Thank you to all who have replied!

I am looking to try the all-carbon 2005 Roubaix Elite so I am hoping for a
very comfortable ride. The up-right position is something I find attractive
anyhow. But I also really like the look of 2005 Tarmac Comp (also all
carbon) which seems to have the *same price* as 2005 Roubaix Elite. It will
be hard to decide between these two bikes given they are basically the same
price and even group-set and wheels appear to be the same. Must be the frame
choice....

Cheers all

"Callistus Valerius" wrote in message
link.net...

I would like to hear opinions of owners (or test riders) of Specialized
Roubaix (Comp or Elite) or Specialized Tarmac (Comp or Pro) road
bicycles.
I
am looking to buy one of those bikes (2005 model) in a few months time
and
also wondering if I should be spending money elsewhere......

Good? Bad? Ugly?
Value for money? Warranty? Reliability? Comfort?

Have a couple thousand miles on Roubaix 105 alu, and at first the
geometry was a little hard to get use to. Took a while to figure out how
high my seat should be, because of the compact design. Now that I'm
getting
use to it, I really like it. But I'm planning to use it for long distance
riding (125 201 miles) about that range. It has a longer wheel base,
and
is slower steering, but it is extremely stable, and you can really sit in
for miles on end. Comparing it to a Trek 5200, the Trek takes alot more
attention while riding. One thing that might give you a problem is the
tall
head tube. Expect to have your handlebars an inch higher, even with all
the
spacers out. Might add a little wind resistance in that area, but it
doesn't seem to bother me too much. The bike will also feel "bigger",
don't
ask me why. Someone told me it has the geometry that old tour de france
bikes had years ago, before they turned them all into crit bikes.