Riding Cobbles/Gravel on standard road bike setup?

Craig0657

I've spent the last few days trying to find a cycling challenge for myself this year and have just come across this....

Cardiff Roubaix

Cardiff Roubaix is a tough Paris-Roubaix-style sportive featuring 10 unpaved/gravel sectors, farm tracks and bridleways, finishing on the historic Maindy Velodrome in Cardiff. Original 100km route plus epic new 100-mile option! (160km). New unpaved/gravel road sectors and Roubaix-like cobbles. Outdoor velodrome finish.


Inspired by watching Flanders last Sunday this has definitely grabbed my attention, I'm just wondering if it's at all possible to finish (in one piece) this event on a standard road bike setup? By that I mean without buying wider tyres, double wrapping bar tape, buying thick gloves and all of the other modifications the pro's use?

slowbike

Our sunday ride involved quite a bit of offroad riding - it was a bike track though. Rough'n'ready - no problem on my road bike with 23mm tyres ...

However, I stayed away from the gravel bits - 23mm would sink in most gravel stuff, 25mm not much better. So it rather depends what they're calling gravel - IME any soft surface would be tricky on road tyres.

Matthewfalle

It's a sportive in Cardiff.

You'll be fine.

rubertoe

It will be dry, the gravel compact - its not going to be 57km of pave at 50kph.

I'd ride a road bike on virtuially any surface in the UK. even in the woods if its dry

Matthewfalle

I'm going for much hyperbole, little substance followed by pictures of fat blokes in poorly fitting Lycra with handlebars higher than saddle gurning for the camera.

slowbike

rubertoe wrote:

It will be dry, the gravel compact - its not going to be 57km of pave at 50kph.

I'd ride a road bike on virtuially any surface in the UK. even in the woods if its dry

Hmm - plenty of places around here where I'd not take a road bike - chalk paths, deep gravel, sand ...

rubertoe

I guess there will always be exceptions but if you can get a car over it or down it - then you can ride down it.

People are too soft and think that bikes and wheels will break, The probably wont.

imposter2.0

Check the Cardiff Roubaix FB page - lots of pics of last year's event on there, which will give you a good indication of the kind of surfaces you'll be on.

slowbike

Don't disagree ..

chalk paths - with lots of flint & sharp edges - don't lend themselves to thin tyres which won't deflect around them easily - quite likely to get snakebites and if going at speed there's the small potential for rim damage (like any pothole on the road)

deep gravel & sand - tyres sink in - making it unrideable for thin tyres ...

Quite happily take my road bike off road though - down a hillside along a path through a field - only difference between road bike and 29er along the same path was speed - I was happier on the 29er due to the potential to puncture &/or damage the wheels on the road bike - hence kept the speed low - only came that way because I wanted to do the road hill climb before it on my way home from work

w00dster

Been down lots of MTB tracks where I most definitely wouldn't take a road bike. I could imagine that the wheels probably wouldn't break but I probably would - there is a reason for suspension and fat tyres/wheels. (I really don't think my skinny tyre road bike could withstand some of the rocky downhill courses I ride)
I do take my Trek Domane on some off road rides, but these are not much more than a CX type of course. With the correct tyre and air pressure a road bike can take decent levels of punishment. For a sportive type ride I think it would be absolutely fine - look at Mathew Haymans Scott Foil that won PR last year.

Matthewfalle

Ok, taking things to a ridiculous length, but this guy seems to be ok doing off road stuff on a Pinarello.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/m ... ike-35489/

Garry H

So they've just linked all the shite roads in and around Cardiff. Is that it?

Matthewfalle

If so, that's like a never ending route.

Craig0657

rubertoe wrote:

I guess there will always be exceptions but if you can get a car over it or down it - then you can ride down it.

People are too soft and think that bikes and wheels will break, The probably wont.

Yeah this is probably my main issue with this type of riding, I see road bikes as pretty fragile and made for roads only, also I'm not too confident if something does go wrong so do my best to avoid risking it when possible. I only have 1 bike (at the moment...) so really don't want to ruin that just for one novelty ride.

stoveman

Just a thought... if you are so keen to do the event,maybe you could hire a cyclocross bike for the weekend.Sure there will be a hire shop around that would have something to suit.

Craig0657

stoveman wrote:

Just a thought... if you are so keen to do the event,maybe you could hire a cyclocross bike for the weekend.Sure there will be a hire shop around that would have something to suit.

Great idea, will look into that! The more I think about this event the more I really don't fancy doing it on my one and only road bike that I can't afford to replace!

mrfpb

I did a Wiltshire sportive a few years ago, 95% on road, but it went through Savernake forest. I saw a lot of roadies at the side with their wheels off - one guy had both wheels off. I was on a hybrid with 35mm tyres, so was overtaking a lot of cautious roadies on that section. The organisers hadn't really made clear how poor the surface was going to be, so people hadn't prepared - but I think a few just didn't slow down or adapt to the surface.

964cup

Gravel bikes are the great marketing con de nos jours. Any bike is a gravel bike - after all the original Tour and Giro were mostly on gravel roads. If the surface is unmade, but compacted, a road bike will be fine. Remember that Roubaix is routinely won on low-spoke-count carbon-rimmed wheels - these things are much tougher than you think they are. That said, if you have rim brakes, I would use a wheelset with alloy rims (because unlike a pro you can't afford to replace your carbon rims after a nice gritty paste has ruined your braking surfaces) and 28s if you can fit them, but you'll be fine on 23s or 25s if it comes to it. If you're talking about mud, or sand, or loose uncompacted gravel, then sure, a road bike won't be ideal. That's what cross bikes are for. And yes, a cross/gravel bike on 35c gravel tyres at 40psi will be more comfortable on the worst sections, but will get dropped like a brick on smooth tarmac and hills.

mrb123

Craig0657 wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

I guess there will always be exceptions but if you can get a car over it or down it - then you can ride down it.

People are too soft and think that bikes and wheels will break, The probably wont.

Yeah this is probably my main issue with this type of riding, I see road bikes as pretty fragile and made for roads only, also I'm not too confident if something does go wrong so do my best to avoid risking it when possible. I only have 1 bike (at the moment...) so really don't want to ruin that just for one novelty ride.

Have a look at the Road Bike Party videos on YouTube. Might change your view on the fragility of road bikes.

bendertherobot

Craig0657 wrote:

I've spent the last few days trying to find a cycling challenge for myself this year and have just come across this....

Cardiff Roubaix

Cardiff Roubaix is a tough Paris-Roubaix-style sportive featuring 10 unpaved/gravel sectors, farm tracks and bridleways, finishing on the historic Maindy Velodrome in Cardiff. Original 100km route plus epic new 100-mile option! (160km). New unpaved/gravel road sectors and Roubaix-like cobbles. Outdoor velodrome finish.


Inspired by watching Flanders last Sunday this has definitely grabbed my attention, I'm just wondering if it's at all possible to finish (in one piece) this event on a standard road bike setup? By that I mean without buying wider tyres, double wrapping bar tape, buying thick gloves and all of the other modifications the pro's use?

What bike do you own Craig?

fenix

From the pics I've seen on facebook - it doesn't look that demanding. I'd be on my summer bike. It's got 25mm tyres on but in the past its had 23 and looks like it would be fine for it. Just dont turn sharply on gravel, and dont sit in the saddle like a sack of spuds through the bumpy bits.

No need for a cross bike.

bendertherobot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2IzFsikPgE

It's not demanding, but neither is it awfully smooth.

I guess much depends on what you have in your armoury. I'd take the CX cos I own one. I'd not take the Supersix as, with 25c tyres, every bit of gravel that attaches to the tyres risks putting chips in the chainstay and my lovely paint.

cycleclinic

When it dry i soemtime ride my race bike and commutor bike on farm tracks. Just got to avoid the hole where as on my mtb i can hot them at full tilt and all is well. Where i ride though is not that extreme. Briddlewaysaregenerally fine on a road bike with 27's or bigger.

Craig0657

bendertherobot wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2IzFsikPgE

It's not demanding, but neither is it awfully smooth.

I guess much depends on what you have in your armoury. I'd take the CX cos I own one. I'd not take the Supersix as, with 25c tyres, every bit of gravel that attaches to the tyres risks putting chips in the chainstay and my lovely paint.

Thanks for the video Bender, think thats made my mind up there's no chance I'm doing this on a road bike! I own a BMC SLR03 by the way, 105 throughout, Campag Zonda wheels with 23mm Conti 4 Seasons tyres.

itboffin

i rode my old steel with 28c tyres on the Rapha hell of the North, much of which was across dry farm fields with deep hard ruts and a fair bit of gravel, bloody knackering but doable, i did it the previous years on a carbon road bike with 23c that was frankly stupid.

if i do it again it'll be full CX

bendertherobot

Craig0657 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2IzFsikPgE

It's not demanding, but neither is it awfully smooth.

I guess much depends on what you have in your armoury. I'd take the CX cos I own one. I'd not take the Supersix as, with 25c tyres, every bit of gravel that attaches to the tyres risks putting chips in the chainstay and my lovely paint.

Thanks for the video Bender, think thats made my mind up there's no chance I'm doing this on a road bike! I own a BMC SLR03 by the way, 105 throughout, Campag Zonda wheels with 23mm Conti 4 Seasons tyres.

That frame will 'suffer' in the same way as my Supersix. Clearance, just about, for 25c. And that lovely paintwork......

In terms of buying a bike for this event, that's a substantial investment. However, in terms of riding a bike around South Wales, a CX/Winter trainer makes a lot of sense in terms of wider tyres, guards and you not worrying about it.

rubertoe

A CX bike is just a road bike with a more upright position and room for bigger tyres, with disc brakes being a recent eddition. I get the bit about road chips and paint damage, so you might as well just get a MTB and do it on that..

Cmon, You and the bike wont break.

slowbike

Having seen the video - bit of protective tape over the vulnerable bits of the bike and get on with it... I rode that sort of path last weekend on my best bike without any changes (and 23mm tyres)

bendertherobot

Tape would be wise. Just to say though, it isn't just a bit. There is 20k of that stuff.........

bobmcstuff

Craig0657 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2IzFsikPgE

It's not demanding, but neither is it awfully smooth.

I guess much depends on what you have in your armoury. I'd take the CX cos I own one. I'd not take the Supersix as, with 25c tyres, every bit of gravel that attaches to the tyres risks putting chips in the chainstay and my lovely paint.

Thanks for the video Bender, think thats made my mind up there's no chance I'm doing this on a road bike! I own a BMC SLR03 by the way, 105 throughout, Campag Zonda wheels with 23mm Conti 4 Seasons tyres.

You'll be absolutely fine on those tracks on that bike. I'd maybe put 25s on there. Have ridden lots of similar tracks (and much worse) on Zondas with 25c 4 seasons.

People are really fragile about their road bikes.

w00dster

I wouldn't take my best bike on that type of route. Why risk damaging your bike for the sake of 1 sportive ride.
The chances are the bike will be fine, but there's always the risk that it won't, it would be on my mind ask ride so would be less enjoyable.
I have a trek domane purchased for that type of riding, takes wide tyres (up to 40mm or 35mm knobbly). That bike would be fine and I wouldn't be overly annoyed at any paint damage.
If I damaged a wheel or anything on the domane I at least have other bikes / wheels I can use while waiting for the damage to be fixed.
This to me shows why N+1 is important and not just a case of boys wanting more toys.