I just signed up for my first triathlon in 3 months. I’m looking at getting my first bike, but not trying to spend too much money.
If you had to choose between these two, which would you prefer?
A: 2015 Specialized Roubaix SL4
B: Fuji D6 3.0
by fit-fynn
6 Comments
Most definately the specialized. A TT bike is absolutely horrible to ride and should fit like a glove. If you’re not used to riding bikes, start with a normal one, and ride in the droppers for aero gains.
it’s your very first tri – the Roubaix is a no brainer. Who knows how long you’ll do triathlon and who knows how long you’ll ride bikes? Better to get the one that can do both instead of the one that’s going to be useless for 60% of bike rides
You ride the Specialized. You race the Fuji. I have always recommended that your first bike purchase be something good to train on. The Fuji is quite stiff. The Roubaix is specifically designed for going long. Relaxed geometry and “Zerts”, I think they call them, which are shock absorbing frame bits. Very different bikes, one being all around and one being very purpose specific. The best way to get faster is riding. You’ll ride the Specialized longer, further, and more often.
I would go with the Specialized too. It’s a much better overall bike. You’ll want to ride it a lot more than you would the Fuji and that’s more important in your first year or two of competition. Even though the Fuji D6 looks like a much more aerodynamic bike it is not. It’s like they were guessing as to what worked and didn’t. It also has a lot of the drawbacks associated with this era’s tri-bikes such as under the bb rear brake, behind the fork front brake, vertical rear dropouts, weird cable routing (all things that make it a pain in the butt to work on) and a few things I can’t remember. D6’s are very cheap now because of these issues.
Specialized for sure. More versatile and comfortable. I did all of my sprint triathlons and duathlons on my 2016 SL4. A tri-bike was in the plan until I had to stop running. A tri-bike is not an only bike. It’s a +1 down the line if you get into tris. The engine (you) will make the biggest difference, especially since you’re just starting out. Focus on your training. The racing is the fun part. Why excel at one discipline when you can be mediocre in three 😂. Good luck.
Bro wtf is that seatpost on the specialized.