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Ian Dewar's Journal
Mount Hamilton Roubaix Ride
posted by id* at 10:51 PM on August 11, 2008
- Region:
- San Jose, CA
- Location:
- san jose, ca
- Country:
- United States of America
- Ride Type:
- Road
- Nearest Zipcode:
- 95110
Ride Description
I got my hands on an S-Works 2009 Roubaix SL2 this past weekend and wanted to put it through it's paces a bit as they say. So I figured, what's the best way to test a bike that is designed to be the ultimate endurance cycling bike?
Go on a long ride of course! So I put the saddle to the correct height, adjusted the stem and was ready to ride! I picked a 56 Roubaix SL2 which came with a compact crank and a 12-25 rear cassette. I typically ride 56 or 58 so was interested to see how the 56 would feel. Especially going uphill.
We picked a ride that was long enough to be called an Endurance Ride and had some climbing in it, but not sooooo long so that we'd be pedaling squares by the end of it. Mt. Hamilton sounded like the perfect testing site. Rising 20 miles from it's base in East San Jose, Mt Hamilton is a hard enough climb to be included in the Tour of California, but an easy enough climb that us regular Joes can hit it too. With a sustained grade of 4-5% most of the way up it allows for comfortable riding but also it's a great spot to test the Roubaix's climb worthy-ness.
The first thing I will say is the longer wheelbase does absolutely make for a more enjoyable uphill (and especially downhill) experience. Also the longer head tube on the Roubaix put it in the perfect climbing position for me. The Zertz inserts did exactly as they were supposed to and sucked up a bit of road vibration and the compact crank my bike came with was the perfect gearing for me. I climbed most of the way in 34-19 with a few pitches up to 34-23. I don't think I ever used the 25 on the back, but it's nice to know it's there.
For me the climb was perfectly comfortable and I finished in 1:45 - 10 minutes faster than last time - at a very moderate pace the whole way up.
The Roubaix is a great bike for this type of climbing. I was able to accelerate when needed to keep up with my riding partner, but when he wanted to get all Bernard Kohl on me - I was content to sit down and ride a smooth pace to the top. While Bret may have put 4 minutes into me (over a 1:45 climb) I certainly looked the best all the way up!
Where the Roubaix SL2 really shined however was on the descent. The ultra stiff bottom bracket accelerated out of corners like a Tarmac SL2, but the longer wheelbase on the Roubaix made descending so much more comfortable. Also the Zerts inserts really sucked up the road vibration on the way down.
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