Bike for Paris Roubaix

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Comments

  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,106
    I rode Arenberg on a cross bike with a fairly slim (but still a lot fatter than 25mm) cross tyre on and while it was in a rain storm there was no way I would have fancied putting the hammer down on it. It was only riding it that I realised just what balls the pros who hammer across full gas must have - I had it all on just to keep the bike on the crown of the road and I was taking it pretty gingerly. It's not just the risk of falling it's looking at the surface you would fall on.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    I rode Flanders last year on 25mm tyres and a carbon bike - wasn't too bad - but I'd had enough of it by the time we came off the last Pave section supposed to be easier than PR too ...
    There were people doing Flanders on mountainbikes with full suspension - they flew down the Pave sections.

    Keep the power on on the Pave - going slow makes it worse!


    As for Pave being as easy as the London cobbles or country lanes .. yer right ... not a patch on the Flanders cobbles.
  • AK_jnr
    AK_jnr Posts: 717
    Sounds scary lol. Dont fancy the downhill bits!
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    Paris Roubaix pave is an order of magnitude harder than Flanders cobbles. Arenberg is another step up.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • sagefly
    sagefly Posts: 295
    Thanks for all, the advice, support and digs.

    Unless the bike breaks I'll get around The course.

    Heading for a recce In March all welcome to join critique!
    Turned out nice again!
  • paulmon
    paulmon Posts: 315
    I did the PR on my Tarmac (carbon) with HED Belgium wheels fitted with 25mm Vittoria Pave tyres. By the time I had finished the bike was covered in crap and took ages to clean when I got home. Use the bike that you don't mind getting a bit wrecked.

    To add to the other advice make sure you get bottle holders that will hold the bottles in place. Elite do some pave ones that you can tighten otherwise you risk losing them on the first section of pave like everyone else.

    20564339608_e62e522e59_b.jpgParis Roubaix Challenge 2015 by Paul Monaghan, on Flickr

    20564334790_18ba0bf020_b.jpgParis Roubaix Challenge 2015 by Paul Monaghan, on Flickr
  • sagefly
    sagefly Posts: 295
    Good pictures, my take is that bikes are to be ridden, getting them dirty is part of the deal. They are essentially consumables that we use for enjoyment, they wear out and break over time. When things break on the bike you get to buy new stuff and that is pretty cool!!
    Turned out nice again!
  • AngryLou
    AngryLou Posts: 5
    Whichever bike can let you run the biggest tires. I think the Defy 2 has clearance for 28's. So I'd recommend that. If you can go with tubeless tires I'd recommend those as well. I'd run the pressure as low as possible 70psi... heck 60psi if you can, for example if you could fit 30's on your bike and run them at 60psi (ish).

    Any tradeoff in speed (and it's arguable if there is any) will be more than made up in comfort and control. Hell, Tom Boonen rides with 59psi and he weighs 82kg, and he is the king of Roubaix.

    When in Rome....
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,317
    sagefly wrote:
    When things break on the bike you get to buy new stuff and that is pretty cool!!

    No, you fix them, FFS!!

    https://www.ifixit.com/Manifesto
    left the forum March 2023
  • sagefly
    sagefly Posts: 295
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    sagefly wrote:
    When things break on the bike you get to buy new stuff and that is pretty cool!!

    No, you fix them, FFS!!

    https://www.ifixit.com/Manifesto

    Fully agree Ugo, it all depends how far broken the item is.

    And I do like the ifixit manifesto, we need more of this sort of thing.
    Turned out nice again!

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