Roubaix...wheels/tires/pressures

[firerescuefin]

Thought this may be of interest to some of you.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/bikes-and-tech/what-tires-wheels-and-pressures-were-roubaix-riders-running_212925

[AngryScientist]

wow, thanks for posting. it's surprising just how much variation in equipment there is between teams for the same race.

[Jaq]

Very cool info. The nerd in me would love to know what the tire pressures were at the finish (compared to the start).

Makes me wonder (never having seen the aftermath of a serious race like this) just how much the various equipment sponsors descend on the riders/bikes/mechanics afterwards to get information. Total nerdgasm for the engineers.

[Charles M]

Guys, the large variation you're seeing is in no small part due to the disinformation given out.

Tire sizes are tough to fake, but what you don't get are both accurate tire pressures and that several of the tires made are not run with standard production inner tubes...

[firerescuefin]

One thing that's kind of amusing is the effort that expended talking about the demise of box section rims....with 1/4 of the teams still running Ambrosio Nemesis rims....even though their sponsored by other companies:rolleyes:

[firerescuefin]

Guys, the large variation you're seeing is in no small part due to the disinformation given out.

Tire sizes are tough to fake, but what you don't get are both accurate tire pressures and that several of the tires made are not run with standard production inner tubes...

Charles...are you saying perhaps bigger custom tubes....lesser pressures.

[Lionel]

Very cool info. The nerd in me would love to know what the tire pressures were at the finish (compared to the start).

Makes me wonder (never having seen the aftermath of a serious race like this) just how much the various equipment sponsors descend on the riders/bikes/mechanics afterwards to get information. Total nerdgasm for the engineers.

My 27FMB lose about 15 to 20psi overnight

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

One thing that's kind of amusing is the effort that expended talking about the demise of box section rims....with 1/4 of the teams still running Ambrosio Nemesis rims....even though their sponsored by other companies:rolleyes:

The best was a few years ago (maybe even last year, I forget), when there was a few obvious Vittoria Pave's relabeled with the teams tire sponsor. Yeah, Specialized makes those green tubulars :rolleyes:.

[ultraman6970]

The reason of the low pressure is deformity, the tubular will deform better specially under those conditions.

Cant even imagine running 100 or 120 pounds in a 23 mm tubular under those conditions and probably more than somebody had to do it just because they did not have anything else. Each of those dugast tubulars are like 250 bucks a pop, not even in dreams I would be able to put those ones in my rides hehehe :)

As for the rims, agree, sure a lot of guys have their own wheels or custom wheels for this race. Production wheels doubt will stand a chance specially because non of the productions (the good ones) wheels come in 32 or 36 spokes 3 cross nowadays.

Good for winner :)

[wc1934]

Did you notice how much jarring Boonen endured while going over the cobblestones - looked like his whole body was shaking - wonder what it would have been like with higher pressure-

[ultraman6970]

Sure, he shakes even more hahaha

[FlashUNC]

Seems 25s or 28s don't slow those guys down too much.

[benitosan1972]

Speaking of low tire pressures, I just ride home 10+ miles on a front flat from Mt Hamilton area thru the dreaded Eastside of San Jose where the roads are terrible, as well as the natives aren't very friendly (sometimes, depends what color you are wearing). Managed to get around 20psi into my front Zipp wheel, kinda made the ride comfortable over the bad asphalt, plus I really wanted to get out of there, so riding fast was a priority... all in all, not a bad ride all things considered... low PSI is pretty good after all! :)

[beeatnik]

I am a nightmare walking, psychopath talking
King of my jungle just a gangster stalking
Living life like a firecracker quick is my fuse
Then dead as a deathpack the colors I choose
Red or Blue, Cuz or Blood, it just don't matter
Sucker die for your life when my shotgun scatters
We gangs of L.A. will never die - just multiply

[benitosan1972]

Umm yeah, bike is red, clothes are black, I am yellow.
The vatos usually leave me alone, lookin' like a Belgian flag
Still, having a flat on a nice bike in a 'hood you don't live, I prolly
rode faster than Boonen today tryin' to get out alive to make my next rap album. :cool:

Peace out Beeatnukka, thanks for watchin' my back homie... dabs :banana:

[rwsaunders]

Sir Phil made a comment that in all four of Boonen's PR victories, he has never had a flat.

[BCS]

I am a nightmare walking, psychopath talking
King of my jungle just a gangster stalking
Living life like a firecracker quick is my fuse
Then dead as a deathpack the colors I choose
Red or Blue, Cuz or Blood, it just don't matter
Sucker die for your life when my shotgun scatters
We gangs of L.A. will never die - just multiply

Old school Ice-T!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gynkzibz8UI

[nate2351]

Sir Phil made a comment that in all four of Boonen's PR victories, he has never had a flat.

True, but he has had to make bike changes for wheel issues. 2009 comes to mind

[rain dogs]

Nobody ever talks about spokes.

I'd be very interested in hearing about that. Are they using straight gauge spokes, butted, lightweight, bladed?

What brands DT, Sapim, Wheelsmith?

[jpw]

Speaking of low tire pressures, I just ride home 10+ miles on a front flat from Mt Hamilton area thru the dreaded Eastside of San Jose where the roads are terrible, as well as the natives aren't very friendly (sometimes, depends what color you are wearing). Managed to get around 20psi into my front Zipp wheel, kinda made the ride comfortable over the bad asphalt, plus I really wanted to get out of there, so riding fast was a priority... all in all, not a bad ride all things considered... low PSI is pretty good after all! :)

That sounds like an unpleasant experience. What colors are not recommended?

[benitosan1972]

Red & blue get you in trouble depending what street you're on,
Pink & purple get you laughed at, so I'll take the safety in comedy.
Green and yellow are ok, but definitely not my best colors, haha.

[firerescuefin]

Grew up in South San Jose (Cottle Rd).....I too would have been FC riding through the East Side...can't imagine that was too much fun. Had a buddy that was riding through there with 2 friends (he was at the front)...and had a gun pointed at the back of his his head by a guy riding shotgun in the car...for the benefit of his friends to watch.

[FastVegan]

I would kill for a pair of 27mm Conti competition tubulars, just sayin'

[xodus]

Thanks for the post! So much information and things to consider when preparing to race.

[Charles M]

Charles...are you saying perhaps bigger custom tubes....lesser pressures.

I'm suggesting different inner tubes used inside familiar casings and different pressures than have been given out by teams.

[beeatnik]

San Jose is as hard as the cobbles of Roubaix. Not really. Not even close.

Benitosan, look up RICO as applied to street gangs.

[benitosan1972]

no need to look anything up... just ride your bike around Capitol-Senter-King-Tully-Story wearing a red or blue kit, and have fun son.

[rustychain]

My personal setup for bad roads is Major Tom rims on Record hubs, 32 DTSwiss spokes and FMB tubs (25 mostly but I have some 27's waiting for something interesting). If you are used to just riding lightweight carbon rims with 23 tires it is amazing how such a set up changes everything. Not that much slower even on smooth roads. I highly recommend getting your own "PR" wheel set and discover those really knarley back roads, paved or not!

[torquer]

Two PR-related tech questions, one tire-related:
How are the brake calipers set up to accomodate rapid wheel changes with the bigger tires? I need to either deflate my nominal 25mm tires, or push pretty hard to get them past my fully-extended DA and Ultegra calipers. Do the pro teams set the calipers even further out (requiring more lever pull before engagement, which may be a good thing in a nervous race like PR), or can the bigger tires be more easily squeezed through thanks to the lower pressures these guys were running?

Second question, not tire related:
Anyone else notice the extremely long rear derailer cable housing loop on Boonen's bike? What was up with that?
http://www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2013-Specialized-Roubaix-road-bike-prototype1-600x400.jpg

[nightfend]

SRAM shifts better with a longer cable loop into the back derailleur.

[earlfoss]

There must be something special about the Conti tubies they run because I sure haven't had the best run of luck with those tires. I went through a couple Competitions and GP4000s last season pretty quickly racing on WI's good roads. It's funny how certain tires work for some and not others.