Paris Roubaix Bikes 2008

The Queen of Classics is unlike anything else on the cycle calendar and most likely is the most unique sporting event in the world.

Teams often offer their riders special bikes set up to handle the rough stuff, those who follow this route will provide bikes with a longer wheelbase for greater comfort and mud clearance around the brakes and frame.

Slipstream used Felt bikes with a longer wheelbase and Zipp carbon wheels, pretty much going it alone in abandoning the traditional hoops of the other squads

Alessandro Ballan and his bike

Tom Boonen used a Tarmac/Roubaix hybrid - note the curly rear stays and Zertz insert

Half cross, half road bike from Ridley

Fillipo Pozzato's Cannondale was kitted out with gel inserts under the bars and big fat Vittoria's, otherwise it was pretty much as standard

The Paris Roubaix, or 'Hell of the North', South of Lille, France is known for pain and hardship. Paris Roubaix runs over 259 kilometres and has no hills to speak, but features 50k of 'Pave'. These cobbled section mark out this race as the toughest or most crazy, depending on your point of view. The cobbles in the Arenberg Forest are more like boulders as we discovered on a recent visit.

This year it was won by Quickstep's Tom Boonen from Fabian Cancellera (Team CSC) and Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) - race report, race reaction, race pictures and more pictures.

Slipstream Felt
Slipstream say that; "Conditions that we only have to deal with for one day a year, but require specific equipment to deal with the almost absurd nature of the race.

The Roubaix framesets from Felt that are slightly longer than standard ones to provide a bit more stability on the pavé. The wider and indented chainstays and seatstays give a bit of extra mud clearance. And the fork is slightly higher than usual to keep the mud from clogging up the front wheel. Shimano long reach brakes are fitted on the front and rear to help with this.

Zipp has provided nice strong ‘clydesdale’ wheelset that uses a 404 rim in the rear and a 303 up front, with standard double butted spokes that are laced up 2 cross. The whole team will rode carbon Zipp wheels.

Vittoria Pavé tubulars in an extra wide 27 mm width. Tyre pressure is a closely guarded secret, but with the wider tubular much lower pressure than normal. Especially if the weather is nasty on the big day.

The team used 53-46 chainrings and a tight 11-21 cassette on the rear."

Lampre Wilier
Third placed Alessandro Ballan and the Lampre’s riders also used special bikes.

Baldato and Ballan rode on a carbonium frame, while the other blue-fucsia cyclists used steel ones: Murro and Bandiera had cyclocross frames. Forks will be in carbonium, special Vittoria tyres of 27”. After training, riders will choose the gears they’ll use during the race.

Ballan and many riders across the race used top brake levers, Ballan fitting just one for the rear brake

Quickstep Specialized
Rich Land reports: Tom Boonen's bike, much like his SL2 is not a stock geometry. Although there has been much speculation that the bike was basically a beefed up version of a Roubaix, we can confirm that he was riding a prototype new bike dubbed the Roubaix SL2. Exact details are a little sketchy at the moment and I am sure that the production model may differ in it's final format, which is a proposed bike for the 09 season.

The Frame is a combination of a SL2 front end mated to the Roubaix rear. The Roubaix rear has also received some stiffening compared to the model as we know it. The fork is a hybrid mix also of the SL2 fork with its 1 1/4 lower race and the Roubaix complete with Zertz.

Notably this bike will receive the Quick Step PRO geometry, which is basically a longer and lower front end to the bike. From what I have gleaned the bike sounds a perfect rig for most Sportive riders out there or racers looking for that balance between comfort and straight line stiffness.

Specialized products where used by seven of the top ten finishing positions, with bikes and optics for Team Quick-Step and Helmet and optics for Lampre and Silence Lotto.

Silence Lotto Ridley
Ridley supplied the Silence Lotto squad with a bike born out their activity in the cross world. They have made used of their knowledge of this discipline to create the X-fire Roubaix, a mix of cross rear and road frame up front - Read more

Liquigas Cannondale
Cannindale's Rory Mason tells us that; Filippo Pozzato started the race aboard his San Remo Special Cannondale SuperSix with Fulcrum Racing Speed high profile carbon rims and standard tires in order to roll faster over the first 90km, thus saving energy for the cobbles. He switched to his cobble machine at the feed zone after the second sector of pave. This bike was equipped with Fulcrum Racing Light low profile wheels with Vittoria 27's for a more supple ride over the jarring cobble sectors - see 10 things that went wrong....

Beefy tyres on the Credit Agricole Look's	CSC having won the race for the previous two year had once more Cervello's with a longer wheelbase	One cross brake lever for Alessandro Ballan
Extra rear stay clearance and padding on the bars	Just fat tyres and traditional wheels for Team Milram	With no hills, riders used chainrings in the 52/46 ball park
Pozzato's Milan San Remo bike was used until the race hit the real pave sections	Lots of mud clearance and extra comfort	The extra long wheelbase in evident in this picture