New Specialized Headshok (Roubaix)

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McNamara
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 10:57 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

by McNamara

I will give Specialized credit on one thing, it does seem to make much more sense to place the suspension above the head tube than below, as with the old Cannondale design.

But yes, it's ugly. Aesthetics are important in a bike. If you can't stand to look at it, you're not going to swing your leg over it every day. I'm also a fan of Trek's take on road bike 'suspension' as well; the Domane is actually nice to look at, and I like the idea of utilizing carbon's natural ability to flex rather than adding springs to cushion the ride. The Domane is also available with either disc or rim brakes, and you can get it in the 'pro' geometry too if you prefer that to the super upright standard geo. Not sure if that's an option with the Roubaix for the general public.

Anyway, I'm sure it will sell even if it is largely marketing over engineering. I still like the Tarmac but I'm even less of a Roubaix fan than before.

maquisard
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Location: France

by maquisard

As I said before it doesn't make any sense to have front fork suspension on a road bike.

Why? Go out on the road, attach strain gauages and accelerometers to a road bike and measure the frequency of the vibrations to the frame from the likes of gravel, concrete and cobbles. Next model the fork, specifically the suspension and damper. The frequency response of any system will be much much lower and it will not be able to respond to most road vibration. The over riding factor will always be the tires and the deformity of the carbon fibre in the fork. It is the same with cars, take two cars, one with sports suspension, the other with softer comfort suspension. Put thicker softer tires on the one with sports suspension and low profile tires on the one with softer suspension and the former will be the most comfortable. Tire pressures and more recently, rim width, are everything!

If you want to ride fast over gravel, rough surfaces or cobbles you would be much better served buying an OPEN U.P. or 3T Exploro and larger fatter tires!

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gmboy
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Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 8:46 am

by gmboy

looks interesting

morrisond
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Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:34 pm

by morrisond

The should have located the spring inside the Headtube and made it out of carbon.

Then it would be cool and incognito.

DartanianX
Posts: 616
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:00 am

by DartanianX

All of you should go and ride the bike. It's rad, for the customer who wants a Roubaix, it's going to offer everything they want, plus more. The future shock works surprisingly well, you don't notice it at all, unless you're purposely looking for it, and ridding through rough sections the bike does float under you.

Imagine it as the rider is suspended, unlike the chassis is suspended like on a full suspension MTB.

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DartanianX
Posts: 616
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 6:00 am

by DartanianX

It makes perfect sense for suspension on a road bike.

Staying in contact with the ground over rougher terrain, equals better traction, handling and higher cornering speeds. All which make you as a rider faster.

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maquisard
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: France

by maquisard

DartanianX wrote:It makes perfect sense for suspension on a road bike.


No it doesn't, not to anyone who has ever studied a control engineering course as part of an engineering degree and understands the frequency response of systems. :smartass:

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DMF
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Location: Sweden

by DMF

Test rode it briefly today, trying some very (very!) harsh surfaces, it is in a league of its own. Really, there is absolutely nothing out there that is like this. Domane has nothing in common with the Future Shock...

So really, if you're sceptic go and try it instead of trying to reason about it, because you will be wrong this time. For what it is, not a comfort bike but a brutal cobble racer, this thing is superior...

Really, try it... It's a true shocker, and that does not happen too often even in cycling...

euph
Posts: 161
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 10:35 pm

by euph

Or is it a "true HedShocker"?

thedonnydino
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 11:10 pm

by thedonnydino

The guys at Velofix here in Sydney came up with a way to demonstrate how the shock works by simply taping a timber dowel to some rollers. It's quite a nifty little trick!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKPCWS9A0sm ... fixrozelle

sawyer
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Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

Just how many of us are racing on cobbles??? Solution looking for a problem - i.e. marketing BS

Suddenly we all need a bike that can better absorb cobble impacts for that slight chance we'll ride the P-R sportif one day? Give me a break

We need good road bikes for tarmac, not discs, suspension, blah blah

Can anyone from Spesh come on here and tell us what it really weighs?
----------------------------------------
Stiff, Light, Aero - Pick Three!! :thumbup:

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Calnago
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by Calnago

Ha, that video is awesome. Reminds me of when you hit those "rumble strips" on the shoulders of major roads that are intended to wake drivers up who may inadvertently drift into the shoulder. Yeah.... I'm always looking for those things so I can ride over them head on. So much fun. Lol
But I suppose if you're riding off road, then it would be great. Or just get a mountain bike so you're not just limited to gravel roads with the occasional pothole.
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euan
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by euan

There is a reason why Specialized chose somewhere that doesn't include steep descents

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

So is this a "gravel bike" or a road bike with comfort and gravel-lite aspirations built in?
I've been thinking of a gravel/adventure bike and I was trying to figure out the differences between the Crux, Diverge, and Sequoia. There is so much overlap.

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pdlpsher1
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Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

About 90% of the roads that I ride on are chip sealed. To me it seems to make more sense to run larger tires than to have suspension on a bike for chip sealed roads. As maquisard pointed out the tire width and pressure has the biggest effect on ride quality. The Silca website has a blog entry that talked about that...something to the effect that the difference between two tires with different pressure is greater than the difference between the stiffest and softest frame out on the market.

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