Paris-roubaix tech round-up
One-by drivetrains and gravel bikes were among the order of the day...
1
Fred Wright’s Merida
Fred Wright’s Merida Reacto stands out thanks to its not-so-subtle nod to the Union Flag along the top and seat tubes, but it was his use of an old-school stem and handlebars which stood out in the paddock pre-race. The British champion normally uses a Vision onepiece cockpit, but for Roubaix he went with an FSA stem and handlebars.
2
Dsm-firmenich Postnl’s seatposts The Syncros Duncan SL Aero Comfort models have elastomer inserts to help absorb vibrations and are rarely used by the Scott-sponsored pro teams outside of cobbled races.
3
32mm tyres for SD Worx-protime These may seem like gravel-ready tyres but teams are going wider and wider for Paris-roubaix. It’s partly for comfort on the cobbles, but also rolling resistance science has proved that narrower isn’t necessarily better.
4
1x drivetrains rule
With Paris-roubaix effectively a pancake-flat race, many squads decided to go with a 1x drivetrain. The teams in question were those who run SRAM groupsets, most opting for a 52t chainring, with a 10-38t cassette. This is Dylan van Baarle’s Cervélo S5, with the 1x drivetrain clear for all to see.
5
Bristled bar tape
Prologo’s Onetouch 3D bar tape was seen on several bikes at Roubaix. Alberto Bettiol’s looks like it’s double wrapped, but in fact has gel underneath it, providing extra comfort and extra grip, apparently.
6
Israel-premier Tech on gravel bikes Israel-premier Tech went further than using wider tyres or vibrationdamping seatposts on Sunday, choosing to use a gravel bike for the road race instead. The team rode the Factor Ostro Gravel rather than their usual Ostro VAM. Was it fast enough? Their first finisher was 31st, over seen minutes down.