Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: which is the best all-road bike?

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Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: which is the best all-road bike?

The Specialized Roubaix SL8, Ribble Allroad SL R and Enve Fray are three all-road bikes that have performed well in Cyclist’s reviews. 

They all offer plenty of tyre clearance, so you can fit wide tyres and take to off-road trails, as well as providing on-road comfort. They’re all well suited to longer rides too, with plentiful mounting points and mudguard compatibility.

But Specialized, Enve and Ribble offer different value propositions and go about delivering all-road performance differently. Read on for our in-depth comparison of the Specialized Roubaix SL8, Enve Fray and Ribble Allroad SL R and some thoughts on how to choose the best all-road bike for your needs and budget.

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Key features at a glance

Specialized Roubaix SL 8

• 40mm tyre clearance
• Future Shock suspension headset
• External cables from bars into frame/fork
• No internal storage
• Now with mudguard mounts, plus top tube and third bottle cage 
• Seven frame sizes

Enve Fray

• 40mm tyre clearance 1x, 38mm 2x
• Enve In-Route internal cabling
• Internal down tube storage
• Mudguard mounts, top tube mounts, third bottle cage mounts
• Seven frame sizes

Ribble Allroad SL R

• 38mm tyre clearance
• Internal down tube storage
• Choice of RIbble handlebars including aero options
• Mudguard mounts
• Five frame sizes

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Tyre clearance

An all-important consideration when choosing an all-road bike is the maximum tyre width you can squeeze into the frame. Many riders may choose not to max this out and some will want to fit mudguards, which will reduce the size of tyre they can fit.

But if you do plan to make use of a bike’s off-road capabilities at some point, it will be handy to be able to fit wider, grippier tyres, or at least have the confidence that mud accumulation is less likely to clog the wheels.

In this regard, it’s a close race between the three bikes, although the Specialized does have a slight edge if you’re running a 2x groupset, which are specced on all but one Roubaix model.

Fit 2x and the Enve and Ribble’s stated clearance is the same at 38mm, although Enve says you can increase this to 40mm with a 1x groupset fitted. 

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Geometry

Another key aspect of the all-road equation is the bike’s geometry. That of all-road bikes tends to be close to the best endurance road bikes and not as relaxed as many gravel bikes.

All figures in mm, except where indicated

That can be seen when comparing the geometry of the three bikes, all of which have comparable reach. Stack figures vary though, with the Tarmac’s taller to accommodate the Future Shock fork. Its wheelbase and bottom bracket drop are substantially greater than the Ribble, which should promote greater stability in the Roubaix. Meanwhile Future Shock also leads to a short head tube, to allow for the suspension element.

Enve offers four different forks with rakes of between 55mm and 43mm, to suit its seven frame sizes. Specialized has two different fork rakes across its seven frame sizes: 52mm and 47mm. Ribble has a single fork across its seven frame sizes with 45mm offset.

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Frame grades

The Roubaix is the only bike here that’s offered in multiple frame grades. The S-Works Roubaix has a FACT 12R frameset with a claimed 828g frame weight, while non-S-Works bikes use Specialized’s FACT 10R carbon, resulting in a 950g frame weight. Specialized doesn’t specify the carbon fibre composition of its different FACT grades, but FACT 12R is likely to include a greater proportion of higher modulus, more expensive carbon fibre.

Specialized doesn’t quote a frame size or whether that’s painted, but Enve is more specific, quoting a 900g frame weight for a size 56 painted frame. There’s one frame grade, made from what Enve calls MOD carbon. Again, the carbon fibre composition isn’t specified.

Ribble, meanwhile, quotes a 995g frame weight for a size M frame, although whether that’s painted is not specified. It does clarify the carbon fibre grades used though: a mix of T1000 and the latest high modulus M46 fibre, which is claimed by its maker Torayca to offer enhanced tensile and compressive strength.

The Enve Fray has a T47 bottom bracket and a UDH rear derailleur interface, while the Specialized Roubaix and Ribble Allroad have a BSA bottom bracket and custom derailleur hanger. 

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Compliance

Rather than relying on frame features for compliance, the Specialized Roubaix features the brand’s Future Shock headset, providing up to 20mm of travel at the bars, with the extent of tuneability decreasing as you move down the Roubaix model range.

The Future Shock 3.3 in the highest spec bikes includes a spring with a hydraulic damper and the headset cap can be rotated to adjust the rebound setting while riding. Lower down the range, the Future Shock 3.2 system has similar properties, but omits the on-bike adjustment. Bikes with the Future Shock 3.1 system have the sprung headset but omit the damper.

The suspension characteristics of all three can be altered at home or in a workshop by swapping between three different spring tensions and adding pre-load washers, allowing you to fine-tune the ride characteristics to suit rider weight and road/trail surface. 

At the rear, the After Shock seatpost is clamped lower down in the frame, to add a claimed 20mm of rearward movement, which is why the seat tube is widened and the junction with the seatpost includes a rubber covering.

We remarked on the exceptionally smooth ride, with reviewer James commenting that it was the most comfortable road bike he’d ever ridden. 

In contrast to the Roubaix’s active compliance features, both the Enve Fray and the Ribble Allroad SL R rely on the frame’s carbon lay-up – and the wide tyres – to smooth out uneven surfaces. 

Our experience suggests that they achieve that to differing degrees. While we remarked on how the test Fray’s fitted 35mm tyres make the bike very smooth rolling, we were more equivocal about the Allroad’s stiff frame. Arguably taking advantage of the 38mm tyre clearance and swapping to wider tyres than the 32mm Pirellis fitted to our test Allroad and running them at lower pressure could help to address this. 

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Aerodynamics

The current generation of the Roubaix has more developed aero features than its predecessors. That includes a more elongated head tube, lowered seatstays and deeper sections to the fork legs and down tube.

Where the Roubaix loses out in the aero stakes is its external cabling, which is a result of the Future Shock’s headset design. Although they look insignificant, the round section of cables and hoses exposed at the front of the bike have an oversize effect on a bike’s drag. It makes for a rather dated look, when the majority of modern road and gravel bikes have internal or semi-integrated cabling. No aero claims are made for the Hover bars or the stem either.

Enve has aero optimised the frame shapes on the Fray too, using CFD and wind tunnel testing of the frame alongside its SES wheel profiles. Unlike the Roubaix, cables and hoses are integrated, using the Enve In-Route system. 

It claims its stem adds to the aero features and the Fray’s frame is compatible with Enve’s full range of aero one-piece and two-piece handlebars, as well as the non-aero Compact Road carbon bars.

Ribble has gone the furthest though, with the Allroad SL R including features developed for the Ribble Ultra Aero road bike, including the wider stance fork legs to avoid interference with the turbulent airflow around the wheels. There’s a very wide down tube too, which flares towards the bottom bracket and is claimed to help direct airflow away from the bottle and cage.

The seat tube and seatpost also adopt an aero profile, while the seat stays are aero shaped and have a wide stance around the rear wheel. As with Enve, Ribble allows you to choose your cockpit. The Allroad SL R is currently specced with the aero one-piece RL-2 carbon bars on higher specs and separate Level alloy bars and stem with semi-integrated cabling on lower priced specs.

The more extreme, and claimed to be even more aero, UB-2 carbon handlebars fitted to our review bike are still available as an upgrade. A two-piece design based on the one-piece bars fitted to the Ultra Aero, we didn’t find them comfortable though.

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Bolt-ons

If your all-road riding extends to longer rides, the ability to carry extra water, food and other items may be an important consideration.

Options differ between the three bikes. Both the Roubaix and the Fray have a third bottle cage mount below the down tube, a feature lacking in the Ribble. It also omits a top tube bag mounting point, another feature of the Roubaix and Fray framesets.

But the Ribble Allroad does include in-frame storage, so you can stash stuff out of the wind, as does the Enve Fray but not the Specialized Roubaix. Factor reckons, based on its wind tunnel testing of its Monza, that this can save 6 watts versus carrying a saddle pack.

All three bikes have mounts for mudguards though, a feature lacking in previous generations of the Roubaix.

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Spec levels

Specialized and Enve take diametrically opposite approaches to speccing your bike. Specialized offers a range of stock builds and, unlike the Tarmac SL8 where you can buy the S-Works model frameset-only, this isn’t currently an option for UK buyers of the Roubaix. Buyers in the US and many other markets can buy the S-Works Roubaix frameset-only.

As well as wheels, the Roubaix’s groupset, components and even frame colour are a function of the spec level. The frame size determines parameters such as bar width and crank length, with no opportunity to alter these when buying.

The Fray is only sold frameset-only. That allows you to choose your own spec, with Enve happy to oblige. There are a range of custom component interfaces though, so you won’t have free rein, needing to choose an Enve headset, stem and bars too for the In-Route cable routing. Likewise, the seatpost is a custom Enve design. 

You do get the opportunity to choose your (electronic-only) groupset, crank length, bar width and other fit parameters and you could choose to fit non-Enve wheels, if you don’t care about brand loyalty.

Ribble’s approach is somewhere between Specialized and Enve’s. You can choose one of its stock builds, of which there are currently four, as shown below, or buy frameset-only. 

The Ribble online bike-builder allows you to customise and upspec some aspects of the spec, including a selection of wheels, handlebars and saddles. You can’t choose parameters such as crank length or handlebar width though, which are pre-set for the chosen frame size.

For a price uplift, you can choose from a range of frame and logo colours. Ribble is currently showing 48 hours dispatch if you choose one of the two stock frame colours, but custom colours push that out to 4 to 6 weeks. 

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Prices

The Specialized Roubaix covers a huge price range, with the S-Works model costing £12,000. That’s 50% more than the next spec down, the £8,000 Roubaix SL8 Pro and there are specs priced down to £2,500.

Ribble too offers a wide range of prices. Even the Hero build with Zipp wheels and Dura-Ace groupset tops out at only £7,000, although you can add to that with a wheel upgrade to Zipp 353 NSW wheels and custom paint. The base Sport build is priced at £2,600, although that’s specced with Shimano 105 in place of the Roubaix’s Tiagra. As at June 2025, Ribble had discounted its bikes significantly too.

Buy a Fray frameset and you will pay £5,500, to which you can expect to add a significant amount for the Enve components needed to fit. You’re unlikely to see much change from £10,000 and most builds will considerably exceed this figure, putting the Fray on a par with the S-Works Roubaix SL8.

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Available builds compared

Next we’ll run through the available builds for each bike. It’s a bit of an unequal comparison though; whereas Specialized and Ribble offer stock builds, unlike Specialized Ribble builds its bikes to order, so there are opportunities to upspec (or downspec) components fitted to the Allroad SL R that Specialized doesn’t offer.

Choose the Enve Fray and you get free run of Enve components, whatever groupset and saddle you prefer and can choose your own Enve or non-Enve wheels.

Specialized Roubaix SL 8 bike range

S-Works Roubaix SL8 SRAM Red AXS

• Frame/fork: S-Works Roubaix SL8 FACT 12r
• Bar/stem: S-Works Carbon Hover carbon on S-Works Future Stem and Future Shock 3.3 headset 
• Groupset: SRAM Red AXS 46/33, 10-36t 12-speed
• Power meter: SRAM Red AXS double sided 
• Wheels:  Roval Terra CLX II carbon
• Saddle: S-Works Power with Mirror
• Claimed weight: 7.20kg, size 56
• Price: £12,000

S-Works Roubaix SL8 Di2

• Frame/fork: S-Works Roubaix SL8 FACT 12r
• Bar/stem: S-Works Carbon Hover carbon on S-Works Future Stem and Future Shock 3.3 headset 
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace 50/34, 11-34t 12-speed
• Power meter: 4iiii Precision Pro double sided 
• Wheels:  Roval Terra CLX II carbon
• Saddle: S-Works Power with Mirror
• Claimed weight: 7.25kg, size 56
• Price: £12,000

Specialized Roubaix SL8 Pro

• Frame/fork: Roubaix SL8 FACT 10r
• Bar/stem:  S-Works Carbon Hover carbon on Future Stem Pro and Future Shock 3.3 headset 
• Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 52/34, 11-34t 12-speed
• Power meter: No
• Wheels:  Roval Terra CL II carbon
• Saddle: BG Power Pro
• Claimed weight: 8.10kg, size 56
• Price: £8,000

Specialized Roubaix SL8 Expert

• Frame/fork: Roubaix SL8 FACT 10r
• Bar/stem: Specialized Hover Expert alloy on Future Stem Pro and Future Shock 3.2 headset 
• Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS 46/33, 10-36t 12-speed
• Power meter: SRAM Rival single sided
• Wheels:  Roval Terra C carbon
• Saddle: BG Power Expert
• Claimed weight: 8.62kg, size 56
• Price: £5,500

Specialized Roubaix SL8 Comp

• Frame/fork: Roubaix SL8 FACT 10r
• Bar/stem: Specialized Hover Comp alloy on Future Stem Comp and Future Shock 3.2 headset 
• Groupset: Shimano 105 50/34, 11-36t 12-speed
• Power meter: No
• Wheels:  DT Swiss G540 alloy
• Saddle: BG Power Sport
• Claimed weight: 8.97kg, size 56
• Price: £4,250

Specialized Roubaix SL8 Sport Apex

• Frame/fork: Roubaix SL8 FACT 10r
• Bar/stem: Specialized Hover Comp alloy on Future Stem Comp and Future Shock 3.1 headset 
• Groupset: SRAM Apex AXS 42, 11-44t 12-speed
• Power meter: No
• Wheels:  DT Swiss G540 alloy
• Saddle: BG Power Sport
• Claimed weight: 8.93kg, size 56
• Price: £3,250

Specialized Roubaix SL8 Sport 105

• Frame/fork: Roubaix SL8 FACT 10r
• Bar/stem: Specialized Hover Comp alloy on Future Stem Comp and Future Shock 3.1 headset 
• Groupset: Shimano 105 50/34, 11-36t 12-speed
• Power meter: No
• Wheels:  DT Swiss G540 alloy
• Saddle: BG Power Sport
• Claimed weight: 9.07kg, size 56
• Price: £3,000

Specialized Roubaix SL8

• Frame/fork: Roubaix SL8 FACT 10r
• Bar/stem: Specialized Hover Comp alloy on Future Stem Comp and Future Shock 3.1 headset 
• Groupset: Shimano Tiagra 50/34, 11-34t 12-speed
• Power meter: No
• Wheels:  Axis Elite alloy
• Saddle: BG Power Sport
• Claimed weight: 9.46kg, size 56
• Price: £2,500

S-Works Roubaix SL8 frameset

Specialized isn’t currently listing the S-Works Roubaix SL8 FACT 12r carbon frameset for UK riders. It previously showed this, fitted with a Future Shock 3.3 headset, priced at £4,750 and with a claimed 2.11kg total weight.

Enve Fray bike range

Fray frameset

• Claimed weight: 900g (size 56, painted)
• Price: £5,500

Ribble Allroad SL R pre-built specs

Allroad SL R – Hero

• Frame/fork: Allroad SL R carbon
• Bar/stem: Ribble RL-2 one-piece carbon
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace, 50/34t, 11-30t
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon
• Saddle: Selle Italia SL R Boost 3D Kit Carbonio
• Claimed weight: 7.5kg, size M
• Price: £6,999

Allroad SL R – Pro

• Frame/fork: Allroad SL R carbon
• Bar/stem: Ribble RL-2 one-piece carbon
• Groupset: Shimano Ultegra, 50/34t, 11-34t
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: Mavic Cosmic S 42 carbon
• Saddle: Selle Italia SL R Boost
• Claimed weight: Not specified
• Price: £4,599

Allroad SL R – Enthusiast

• Frame/fork: Allroad SL R carbon
• Bar/stem: Level alloy bars on RS-2 alloy stem
• Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2, 50/34t, 11-36t
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: Mavic Aksium 1 alloy
• Saddle: Selle Italia Model X Superflow
• Claimed weight: Not specified
• Price: £3,199

Allroad SL R – Sport

• Frame/fork: Allroad SL R carbon
• Bar/stem: Level alloy bars on RS-2 alloy stem
• Groupset: Shimano 105 mechanical, 50/34t, 11-36t
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: Mavic Aksium 1 alloy
• Saddle: Selle Italia Model X Superflow
• Claimed weight: Not specified
• Price: £2,599

Allroad SL R frameset

• Claimed weight: 995g (size M)
• Price: £2,099

Specialized Roubaix vs Enve Fray vs Ribble Allroad SL R: Which should you choose?

If you want to try, or at least see, your bike or a bike with a similar spec before buying, then Specialized has the upper hand. Its extensive dealer network means that someone not too far away may have your bike spec in stock.

Although Ribble’s main business is online, it does offer four UK sales centres, so you may not have to travel too far to see what’s available. There’s also a virtual showroom, where you can talk via your computer with a Ribble representative, who will walk you through the bike and answer your questions.

Enve frames and components are stocked by a smaller network of UK distributors, so it’s possible you may be able to find a Fray frameset to see, although probably not a full bike. You can talk to staff at Saddleback, the UK distributor, before ordering but you may have to buy sight-unseen.

If you’re looking for a bike at the price of the Fray, you probably know what you want. Being able to spec your preferred wheelset, groupset, crank length, bar width and other component choices is an advantage of the Fray that’s not offered should you choose a Roubaix.

Ribble is something of a half-way house; although you can’t choose component dimensions, you can select your preferred wheelset, saddle and some other components, as well as one of Ribble’s range of bars and stems. However flashy you choose, you’re not going to match the price of the S-Works Roubaix SL8 or most builds of the Fray though.

If you’re looking lower down the price range, the Enve soon drops out, leaving you with a choice between the Ribble and the Specialized. Here, it’s principally down to a choice of how aero you want to be versus how much extra comfort you want from Specialized’s added compliance features. You’ll get a better spec for a similar price from Ribble though and it also offers the cheaper Allroad SL, the titanium Allroad Ti and even an electric Allroad SL R e, so you’re spoilt for choice.

Read our full reviews of the Specialized Roubaix SL 8, Enve Fray and Ribble Allroad SL R to help you choose.

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