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I've already pulled together a speculative article on Tadej Pogačar's totally overhauled cobble setup for this season. The Slovenian superstar has swapped bikes and gone all in on bike hacks to give himself the best chance of moving up one place in the Paris-Roubaix rankings this year and taking his final Monument in what feels like a slightly inevitable victory (if not this year, then in the future).
The day before the Hell of the North, I managed to catch his bike at the back of the team bus, and in a frantic 60 seconds snapped the key details that make it such a wonderful bike to behold for tech fans. There are classic Roubaix mods like bigger tyres, but then there are some fantastic 'weight weenie' modifications like aftermarket thru-axles and a total lack of paint more or less anywhere on the bike or on key components.
Whether this is enough, and whether he'll be taken out of the race by a small stone getting lodged between the front tyre and the fork, remains to be seen, but he's given himself the best possible chance.
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It's quite the machine, and has been on an evolutionary journey from the first time he used the all-black machine at the Tour de France last year. (Image credit: Will Jones)
One rock and it's all over; I didn't get a chance to measure the tyres before they were whisked away, but they are almost certainly 35mm wide. There's absolutely no room to go bigger. (Image credit: Will Jones)
There's scant more room at the back end, either, but it's better than the forks. Continental released a new 35mm GP5000 S TR recently, which makes the decision to go bigger a lot easier, rather than having to opt for the slightly slower AS TR model. On his spare bike the rear looked a little smaller; a 32mm instead of a 35mm. (Image credit: Will Jones)
His ENVE SES 6.7 wheels are now legal, with the rear being reworked to 65mm rather than the old, illegal 67mm. Interestingly, he's not running the 'Pro' models, which are slightly narrower, likely for better tyre dynamics with the larger rubber. (Image credit: Will Jones)
There's nothing but a very light, matte clearcoat on the frame. The raw carbon shows through at key points, and I absolutely love it. Raw carbon is always cool, and sadly, it's gone away in recent years. (Image credit: Will Jones)
The cockpit is slammed within the bayonet fork front end, with a 3D printed spacer to smooth the transition from bar to top tube. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Just as at Milan-San Remo, he is running a whopping single front chainring. More aero, lighter, and with the hefty K-Edge chain keeper, it's probably more secure too. Unlike some other teams, UAE Team Emirates-XRG are running the standard Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur, though. (Image credit: Will Jones)
The main body of the chainring is raw carbon, with the teeth secured to it to deal with the wear of metal-on-metal. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Unlike many SRAM chain keepers, this K-Edge secures the chain on three sides. Only a really severe issue will force it off, and it could make getting it back on again impossible in the heat of battle. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Aftermarket Carbon-Ti Thru axles and a colour-matched rear derailleur hanger are lovely touches. The Cable routing for the rear derailleur is incredibly neat, showing the hallmark of a detail-oriented mechanic. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Lightweight Elite Leggero carbon bottle cages hold lightweight Elite Fly bottles to not add any unnecessary weight anywhere. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Pogačar runs small squares of foam under his levers to stop them digging into his fingers on the rough ground. He did this last year, too, so it clearly works for him. Oddly, his bar tape didn't look to be double-wrapped, though, so he's not gone all-in on comfort. (Image credit: Will Jones)
This is, I think, my favourite touch: the totally stock Colnago computer mount. While other team members use 3D printed aero ones, Pogačar's can hinge at the mount, meaning if he takes a severe knock, the computer will pivot down but remain attached. It's less aero, but after his crash last year, he finished the race without a computer, and likely doesn't want to be without his data under any circumstances. (Image credit: Will Jones)
His 3D printed saddle is going to shave some weight, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's also got a lightened seatpost on his bike. (Image credit: Will Jones)
165mm cranks, but he's been ahead of the short cranks trend for several seasons now. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Normally, the Y1Rs has integrated bottle cages that cover a cable and hose access port in the downtube. This has been neatly masked off with electrical tape. (Image credit: Will Jones)
In contrast, this is the computer mount the rest of the team is using for Roubaix. (Image credit: Will Jones)
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Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
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