camerons

Is it just me or do the wheels on this bike look very much like rebranded lightweights?

Thanks for the replies. As it stands I use the Roubaix as a training bike and the Tarmac as a racing/special occasion bike. This is all well and good however because my setup between the two is quite different (this is down to the stack height that Dangle reffered to in his post) I am wondering if this is wise? If I'm feeling happier on the Roubaix then why not tart it up and train and race on this? Ideally I suppose I would could get the S-Works Roubaix frame as well (I'm a big believer in the n+1 rule ) My question goes back to this part of your statement.... "the tarmac would give you a better edge if you are the racer type"... how much of an edge is it really giving me? I can definately feel that the power transfer and responsiveness is better but it's got a better wheelset, groupset and is the flagship (s-works) version of the frame. Would a fully kitted Roubax not give the same effect? And given that the geometry is a bit "slacker" on the Roubaix it is therefore less aerodynamic. How important is this when you are sitting in the bunch in a race?

Hello, I've been riding a 105 equipped Specialized Roubaix for a couple of years and always found it a really comfortable ride. I recently built myself up a DA equipped Specialized Tarmac as I a. wanted a new bike and b. wanted something a bit more "racey" and aggressive in terms of setup as I find myself getting more into bike racing these days. Anyway try as I might I just cannot get the Tarmac setup to a point where I feel 100% happy with. I can ride it fine but I just don't feel as good as I do on the Roubaix. I guess essentially the reason for this is down to the reason why I bought it - because it is more racey and aggressive. So to my question... In a bike race how much am I giving away by riding on a Roubaix versus a bike with more aggressive geometry? My guess is it is probably not much given that I am sitting in a bunch most of the time. My current thinking is that if I happier on the Roubaix then I may as well take the DA components off of the Tarmac and put them on the Roubaix and race on that. The Tarmac frame can then be sold and the money spent on some zipp wheels or something of the nature. However, I am not keen to do this if I am making life harder for myself. If there are significant benefits to be had from the Tarmac then I am more than happy to HTFU and ride on that. I suppose the answer is to just try it and see how it feels

The run route was also over 1km too long last year as well (measured on my Garmin) which seriously sucked in that heat. Given that you were using a dead turn I couldn't figure out why this was neccessary! It would be great if you could get this right too. Otherwise a cracking race and I'll be back with a few mates this year.

My new favourite bike. I wonder what my missus will think if I sell my car and get one.

It's been cane harvesting season so tractors, trucks etc have knocked them over. Most, if not all, of the trails are on working farms so farming takes priority. I ride there quite a bit and have never really had any issues aside from the odd missing marker and if you keep your eyes open you can normally figure out which direction you're headning as there will be tyre tracks. That being said, I haven't ridden there since September so maybe its got worse. Pity because there are some great trails there.

@Caad4 and Canfan - This will be my first December living in Ballito so to be honest I don't know what shape the rides will end up taking over the holidays. The guys who have been here before over that period reckon there is sometimes quite a crowd and the rides often split up into groups of varying speeds and distances. For those of us that live here - Tues/Weds/Thurs will normally be 45-60km, Saturday 90km-120km and Sunday 60km-90km. Most rides are at a decent pace 28-30kph, sometimes faster, but guys are pretty friendly and if people get dropped we'll wait at the top of climbs etc. I would recommend joining. There are some great rides around here, big climbs and nice quiet roads. Cheers

If you want to MTB then Holla is the answer, it's fantastic. If you want to road ride there is a group of us that leave from the Ballito BP at 5:30. At the moment rides are tues, weds, thurs, sat, sun but will probably turn into everyday once the holidays start. There is some great road riding round here.

very pretty!

I would give it a bash. You have got nothing to loose.

Start eating from 20 minutes into the ride and don't stop. Look to take in +-300 cals an hour from gels,bars, chews etc while you are riding plus whatever they give you to eat when you stop along the way. Maybe think of a few savory snacks as well like salted peanuts or whatever as you will eventualy get very sick of sweet stuff. Whatever you do don't wait until you feel hungry or tired before you eat as then it will be too late.

A buddy of mine told me that the current Specialized distributor in SA called Le Peleton or something has lost their contract with Spesh and Spesh are going to be bringing the bikes in direct. This is why Specialized are on sale everywhere as the disti is getting rid of stock. You should try and get hold of them and see if they will do you a deal. I reckon they might if they have your size. I have no idea if this is true or not.

its pretty but probably not the best choice for the roadie season.

Dude, I think if you had properly read and understood the rules you would realise there is no such thing as "just riding your bike".

p.s. Specialized SA themselves are flogging of bikes pretty cheap at the moment. You have to buy through an authorized reseller so maybe call a specialized dealer and see if they can do you a deal.

I wish my old man would have bought me an sworks. I think I got a couple of BMXs and a peaugot over the years.

I always thought Festina was like a French bank or something... now I know better. Rolex Explorer II Tag 2000 Classic Garmin 405

I clean my mountain bike after every ride and will use a bike wash if I am at a trail centre and they have one. I clean my road bikes every weekend. Sometimes every other weekend if it has been dry but I would still clean and lube the chainset. I use sunlight dish soap and water. I used to use muckoff but sunlight seems to do the job just as well. I would never let anyone but me clean my road bikes. No one does as a good a job as me.

I would suggest the Zipp carbon cages in black. They would be a nice touch as they would match your wheels as well. Are those ones you have on there the carbon rib cages or the plastic? In the pictures they look like the plastic ones and too me that's a bit like Rolls Royce making the flying lady hood ornament out of plastic.

Very very nice. That looks 10 x better than it did with those Roval wheels on it. I'm not sure what it is about Rovals but they just don't do it for me. Too many decals maybe. You still need to sort out some decent bottle cages please!

Oh and as far as this statement goes: "Guys if we don't race we don't have a business, so the option of postponing again is simply not on the cards.." Let me enlighten you... You didn't have a race and you don't have a business.

I am amazed that you think anyone will sign up to this next year after this years fiasco. It is actually a bit cheeky of you to even try. Your best bet, if you really are going to pursue this, is to do like Garfield suggested and start with a small local HIM and try and grow it from there. You've got some serious work cut out for you to try and get peoples trust back. In fact I would say it's impossible. You will not get one out of town athlete signing up for next year. No one is going to commit the time, effort and money if there is even a 1% chance of the race not happening and I'm afraid in that regard your goose is cooked. Now, like Zula said, stop with the PR and refund people their money. I assume you haven't because you don't have it anymore and so are looking for sponsors for next year so you can refund this years entrants. Borrow from Peter to pay Paul.

That is really quite something! You are right about the 808's though, that would finish it off nicely. You also need to get a black drinks bottle and trim that big loop of cable you've got going to the rear derailleur.

Your driveway needs some TLC

don't Rudy Project also make helmets and watches and Oakley all manner of clothing and paraphernalia?