NEWKIT
£58 › Roubaix special big-volume road tyre
Specialized’s Hell of the North tyres, Selle San Marco Rolls and Cinelli Volare saddles, Powertap P1 pedals, Wahoo Elemnt Bolt GPS bike computer, six T-handled hex key sets and more.
THE HELL OF THE NORTH tyre was launched at Paris-Roubaix, and while Peter Sagan didn’t have much luck with punctures on his lower tpi [threads per inch] count tubular versions of the new tyre, our testing’s proved more satisfying.
This new 28mm version of the Turbo combines a super-supple 320tpi cotton casing with Specialized’s own proprietary Gripton rubber bonded to it. The compound is in an updated and, Specialized claims, softer and grippier blend.
The tyre is clincher only, so no tubeless compatibility here. That’s due to the supple natural casing, and we think it’s all the better for it as tubeless compatible tyres do tend to be a little more rigid in the sidewalls by necessity.
On our wide Specialized Roval CLX32 rims the Hell of the Norths measured up at 29.7mm at 80psi, which we think offered the best blend of fast on-road performance and compliant, buzzcrushing ride quality. Considering the width, it is worth checking that your frame can take the volume. Disc brake-equipped frames should be fine, but we’ve found it a bit of a squeeze when offering them up to some of our older calliperequipped carbon bikes.
As part of our testing we gave the tyres to our sister website BikeRadar’s social media manager, Josh Evans. His week’s extensive testing took in the Classics, riding the Tour of Flanders route and finishing the Paris-Roubaix sportive, and he didn’t suffer any punctures. He was impressed with the ride quality, dropping the pressures down to 60psi for the demanding Roubaix sportive.
We’ve been equally impressed with the further hundreds of miles we’ve put the tyres through. The diamond-like pattern treads provide tenacious grip in the dry, and they have been pretty sure-footed in the wet too, with only the occasional slip when leaning hard through sodden greasy corners when really trying to test the tyres’ cornering ability. At 260g each they aren’t going to win any lightweight contests, but it’s worth mentioning that 260g for a 28mm tyre that comes up closer to a 30mm one (dependent on the rim it’s mounted on) is impressive when compared to the competition. The butterscotch coloured sidewalls look the business, but the downside if you ride in heavy traffic areas is that these can quickly become stained and discoloured by polluted road grime unless you regularly give them a scrub. With tyres that are expensive but feel this good on the road, no matter how rough, you’ll certainly want to look after them.