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Road Gear

Gallery: The big, squishy tech of Roubaix

VeloNews goes behind the scenes to showcase some interesting tech solutions and combinations used to combat the cobbles at Paris-Roubaix.

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Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and everything in between when you join Outside+.

Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix is full of quirky tech choices, though much fewer than it used to be. Most riders are on standard bikes with normal wheels. The only major concession to comfort are big tires — at least 28mm — and occasionally little touches like this. John Degenkolb added a single Paul brake lever for his rear brake. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Degenkolb used Shimano Di2 sprint shifters. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
The Trek leader also used a Di2 remote shifter. So he had eight different shift buttons available to him. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Degenkolb’s bottle. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Tight 11-23 cassettes. No need for anything wider. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
54-42 for Degenkolb. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Trek sells these special race-oriented Domane’s, but you better want a super short head tube and aggressive cornering geometry. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Dege didn’t quite have it on Sunday, but his ride was a good step forward after last year’s accident. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
40cm bars for the German. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
And a classy sector list. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Roubaix wheels just get deeper and deeper. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Oodles of room on the Domane. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
The Domane has an adjustable rear IsoSpeed decoupler. Seven is the softest. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
‘Pinarellow’ recently launched a new version of its Dogma K8s softail frame that has automatic lockout. It senses how rough the road surface is an adjusts accordingly. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Engage: ‘Tourism Mode’ on the Dogma’s suspension remote. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
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Only two Sky riders, Gianni Moscon and Ian Stannard, ran the new system at Roubaix. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Sky was on FMB tubulars, all 28mm. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Moscon, Sky’s young cobblestone revelation, used a Di2 climbing shifter. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Matthew Hayman came into Roubaix with tempered expectations, but was still dissapointed at the finish when he failed to defend his title. He rode the same bike as he did last year, a Scott Foil aero frame with big 28mm Continental Pro LTD tires. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Hayman’s bike was checked for a motor before the start, along with most of the bikes at Roubaix. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
A blocky Syncros stem and aluminum bar for Hayman’s Foil. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
A bit of a Roubaix theme for Hayman’s bike. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Most aero bikes won’t take a tire this big, but the Foil uses direct mount calipers, which provide quite a bit more room. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
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Teams roll into Compiegne on Sunday. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Sector list. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Only one Cannondale-Drapac rider, Will Clarke, rode discs on Sunday. He rode mechanical TRPs instead of hydraulic Shimanos. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Riders ran between 55 and 75psi. Most of the Cannondale team was on 4.8 bar, or 69psi, to start. The latex tubulars leak quite quickly, so mechanics expected them to be at around 62 by the time the race reached the cobbles.
Paris-Roubaix
Clarke’s mechanical discs. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
All of Direct Energie was on discs. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Most riders run a 53 or 54-tooth big ring and a 42 or 44-tooth small ring. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Direct Energie rode big, rebadged Hutchinson tires (they’re actually Dugast) and discs brakes at Paris-Roubaix 2017. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Pros use a “rounded” rotor, but it looks almost identical to the regular rotors. Just a bit of beveling on the edges. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
We’re almost certain these aren’t Hutchinsons. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
That looks like a Dugast stamp. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
A rubber band around the bottle cage helps keeps bottles from ejecting. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Sunweb got the new goods from Shimano. They were the only team on the company’s new Dura-Ace rotors. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
A line of Cofidis bikes. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Rough grip tape on all the bottle cages at Cofidis. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Keep an eye out for in-race footage. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
A mechanic mounts a front wheel to one of BMC’s Roubaix bikes. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Some sector charts are more pro than others. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Campagnolo has a direct-mount brake now. Just like it’s Shimano counterpart it offers far more tire clearance. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Grippy. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Team Delko-Marseille Provence KTM used mechanical discs and 140mm rotors. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Schwalbe was back with its big G-One tire. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
There’s a lot of pressure checking going on on Roubaix morning. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
And a lot of bottles to be doled out. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Even the police get special bikes for Roubaix. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
The ProLTD badge indicates that this Continental Competition 28mm tire is made with a latex inner tube for lower rolling resistance. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
At some point they’ll all just run single rings. The little ring is really just there to catch the chain if it pops off. If you have to use it, it’s already too late. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Aero bikes at Roubaix? Yep. Tech has come a long way in the last decade. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Careful, don’t step on Tom. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Check ’em off. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Di2 sprint shifters and double wrapped bars. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Vittoria’s 28mm Corsa. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
The throng around Peter Sagan’s bus. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
AG2R’s Factor bikes use direct mount brakes and can fit a 28mm tubular without issue. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
We measured this Dugast at 31, actually. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Bianchi’s claims that its Countervail tech helps decrease vibration. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Paris-Roubaix
Molto celeste! Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com

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