Cockpit and components
Cockpit and components
If there was ever a time to worry about handlebar tape, Roubaix would be it. Most of the time ‘bar tape gets shoved aside as a final touch on a bike that doesn’t always get much thought aside from colour, but at Roubaix it’s a key part of making the bike comfortable for the whole 253.5km.
Whether it’s extra thick tape – 3.8mm or possibly even more – or tape with gel pads underneath, even the pros want as much padding as possible up front. Tom Boonen famously uses double wrapped tape on the cobbles, and if it’s good enough for Tommeke, then the rest of us shouldn’t feel like wimps for daring to follow suit.
Another addition you’ll likely see on the front end of certain bikes is extra brake levers. Some riders like the ‘cross style brake levers that sit in the middle of the handlebars, as a lot of the pros like to attack the pavé with their hands on the tops of the bars, and this means they don’t have to sacrifice braking to achieve the desired position.
And these days, with the advent of Di2 satellite shifters, many riders on Shimano-sponsored teams will put easy-access climbing shifters on the tops of the ‘bar. Just like the cross-top brake levers, this means they’ll be able to change gear from the tops, and not have to risk taking a hand off the bars while flying over cobbles at 45km/h.
Saddle-wise, there’s a whole range, from the riders who prefer to keep their regular perch, to those who go all-out in an attempt to gain a bit more comfort.
Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas had custom-made Fizik Arione saddles that combine the classic Arione shape with extra padding for a little more comfort in 2015, though both riders use this saddle for the majority of races, not just Paris-Roubaix.
But there are even more extreme saddle choices out there, with some riders even adopting Fizik’s Arione Tri triathlon saddle that’s significantly more padded than the road model, especially on the nose. There are also a lot of Aliante saddles on view from Fizik sponsored teams, with the Aliante being the saddle of choice for larger riders and as such more padded to help them cope.
Prologo-sponsored teams have the option of the Spanish brand’s ‘nack’ saddles. They’re extra grippy which is very useful when it comes to not slipping about. For teams that don’t have a pre-gripped saddle, bar tape or grip tape covering the surface is another popular choice (you’ll also see that modification widely used on TT saddles as well).
As for gearing, while the Hellingen of the Tour of Flanders see most riders stick a 28t sprocket on the back, Roubaix is almost totally flat and so a lot of riders will opt for a larger small chainring, anything up to a 44t, because there’s just no need for a 39 or lower on a course with such a flat profile.
Another thing you’ll likely notice is that at Roubaix you almost certainly won’t see a single bike without a chain catcher. You might not always need one on the smoothly paved roads of central France, but up here on the cobbles the pros take every precaution they can to make sure they don’t drop a chain.