude~

Thanks for all of the replies.

Just to clarify, the roads that I ride on primarily are "tar and chip". They are always a little bumpy and they get washed out at driveways and other places after heavy rains and then usually get re-paved at various spots.

I tried the R3 yesterday and liked it a lot.

I also found a bike shop that has a Specialized Roubaix SL4 as a "demo" ... so on Wednesday I"m going to take it home and ride it for a few days.

I'm a little heavy [not much running] weight 160 at 6', usually I'm in the low to mid 150's.

Again thanks for all of the replies.

I own both a cyclocross and road bike and disagree with you slightly on your opinion. You are absolutely right about wider tires producing the most comfort. The problem I've found with cross bikes on the road is that CX bikes are designed with a shorter top tube than a road bike. That makes the bike certainly more nimble for a cross course but very twitchy on the road. When you stand out of the saddle on a cross bike you are putting a ton of body weight over the front wheel...at 30+ mph on the road that can be really dangerous if you hit a pot hole, get a flat or break a spoke (unlikely, I know). Plus, on 50+ mile rides I am more comfortable on my road bike than my CX bike but that's just me.

I think CX bikes are great commuters, gravel grinders, or fitness bikes for new riders, but if the intent is to ride fast with a group or race (road race that is) you are giving up a bit of control and adding risk.