‘IT’S HARD TO GET RIDERS OUT OF THE MINDSET THAT TUBULARS ARE FASTEST’

Dan Sevine, mechanic at Worldtour team Bahrain-merida, gives us the lowdown on tyre use (and misuse) in the professional ranks

Cyclist: We’re often being told the pro peloton is switching to 28mm tyres. Is that really true? Dan Sevine:

Our riders are only using 28mm tyres at the Classics such as Paris-roubaix, and that’s a heavy duty Continental tub. But as soon as those races are done, the bikes come back and we take them all off. Our guys’ go-to tyre is the Continental Pro Ltd Competition 25mm. Although I would say that the 25mm Conti does measure up a little bigger than most other brands. Occasionally in time-trials riders will use the 22mm slick.

Cyc: So they’re not all going super-wide, but what about pressures? Are they all running significantly softer tyres now? DS:

For Roubaix, most riders were running somewhere around 4.5-5 bar [65-75psi] but that’s a one-off. For most races it’s between 7-7.5 bar [100-110psi]. The sprinters would be in the higher range – they tend to like to run a bit more.

For the TTS some might go to 8 bar [118psi] but not higher than that. There were rumours circulating at the Tour this year that Valverde’s crash in the opening time-trial was because his pressures were too high – 8.5 bar [125psi]. But Movistar are known for using generally higher pressures.

Cyc: Are there any teams that stand out as doing things differently? DS:

Not so much teams, but generally the nationalities of the individual riders are where you see the differences of opinion. The Italians are really conservative. They are the least receptive to new ideas. The Americans are much more forward-thinking and willing to give things a try. The Spanish and the French are also not good at accepting new technology and ideas. They’re old school. Of course, more contact with the road surface is safer in terms of grip, but when I was working with Lampre a few years back the Italians couldn’t be convinced that it’s also faster.

Cyc: Are tubulars still the number one choice for pro riders or is that changing? DS:

It’s only tubulars for our riders, 100%. And I think it’s also the same throughout the peloton. A lot of that comes back to the psychological aspects. For years everyone has maintained that the tubular is the fastest and it’s hard to get the riders out of that mindset. But it’s also about punctures – a tubular can still be ridden when it’s flat and will not come off and cause a crash.

Cyc: What else do you see going on with tyres in the pro scene? DS:

Probably the thing that I spot most is how often other brands are being used by teams ‘undercover’. I see this a lot. There are a lot of rebranded tyres out there, so what you think you’re seeing on the TV may not necessarily be what they are.