Bike for Paris Roubaix

sagefly

Some advice, from the great and good of the forums, on which of my bike to ride for the Paris Roubaix sportive.

Option 1 Giant defy 2 alu

Option 2 Scott Foil 20 carbon

Which material is better suited to the cobbles?

Also any other advice appreciated, the distance is a no brainer and I don't reckon the cobbles will be too much worse than London and country roads, but I'm sure there is more to be aware of.

The big plus is no hills!!

fenix

Any idea of the clearances for chunky tyres on those bikes ?

meanredspider

Fenix wrote:

Any idea of the clearances for chunky tyres on those bikes ?

+1 for big tyres. I think the OP possibly underestimates the cobbles. I've not done PR but I have done quite some cobbles in NL and I have every respect for that route.

lakesluddite

Well if you have the same bike as last years winner...

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... oil-46798/

imposter2.0

sagefly wrote:

and I don't reckon the cobbles will be too much worse than London and country roads,

Best laugh of the day, so far....

ugo.santalucia

Cobbles in PR are farm tracks, so there are wide gaps, irregular surface, lots of mud, the odd hole, ridges... you name it

They have nothing in common with cobbles in London and not much in common with the Flemmish cobbles either, which are much better maintained.

Secteurs are not flat either, it's very easy to lose control on a wet descent.

If you can fit cyclocross tyres, I would highly recommend you do so, something like Vittoria XN or a similar filed pattern. If you can't, then something supple around the 28-30 mm mark is a decent choice... you really don't want your tyres to get trapped in a gap between stones

When wet, they are terrifying, it's not far off riding on a road covered in frost... you can't change direction

Learn to keep your hands OFF the hoods, hoods are a good way to bang your chin on the stem when you lose your grip... top bars or drops is where your hands should always be

Don't go crazy with low pressure, it won't make the experience more comfortable, nothing will, but it might increase the chances of a pinch flat... use a pressure which is adequate to the size of the tyre... 80 PSI for a 28-30 mm and 50-60 for a 32-34

kingstongraham

fenix

OP have you ever done any cobbles ? There are a few cobbled rides around. DO them first. THey're not pleasant !

Hinaultscrapcousin

Do it right, do it fixed

kirkee

Any decent quality road bike that fits you well and will take 25mm tyres at least will do the job. As for the roads around London being as bad as Paris Roubaix, those cycle courier riders in the capital are even more nails than I first thought.

siddy1972

Ugo is spot on. We did it last year- Arenberg was wet, and utterly terrifying. The rest aren't so bad, but still really rough compared to anything I've ridden over here...
I used my cross bike with Strada Bianca 30c tyres on, 80psi and still had blistered hands by the finish.
Fantastic day out though, in spite of that!

sloppyschleckonds

kirkee wrote:

Any decent quality road bike that fits you well and will take 25mm tyres at least will do the job.

Yet everyone else recommends 28mm or above.

Sutton_Rider

The Giant will take 25's

kirkee

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

kirkee wrote:

Any decent quality road bike that fits you well and will take 25mm tyres at least will do the job.

Yet everyone else recommends 28mm or above.

They may well recommend 28's. I said a frame that will accept 25mm tyres at least. Im giving my advice based on my own experience of past numerous rides in both P Rbx and Flanders sportives. My current bike wont accept 28mm tyres so I go and ride it using 25's, Im going again this April. I wont buy a new bike just for riding pave as my standard road bike with 25mm tyres on works well. Conti GP at 90 psi, im 88 to 90 kgs.

kirkee

Go with the largest tyre you can get away with, 25mm is a min. If your bike wont take bigger tyres, go over there with 25's its not a showstopper, you should still have a good ride.

cycleclinic

I did the route a couple of years back. Can't make it this year as it coninsides with my sistster wedding but the tyres I used and would recommend are the challange strada bianca. They coped with the sketchy bits the slipply downhills with a sharp bend at he bottom everything. They gripped. Ran 50 psi front and 60psi rear. I uses latex tubes at the time as well. No issues.

ugo is right by never ride on the hoods. I did every sector on the drops as I could use the brakes. rest on the hoods and you hands will bounce off.

If you are restricted to 25mm tyres then try the Vittoria Pave or the new corsa. Latex tubes help a tad and are less likely to pinch flat.

If you have an old MTB with v brakes or canti's you could fit drops and ride that.

iron-clover

Fat bike ?

Seriously though, you'll want big tyres.
Although I love the look of the Foils (I wouldn't mind owning one one day) it will be a pretty jarring experience.

Having ridden Flanders (which is far kinder by all accounts) you'd probably want 28C or above. Have fun!

The_Wicker_Man

I'm doing the Hot Chillee Roubaix event this year. I was recommended by those that have done it to use 27/28mm tyres. None of my bikes can take 28mm tyres. So I decided to buy a new Cannondale CAAD12 disc and also got some novatec CDX wheels with 28mm tubeless tyres.

cycleclinic

you cant ride disc brake bikes on PR any more. The French have said non.

Arenberg was slippy when I did it. I approached at nearly 30mph thinking tally ho and charge (what could possibly go wrong) hit the cobbles and the slime and front wheel went in what ever direction it chooe. Had to brake somehow and regain control and took it easier. Stayed upright. many didn't though.

the bit that had me worried was secteur 3? and there was a fast downhill and I went for it then saw a nice 90 degree bend at the bottom ans though how the heck am I going to slow down and get round without sliding. somehow I managed it.

It simply is the best ride I have ever done and ever will do. It is like mountain biking but faster on a road bike. Simply ace.

good luck and no you dont have to ride cobbles before hand to cope. I think I did because I do alot of offroading on rigid MTB's it teaches all the skills you need.

ugo.santalucia

If you are not allowed with discs, you can always wait for 2018, when they will run the Audax... it's every other year in June. It's a better event that the ASO one, in that no one there think he's Cancellara, so there is no added danger for being surrounded by total idiots. It also has 6 food stations, a bit biased on the sweet, rather than savoury side, but hey oh... it's also a lot cheaper, at 15 Euro or so.
It starts at Bohain en Vermendois and it's about 220 Km, not the full distance, but not far off... all the cobbles of course and finish at the velodrome

Hinaultscrapcousin

Are discs still banned? I was under the impression that it was because the UCI suspended the trial and the FFC follows the UCI's rules. If the UCI have now continued the trial does that not mean that discs are allowable again? The UCI even clarified last year that they were fine in mass participation events. Have the FFC specifically banned them?

Monty Dog

It's simple - biggest tyres you can fit - 25mm minimum because the gaps between the stones will rip your sidewalls. Double-wrap your bartape and invest in decent mitts. Comfortable saddle and shorts too. Make sure every nut and screw is tight otherwise it'll rattle free. Metal bottle cages - most carbon ones are bottle-launchers. Grips bars on the tops, get your ar$e over the back of the saddle, drive the biggest gear you can as hard as you can. Love to go back and ride the full-route, it's a 'proper' day out - hitting Arenberg full-bore after 175km is one of my abiding bike-riding memories.

sagefly

Guys thanks for all of the advice and reassurances about how bad the pave really is, 28mm tyres, 2 wraps of bar tape and comfy gloves, well padded shorts and a large dose of commonsense. Plus remember to keep pedalling!

bigmat

sagefly wrote:

Also any other advice appreciated, the distance is a no brainer and I don't reckon the cobbles will be too much worse than London and country roads, but I'm sure there is more to be aware of.

The big plus is no hills!!

Be sure to get back to us on that!

bigmat

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

kirkee wrote:

Any decent quality road bike that fits you well and will take 25mm tyres at least will do the job.

Yet everyone else recommends 28mm or above.

Mate did it on 25s, he suffered but he got round.

bigmat

Monty Dog wrote:

It's simple - biggest tyres you can fit - 25mm minimum because the gaps between the stones will rip your sidewalls. Double-wrap your bartape and invest in decent mitts. Comfortable saddle and shorts too. Make sure every nut and screw is tight otherwise it'll rattle free. Metal bottle cages - most carbon ones are bottle-launchers. Grips bars on the tops, get your ar$e over the back of the saddle, drive the biggest gear you can as hard as you can. Love to go back and ride the full-route, it's a 'proper' day out - hitting Arenberg full-bore after 175km is one of my abiding bike-riding memories.

All good advice, but I used the drops rather than the tops. Tops probably works well when you are in a fast bunch all going at similar pace, or on your own, but when you have a throng of mixed ability to pick your way through then there's a lot to be said for having your hands near your brakes... of course you could have bar top brakes fitted?

sagefly

Of course full bow by blow description will follow. I'm an Aussie so it wont be so hard, we are used to adversity and understatement!

BigMat wrote:

sagefly wrote:

Also any other advice appreciated, the distance is a no brainer and I don't reckon the cobbles will be too much worse than London and country roads, but I'm sure there is more to be aware of.

The big plus is no hills!!

Be sure to get back to us on that!

crossed

Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:

Are discs still banned?

No.
Disc braked bikes are allowed.

kirkee

BigMat wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

kirkee wrote:

Any decent quality road bike that fits you well and will take 25mm tyres at least will do the job.

Yet everyone else recommends 28mm or above.

Mate did it on 25s, he suffered but he got round.

It realy is ok to ride 25mm tyres over pave!
If i suffer it will be down to either lack of training or not smashing enuf cakes on the day, not the mm's in the tyres! I'm looking forward to my 3rd trip there, rain or shine it should be great.

sagefly

Thats a positive attitude, meet you for a beer or 2 after the Sportive!

kirkee wrote:

BigMat wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

kirkee wrote:

Any decent quality road bike that fits you well and will take 25mm tyres at least will do the job.

Yet everyone else recommends 28mm or above.

Mate did it on 25s, he suffered but he got round.

It realy is ok to ride 25mm tyres over pave!
If i suffer it will be down to either lack of training or not smashing enuf cakes on the day, not the mm's in the tyres! I'm looking forward to my 3rd trip there, rain or shine it should be great.

kirkee

Im up for that, Im driving the transport tho so il be having a coffee while 8 loud blokes happily drink biere! Should be awesome weekend. And if your ride gets you to the velodrome in one peice, ready for a beer then thats all that matters!