Omega Pharma-Lotto riders were supplied with team-only 28mm-wide tubular tires from Continental.(Image credit: James Huang)
The fat seat stays on Tom Boonen's (Quick Step) Eddy Merckx is a strong contrast relative to the spindly used by many manufacturers today.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) used Ambrosio Nemesis box-section aluminum tubular rims today.(Image credit: James Huang)
A Deda Elementi Superzero carbon fiber seatpost is secured within the stout-looking seat cluster on Tom Boonen's (Quick Step) Eddy Merckx.(Image credit: James Huang)
Rabobank hoped team leader Lars Boom would land a high finish today but he only managed to secure 76th place after a tough day of racing.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tacx Taco aluminum cages were a popular choice today.(Image credit: James Huang)
The extra-long fork blades provide Rabobank's Giant TCR Advanced SLs with enough clearance under the crown to run fat tubulars.(Image credit: James Huang)
Clearance is similarly adequate out back as well.(Image credit: James Huang)
Rabobank riders were about evenly split between standard Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 and Di2.(Image credit: James Huang)
The internally routed wiring on Rabobank's Giant TCR Advanced SLs exited quite cleanly here.(Image credit: James Huang)
The rear derailleur wire on the Rabobank Giants exits right at the end of the chain stay.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tweaked dropouts on Rabobank's special Giant frames effectively lengthen the chain stays and add tire clearance up near the seat stay bridge.(Image credit: James Huang)
The standard Giant TCR Advanced SL fork legs are cut a bit longer to gain more tire clearance under the crown.(Image credit: James Huang)
Giant provided the Rabobank riders with the same formula TCR Advanced SL that they used last year.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tom Boonen's (Quick Step) Eddy Merckx includes a custom chain watcher.(Image credit: James Huang)
Just a shade of extra tire clearance was built into Tom Boonen's (Quick Step) Eddy Merkcx.(Image credit: James Huang)
Leif Hoste (Omega Pharma-Lotto) eventally came in eighth in this year's Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: James Huang)
Milram mechanics added a zip-tie to the riders' Tacx cages to get a tighter fit.(Image credit: James Huang)
Milram riders used their usual Focus Izalco machines instead of the Mares 'cross bikes they had prepared in case of bad weather.(Image credit: James Huang)
Milram team mechanics add a zip-tie to ensure the Garmin Edge 500 computers don't rattle out of their mounts.(Image credit: James Huang)
Milram's carbon forks have reasonably good clearance at the fork for their fat tubular tires.(Image credit: James Huang)
Milram rider Niki Terpstra set off from Compiegne with a lugged steel fork mounted to the front of his Focus Izalco.(Image credit: James Huang)
Clearance around the tire was pretty good for Niki Terpstra's (Milram) lugged steel fork.(Image credit: James Huang)
As the standard Focus Izalco fork uses a tapered steerer, a big reducer is needed to fit Niki Terpstra's (Milram) lugged steel fork.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) ran double-wrapped bars on his Eddy Merckx.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) ran typically tight gearing on his Eddy Merckx on his way to fifth place today.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tom Boonen's (Quick Step) Eddy Merckx fork was built with a little extra clearance to fit bigger tubular tires.(Image credit: James Huang)
Tom Boonen (Quick Step) passed over his Belgian national champion bike in favor of this one, which was specially built with extra tire clearance at both ends.(Image credit: James Huang)
We still haven't found out where European mechanics find these little rubber bits to protect the frame's paint from housing rub.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 wiring harness enters Rabobank's Giant frames underneath the top tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
Rabobank's special Paris-Roubaix Giant TCR Advanced SLs are hard to spot relative to the standard version so mechanics mark them with decals.(Image credit: James Huang)
Spoke washers on Rabobank's rear hubs prevent excess movement in the flange to reduce stress on the spoke elbows - and reduce the chance of breakage.(Image credit: James Huang)
Fabian Cancellara's (Saxo Bank) bike was all black save for a couple of Specialized logos and this badge on the top tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
The machine that Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) used to win his second Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: James Huang)
Baden Cooke (Saxo Bank) was running an unmarked chain in today's race. Looks to us to be some other SRAM chain prototype with carved-out inner as well as outer links.(Image credit: James Huang)
Having enough spare wheels - and placing them at enough locations - along the course is one of the keys to winning Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: James Huang)
Skil-Shimano rider Robert Wagner ran double-wrapped tape on his PRO bars.(Image credit: James Huang)
Skil-Shimano bicycle sponsor Koga provided the team with these custom Cobble Crosser rigs just for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: James Huang)
Michelin doesn't offer tubulars to the public but it does make them special for teams on occasion.(Image credit: James Huang)
As the newest big team on the block, Team Sky's bus is not surprisingly one step above those of other teams.(Image credit: James Huang)
The ridged base tape on these FMB Paris-Roubaix Pro tubulars make them easier to mount and center.(Image credit: James Huang)
Though they didn't end up needing them, Team Sky riders could have used these snap-on covers for their Kask helmets.(Image credit: James Huang)
Saur-Sojasun's Jimmy Casper set off for Roubaix on this Gitane.(Image credit: James Huang)
The guide on Jimmy Casper's (Saur-Sojasun) Gitane outlined all of the cobbled sections.(Image credit: James Huang)
Fabian Cancellara's (Saxo Bank) bike was fitted with a SRAM PG-1070 cassette and PC-1091R chain.(Image credit: James Huang)
Grip tape is applied to the inside of the Tacx Tao Carbon cages on Fabian Cancellara's (Saxo Bank) Specialized 'Project Black' (surely a prototype for the upcoming S-Works Roubaix SL3) for a better hold on the bottles.(Image credit: James Huang)
Rabobank was using relatively small 24mm-wide Vittoria tubulars.(Image credit: James Huang)
Radioshack team mechanics installed fully sealed Gore Ride-On cables on all of the Paris-Roubaix bikes for both derailleurs and brakes.(Image credit: James Huang)
Team Radioshack opted for SRAM's more open PG-1070 cassette in case of mud.(Image credit: James Huang)
The slightly longer fork blades on Team Radioshack's modified Treks provided extra tire clearance under the fork crown and seat stay wishbone.(Image credit: James Huang)
One Radioshack rider also requested top-mount brake levers.(Image credit: James Huang)
Team Radioshack's Sebastien Rosseler runs the levers quite high on his bars.(Image credit: James Huang)
Team Radioshack ran modified Trek Madone 6 Series machines for this year's Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: James Huang)
Team Radioshack used traditional-style box-section aluminum tubular rims to provide a better ride across Paris-Roubaix's cobbles.(Image credit: James Huang)
Most Saxo Bank riders ran traditional box-section wheels while Fabian Cancellara ran Zipp 303s - even through the Arenberg forest.(Image credit: James Huang)
After the bike change debacle during the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Saxo Bank team mechanics installed red brake hoods on Matti Breschel's bike so they could pick it out more easily atop the team car.(Image credit: James Huang)
2010 Paris-Roubaix winner Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) runs these brake pads up front(Image credit: James Huang)
but SwissStop Yellow Kings in the back.(Image credit: James Huang)
Fabian Cancellara's (Saxo Bank) Specialized 'Project Black' prototype features internal cable routing - and gold anodized bits.(Image credit: James Huang)
Jimmy Casper's (Saur-Sojasun) Gitane fork was built with an alloy steerer tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
Canyon's relatively long head tubes find many Omega Pharma-Lotto team riders on aggressively angled stems and no spacers.(Image credit: James Huang)
Vacansoleil riders tackled the brutal Paris-Roubaix course on these Batavus bikes.(Image credit: James Huang)
HTC-Columbia's Scott Addicts in Paris-Roubaix feature more clearance and longer stays than usual.(Image credit: James Huang)
Bernhard Eisel's (HTC-Columbia) Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur shows some scars from a crash.(Image credit: James Huang)
HTC-Columbia is on slightly modified Scott Addicts for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: James Huang)
The composite insert in Bernhard Eisel's (HTC-Columbia) fi'zi:k saddle should lend a little extra cushioning over the cobbles.(Image credit: James Huang)
Bernhard Eisel (HTC-Columbia) is using Shimano's new satellite shifter on his Dura-Ace Di2 group.(Image credit: James Huang)
Now that's pro: Continental makes these tubulars just for the teams and doesn't even bother to create a real label for them.(Image credit: James Huang)
HTC-Columbia set off on a mix of carbon and alloy wheels.(Image credit: James Huang)
Euskaltel-Euskadi's Orbeas sported double-wrapped bars but only on the upper section.(Image credit: James Huang)
Generous helpings of electrical tape help keep the bottles in place on these Euskaltel-Euskadi bikes.(Image credit: James Huang)
Euskaltel-Euskadi's Orbeas look totally stock with rather tight clearances around both the front and rear tires.(Image credit: James Huang)
Giant 27mm-wide Vittoria tubulars just barely fit in the Euskaltel-Euskadi Orbeas. Thankfully for them, it isn't likely to be an issue with the dry conditions.(Image credit: James Huang)
Long-reach brakes are needed to reach the rims on Francais des Jeux's Lapierres.(Image credit: James Huang)
These Lapierre S-Lites are similar to the ones Francais des Jeux has used in years past.(Image credit: James Huang)
Vittoria Pave Evo-CG tubulars sport extra protection between the rubber and casing plus a fine pattern on the tread for grip on the cobbles.(Image credit: James Huang)
