Features Road Race tech: More bikes from Paris-Roubaix By James Huang published 14 April 2011 Photos from start line in Compiègne Comments Image 1 of 83Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) ran this stealth-black machine in contrast to the rest of the team's bikes with their standard red, white, and blue livery.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Lampre used these special aluminum Wiliers for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Movistar (formerly the Caisse d'Epargne team) only needs these wheels one or two times a year so it's no surprise to see rims in service that have were discontinued ages ago.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)This Movistar rider recorded the pave secteurs on a strip of medical tape.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)This Movistar rider had an usually generous stack of spacers in between his stem and headset.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Omega Pharma-Lotto rider Andre Greipel prefers his Ritchey bars tilted quite a bit upwards.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)We spotted an usual number of larger cassette cogs on Paris-Roubaix bikes this year, such as the 11-25T Chorus block on Andre Greipel's (Omega Pharma-Lotto) Canyon Ultimate AL Pave.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Teams no longer have to make do with pieced-together chainring combinations for Paris-Roubaix as both Shimano and Campagnolo now offer proper matched sets for better shift performance on the cobbles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto) used a Canyon Ultimate AL Pave on his way to his 21st place finish at Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Canyon's OneOneFour forks use a gargantuan 1 1/4"-to-1 1/2" tapered steerer.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Pinarello includes slim and slightly curved seat stays on its KOBH for a smoother ride.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Cable ends are trimmed nice and short on the Movistar team bikes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) and his Trek Madone 6-Series SSL Classics machine came close but couldn't quite catch eventual Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Van Summeren (Garmin-Cervélo)(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Confused? The #1 plate belongs to 2010 Paris-Roubaix winner Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) but so does the nickname.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) started and finished this year's Paris-Roubaix on a set of ultralight Bontrager Race XXX Light carbon tubular wheels wrapped with 27mm-wide FMB tires.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Mavic's neutral support cars and motorcycles were in full force at Paris-Roubaix - though we're guessing most racers would hope to not be in a situation where they're forced to ride a bike with toe clips.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Campagnolo's new electronic group appears to require different frame access ports than Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 - a guaranteed headache for frame manufacturers who might want to be compatible with both systems. We're struggling to envision how the system battery is removed from the mount, too, leading us to believe the charge cord has to be run directly to the port on the battery while it's still attached to the bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Movistar's team Pinarellos sported one of the boldest paint jobs at this year's Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Movistar used a mix of Pinarello Dogma and KOBH framesets for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Tire clearance was pretty good up front on the Pinarello KOBH bikes of the Movistar team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Omega Pharma-Lotto riders used a mix of carbon and aluminum wheels at this year's Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)Mavic's Reflex is another popular box-section aluminum rim at Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)This Omega Pharma-Lotto rider rode Mavic's carbon-spoked R-Sys wheels, wrapped in wide Continental rubber and boasting new Exalith sidewalls.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) raced Paris-Roubaix with his SRM power meter.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Juan Antonio Flecha's (Sky) Pinarello KOBH wore the #21 plate as team leader.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Aluminum Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals are fitted on Juan Antonio Flecha's (Sky) Pinarello KOBH.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) likely made good use of the top-mounted satellite shifter as he made his way over the cobbles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Juan Antonio Flecha's (Sky) Prologo Scratch Nack saddle features a carbon fiber shell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) chose FMB's Paris-Roubaix tires.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)While Movistar riders ran a mix of Pinarello Dogma and KOBH frames, Sky used the KOBH across the board.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)While some Shimano-sponsored riders and teams switched to the mechanical Dura-Ace group for Paris-Roubaix, Sky stuck with Di2 across the board.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) had a reasonable amount of room between the seat stays of his Pinarello KOBH with big FMB tires mounted.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)FMB put a Specialized stamp on the tires supplied to Saxo Bank-Sungard.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)A carbon-railed Selle Italia SLR saddle is mounted to the top of this Omega Pharma-Lotto bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Canyon's remarkably flexible VCLS seatpost features a mix of basalt and carbon fibers to give Omega Pharma-Lotto riders an extra measure of comfort on the cobbles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)These 28mm-wide Continental tires are specially made for the teams so they don't have an official model name.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Omega Pharma-Lotto had perhaps the beefiest chain watchers at Paris-Roubaix. Mounted with a pair of bolts and sandwiched beneath the bottle cage, there's little chance of it rotating out of position.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Omega Pharma-Lotto riders used three different bike models during this year's Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Saxo Bank-Sungard's Baden Cooke used Specialized's new McLaren Venge aero bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)The rest of Saxo Bank-Sungard were on Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL3 machines.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)The seat stays on Saxo Bank-Sungard's Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL3 frames look unusual as compared to more conventional bikes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)British national champion Geraint Thomas (Sky) got this custom painted Pinarello KOBH for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike was equipped with this custom chain watcher.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Ag2r's fleet of Kuota KOM Evos lined up and ready to go at the start in Compiegne.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Aside from the Ambrosio factory itself, we're guessing there is no greater single concentration of the company's Nemesis aluminum box-section tubular rims than at Paris-Roubaix - as seen here on the KTM bikes of Bretagne-Schuller.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Riders used all sorts of different methods for their secteur charts.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Euskaltel-Euskadi appeared to use its standard Orbea Orca framesets with no visible modifications to the chassis. Equipment adjustments included box-section aluminum tubular wheels, taller gearing, some double-wrapped bars, slightly wider rubber, and bottle cages built-up with electrical tape for better grip.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) had his rainbow-motif Cervélo S3 mounted atop a team car as one of his spares for the day.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Thor Hushovd's (Garmin-Cervélo) spare Cervélo S3 had Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR wheels and 24mm-wide Vittoria tires mounted for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Safety tabs are filed off on Garmin-Cervélo's race bikes for faster wheel changes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Tyler Farrar used the same subtly tweaked Cervélo R3 setup as the rest of his Garmin-Cervélo team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Mavic cracked out bright yellow rim decals for its new M40 wheels at Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Integrated seatmasts on Bretagne-Schuller's KTM Revelators are a good way to prevent seatpost slippage.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Tire clearance was fairly tight for Ag2r's stock Kuota KOM Evos. By our measurements, the team's tires were no wider than about 24mm.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Kuota's KOM Evo is the lightest road frame in the company lineup and yet Ag2r has proven it tough enough to survive Paris-Roubaix. Note the burly Elite Ciussi Gel cages mounted throughout, though.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Ag2r team mechanics set the riders' tires to about 110psi. It's unclear whether the riders changed to different setups before hitting the worst of the pave, though.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Selle San Marco's revamped Concor saddle retains the traditional rounded profile and raised tail of the current version but adds a wider nose for more comfort when on the rivet.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Ag2r and Lampre were using the Racing Team version of Selle San Marco's redesigned Concor with a nylon shell and Xsilite rails.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Selle San Marco intends the revamped Concor to be suitable for road, 'cross, and mountain bikes. "The saddle is an evolution of the classic Concor - svelte, simplistic, classic, timeless. It has been redesigned with a new dimension and rail materials to make it lighter and more versatile for rider geometries and applications," said Vittoria Industries North America road marketing man John McKone.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Ag2r's tubular tires wore Michelin hot stamps but we've been told they're actually produced by Vittoria.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Bretagne-Schuller's KTM Revelators lined up before the start of Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)This HTC-Highroad bike wore double-wrapped bars for extra cushioning.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Elite's new Sior cage incorporates a titanium hoop molded inside the carbon fiber for a more secure hold on bottles. That they were mounted on this HTC-Highroad bike for Paris-Roubaix is good testament to its grip.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)There's always lots of talk about updating the UCI's long-running 6.8kg weight rule but aside from pure climbers, most pro riders don't really seem to care too much, preferring to gather more useful data and run more aerodynamic equipment than trim a few grams.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) swapped the standard SRAM Red inner chainring for a bigger one made by Specialites TA.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)High-leverage FSA skewers secure the wheels on Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) slams his FSA stem right atop the headset cone.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Katusha team mechanics mounted the race numbers with just a few strips of electrical tape.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Straight stays mark the rear end of Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Vision uses its own aluminum-bodied hubs for its carbon wheels.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) used Vision's new TC24 shallow-profile carbon tubular wheel on the front of his bike for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) thumbed his nose at the Paris-Roubaix cobbles, running effectively no different a machine than he would for most road stages, including barely bigger-than-usual tires.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike features a BB30 bottom bracket shell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Many Specialized-sponsored riders chose the company's softer-riding and mellower-handling S-Works Roubaix SL3 for Sunday's race.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)This HTC-Highroad spare bike was equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic group.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Specialized says the Roubaix's specially shaped seat stays and big Zertz elastomeric dampers help cushion the blow of the cobbles.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Specially made Continental tubular tires are mounted up on HTC-Highroad's HED S5 carbon tubular rims.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Katusha rider Mikhail Ignatiev took an extreme approach to bar padding for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Mikhail Ignatiev's (Katusha) homemade padding setup looks to be made of some pipe insulation plus a judicious application of medical tape. We can assure you - it was very squishy.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)Katusha riders used a wide variety of tubular rims for the start of Paris-Roubaix, including both deep and shallow-section carbon wheels and more traditional box-section aluminum ones.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)