Specialized unveil their latest Roubaix and Ruby endurance road bikes

Specialized Bicycle Components launches the all-new Ruby and Roubaix, featuring a compliance system developed in partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies. Widely known as the bikes that created the endurance road category, they feature proprietary technologies that will redefine comfort, speed, and handling.

The S-Works Roubaix eTap.

Specialized worked closely with McLaren to understand what “smooth” actually meant. Together, they analyzed how riders and road surfaces interact, learning to quantify smoothness in order to increase speed and reduce road vibrations transmitted to the rider.

Eric Schuda, Director of Road at Specialized, had this to say: “To bring ‘Smoother is Faster’ to life, we developed the Future Shock. Our testing showed road vibrations are felt the most through the front end of the bike. We needed to reduce these vibrations, so the team developed a suspension system to absorb bump input through the bars. This allows the bike to float under the riders hands and is not only smoother but also proven to be faster over rough roads. The Future Shock also features three different spring rates, allowing retailers to customize the rider experience based on customer preference.”

In addition to the Future Shock, the bikes feature the CG-R seatpost and the new Drop Clamp, which allows 20mm of rearward arc compliance. Together, they improve smoothness, speed, and comfort, while also increasing traction and cornering.

The S-Works Ruby and Roubaix will come with Specialized’s latest road offering, the Roval CLX 32 wheels, which are lighter, more aerodynamic, and have less rolling resistance than the previous CLX 40 wheels.

Expert and S-Works models also feature a SWAT™ Box storage system that fits seamlessly above the bottom bracket, providing the most logical place to hold items for flat repair. It can be purchased aftermarket, however, and it’s compatible with every new Ruby and Roubaix.

Both bikes have Specialized’s Rider-First Engineered™ technology, with the Ruby being the first women’s road bike to feature it. This means each frame size has been individually developed to the respective rider, rather than the traditional approach of building the median size and just making larger and smaller versions of the same frame.

Specialized is certain that these two new road offerings prove that smoother is indeed faster.

Models and Specifications: