wheels at Roubaix

[itspeedmoore]

So once again, the top three all road traditional wheels. So why did Hincapie and Backstedt use carbon wheels just to have them fold??? You can't win if you don't finish!

[flux]

So once again, the top three all road traditional wheels. So why did Hincapie and Backstedt use carbon wheels just to have them fold??? You can't win if you don't finish!

Is it confirmed that the Zipp rims folded?

[MIN]

most everyone uses 32-spoke box section tubulars - carbon wheels on PR?=deathwish.

[BumbleBeeDave]

So once again, the top three all road traditional wheels. So why did Hincapie and Backstedt use carbon wheels just to have them fold??? You can't win if you don't finish!

. . . link and photos to prove, please? My understanding is that Hincapie punctured twice, but nothing about his rims folding up . . . :confused:

[jerk]

Is it confirmed that the Zipp rims folded?
no. but according to most the carbon wheels if built tough enough to withstand the repeated impacts of the cobbles, bounce around and ride like sh'ite and aren't any lighter.

cancellara looked like he was cramping up in the last few km. thoughts? I dropped some old dudes with mirrors and yellow jackets. anyone else do anything epic?

jerk

[T.J.]

cancellara looked like he was cramping up in the last few km. thoughts? I dropped some old dudes with mirrors and yellow jackets. anyone else do anything epic?

jerk



went out on a training ride with my team today...it started to rain...30mph winds....then the rain turned to sleet....not so much epic as stupid?

[BumbleBeeDave]

cancellara looked like he was cramping up in the last few km. thoughts?

I was watching that Sputnik feed and the Danish(?) guys interviewed one of the CSC assistant DS's who replied in English and said they told Cancellara to go earlier and he said he was cramping and couldn't at the moment. I guess the "moment" turned into the rest of the race.

BBD

[swoop]

no. but according to most the carbon wheels if built tough enough to withstand the repeated impacts of the cobbles, bounce around and ride like sh'ite and aren't any lighter.

cancellara looked like he was cramping up in the last few km. thoughts? I dropped some old dudes with mirrors and yellow jackets. anyone else do anything epic?

jerki think the quote from poonen was that fabian c was 'cramping all the way up to his chin'. i don't know how he pedaled through that to finish.

[jerk]

i think the quote from poonen was that fabian c was 'cramping all the way up to his chin'. i don't know how he pedaled through that to finish.
the cycling.tv guys said tony spartacus was stretching his legs. looked like some hurting cramps to me. glad I was right. makes me feel all observant and smart.

jerk

[Fixed]

even the best old school rim can break.. a lot has to do with the rider as well imho
cheers

[taz-t]

no. but according to most the carbon wheels if built tough enough to withstand the repeated impacts of the cobbles, bounce around and ride like sh'ite and aren't any lighter.

cancellara looked like he was cramping up in the last few km. thoughts? I dropped some old dudes with mirrors and yellow jackets. anyone else do anything epic?

jerk

i got dropped by some old dudes with mirrors and yellow jackets then went and ate an epic pizza. it's all good

- taz

[M.Sommers]

Ambrosio boxed rim, 32 spokes were quite popular:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/apr08/roubaix08/tech.php?id=/photos/2008/tech/features/boonen_roubaix08/Gerolsteiner_Ambrosio

George:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/apr08/roubaix08/tech.php?id=/photos/2008/tech/features/boonen_roubaix08/High_Road_Hincapie

[thwart]

Gotta love it when I actually own the same wheelset as the pros... good old Record/Reflex tubies.
And they didn't cost anything even close to $2K.

Now that we've got the wheels covered, maybe it's time to work on the talent and strength part. Oh, yeah... the endurance part too. :rolleyes:

[M.Sommers]

Gotta love it when I actually own the same wheelset as the pros... good old Record/Reflex tubies.
And they didn't cost anything even close to $2K.

Now that we've got the wheels covered, maybe it's time to work on the talent and strength part. Oh, yeah... the endurance part too. :rolleyes:

Yes, if we only had the watts! I had Ambrosio Excellence, 36 spoke for years on Record. Here's my new kicks from theprep:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=43215

Now I need more 50 mile rides with pizza stops thrown in along the way. :beer:

[paczki]

"Maaskant’s finish stood as sweet vindication for Slipstream, which saw its classics man, Swede Magnus Backstedt, felled by mechanical difficulties during the race’s 18th sector of pavé, the dreaded 2.4km slog through the forest of Arenberg. Backstedt, the 2004 Roubaix winner, emerged from the forest with two cracked deep-section carbon wheels. During the wheel change, one of the Swede’s brake pads slipped out of the caliper. He remounted his rig and began riding, but soon required a complete bike change and lost contact with the front of the race. He did not finish."

VeloNews

[swoop]

"Maaskant’s finish stood as sweet vindication for Slipstream, which saw its classics man, Swede Magnus Backstedt, felled by mechanical difficulties during the race’s 18th sector of pavé, the dreaded 2.4km slog through the forest of Arenberg. Backstedt, the 2004 Roubaix winner, emerged from the forest with two cracked deep-section carbon wheels. During the wheel change, one of the Swede’s brake pads slipped out of the caliper. He remounted his rig and began riding, but soon required a complete bike change and lost contact with the front of the race. He did not finish."

VeloNews

i find that cork pads want to slide out of the holders anytime you brake with the wheel spinning backwards (once the pads have seated). a little dab of stickiness when mounting should cure it. shame to lose time in a race over it.

[GregL]

I can't understand why anyone the size of Backstedt would use notoriously fragile Zipp rims at Roubaix. Even a hacker like me knows that to finish first, you first have to finish. What were they thinking?

Regards,
Greg

[flux]

.

[flux]

I can't understand why anyone the size of Backstedt would use notoriously fragile Zipp rims at Roubaix. Even a hacker like me knows that to finish first, you first have to finish. What were they thinking?

Regards,
Greg

MB: "I love my Zipp wheels!"

[justinf]

Velo News reports Hincapie's rear wheel broke as well.
http://velonews.com/article/74625/boonen-wins-paris-roubaix

[Tobias]

What were they thinking?I'd guess sponsorship dollars. Carbon may be stronger but is so much more brittle that I can't make sense of it. Not for this kind of race.

[Elefantino]

In the continuing quest to explore new ways to eff up Paris-Roubaix, GH decided to go with Zipps.

He has now:

Fallen into a ditch
Broken his front end
Broken his rear end


Next year, he will ride the new Shimano DA wireless. It will rain, short out the system and leave him in the 39x23.

And the next year …

[stevep]

i think there are times when you would be surprised at the moronic choices made by team management/ mechanics/ riders in major events involving pro tour teams.
examples abound.
including the ones cited.

I can't understand why anyone the size of Backstedt would use notoriously fragile Zipp rims at Roubaix. Even a hacker like me knows that to finish first, you first have to finish. What were they thinking?

Regards,
Greg

[M.Sommers]

In the continuing quest to explore new ways to eff up Paris-Roubaix, GH decided to go with Zipps.

He has now:

Fallen into a ditch
Broken his front end
Broken his rear end


Next year, he will ride the new Shimano DA wireless. It will rain, short out the system and leave him in the 39x23.

And the next year …

I need GL to retire and really push his $10K ride-with-me journey or his $1M homes that are within his 'George Hincapie Riding Community'. :rolleyes:

[goonster]

“I had great legs,” Hincapie said, “but there was nothing I could do.”


I root for him, I really do, but we've heard that a lot. :(

[mcteague]

I can't understand why anyone the size of Backstedt would use notoriously fragile Zipp rims at Roubaix. Even a hacker like me knows that to finish first, you first have to finish. What were they thinking?

Regards,
Greg
My understanding is that Zipp is dying to have their wheels win PR for the bragging rights that would ensue. So I assume they are spreading money around to make it so. See http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/

Tim McTeague

[gt6267a]

seems like a good time to think WWTBD?

when was the last time boonen had a mechanical at pr? seems like he makes it to the finish line most years. instead of trying to reinvent the wheel hahahaha, i'm not certain why these teams don't just walk over to tb's bike with pen / paper / camera and use those components ... if not the gears / bars / stem / post which don't seem to be the problem ... at least ride the same (similar) wheels / tires.

on cyclingnews i found these : tom b's wheels closeup (http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/apr08/roubaix08/tech.php?id=/photos/2008/tech/features/boonen_roubaix08/Quick_Step_Boonen_FMB)

As expected, though, both sets of team machines were primarily outfitted with traditional box-section aluminum tubulars with Quick Step running rarely seen (and fat) FMB tubulars. Boonen's gearing was along the lines of most of the other riders in the field with a 53/46T combination up front and a tight 11-23T cassette.

[myette10]

My understanding is that Zipp is dying to have their wheels win PR for the bragging rights that would ensue.

Zipp should start making box section metal rims then. Maybe they could stick a carbon "nose cone" on them like the aeolus (http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=5379) wheels do.

[Spicoli]

Funny but he was cramping early on in San Remo too? Watch it again, he was unclipping alot and shaking them out. The dude is tuFF, maybe too much dang muscle attached to those legs. :rolleyes:

[jmewkill]

I can't understand why anyone the size of Backstedt would use notoriously fragile Zipp rims at Roubaix. Even a hacker like me knows that to finish first, you first have to finish. What were they thinking?

Regards,
Greg

Cause the wheel company that gets their deep section carbon rim delivered to the top of the podium will have a marketing field day.

[97CSI]

Pardon me for being so pedestrian, but are HED and Zipp the same company? In the pic, GH's wheels clearly state "HED".

[jmewkill]

Pardon me for being so pedestrian, but are HED and Zipp the same company? In the pic, GH's wheels clearly state "HED".

Nope

[ergott]

"Maaskant’s finish stood as sweet vindication for Slipstream, which saw its classics man, Swede Magnus Backstedt, felled by mechanical difficulties during the race’s 18th sector of pavé, the dreaded 2.4km slog through the forest of Arenberg. Backstedt, the 2004 Roubaix winner, emerged from the forest with two cracked deep-section carbon wheels. During the wheel change, one of the Swede’s brake pads slipped out of the caliper. He remounted his rig and began riding, but soon required a complete bike change and lost contact with the front of the race. He did not finish."

VeloNews


Did he crash? 4th place goes to a deserving rider who happened to be riding Zipps. That's pretty respectable.

Maggie was testing some other carbon rims to use last year, but sponsor restrictions wouldn't allow that particular rim to be used.

[ergott]

no. but according to most the carbon wheels if built tough enough to withstand the repeated impacts of the cobbles, bounce around and ride like sh'ite and aren't any lighter.


jerk

Nahh, GH was absolutely motoring on Bonties when he looked like he had the form to win (the year he crashed from hbar snafu). The Zipps the Slipstream riders were using were off the shelf and they are not heavy.

You'll see more and more carbon each year. They don't just blow up like most think.

[Dr. Doofus]

Nahh, GH was absolutely motoring on Bonties when he looked like he had the form to win (the year he crashed from hbar snafu). The Zipps the Slipstream riders were using were off the shelf and they are not heavy.

You'll see more and more carbon each year. They don't just blow up like most think.


don't those aeolus wheels use an allow rim with the carbon "fairing?" so maybe both you guys are right...?

didn't CSC test a bunch of Zipp carbons on the PR pave a few years back, and then decide to stick with box-rim handbuilts for this race?