Cancellara adapts his Flanders machine for the cobbles of Roubaix
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Fabian Cancellara's (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) Trek Domane 6-Series at Paris-Roubaix was identical to what he used at Ronde van Vlaanderen, save for tires and gearing.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
SwissStop Black Prince carbon-specific brake pads for Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek).(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano's latest Dura-Ace 9000 front derailleur uses an unusually long lever arm.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fabian Cancellara's (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) Bontrager Team Issue saddle is built with titanium rails and a flexible carbon fiber shell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The 'stacked' driveside spoke lacing on the Bontrager Aeolus 5 D3 rear wheel. According to Bontrager, this setup effectively widens the flange spacing for greater wheel stiffness.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The down tube, seat tube, and chain stays make use of nearly all of the Trek Madone 6-Series' 90mm-wide bottom bracket shell.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The bulbous tapered head tube helps stiffen up the front end but it also provides plenty of room for the cables to run on either side of the steerer.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Tucked behind the 'IsoSpeed' cover are an aluminum axle and two cartridge bearings.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A small stainless steel plate glued on the seat tube gives the Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 front derailleur a more stable foundation.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fabian Cancellara's (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) SRM PowerControl 7 computer is affixed to the company's new locking mount.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Speedplay Zero pedals with titanium spindles for Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek).(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Trek BAT cage may be cheap but it also holds bottles tightly enough that they're used on the pavé.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Trek's unique IsoSpeed pivoting seat cluster might seem like a ridiculous gimmick but we've ridden it and it absolutely works, allowing an incredible amount of seat tube flex to take the sting out of rough terrain.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Radioshack-Leopard-Trek team mechanic Roger Theel told BikeRadar that this 53-tooth outer chainring had only arrived days before Paris-Roubaix. While it has the same number of teeth as Fabian Cancellara's normal outer ring, the ramping is specific for a 42T instead of a 39T.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) has moved from 25mm-wide FMB Paris-Roubaix tubulars to 27mm-wide ones for Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The German-made Berner carbon fiber rear derailleur cage promises lower drivetrain by virtue of its ultra-oversized pulleys. As always, Radioshack-Leopard-Trek mechanic Roger Theel has dressed up Fabian Cancellara's bike with gold anodized bits.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Radioshack-Leopard-Trek team bikes feature non-replaceable rear derailleur hangers for better durability and shift performance.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
While many riders at Paris-Roubaix opt for 44-, 45-, or even 46-tooth inner chainrings, Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) uses a fairly standard 42.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The internally routed cables are fed directly into the front of the head tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fabian Cancellara's (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) Nokon segmented aluminum cable housing featured a few red links at Ronde van Vlaanderen but now they're gold.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The 140mm-long Bontrager Race XXX Lite molded carbon fiber stem wears this plate for good luck.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Consumers can purchase this same paint job through Trek's Project One custom program but there is still only one true Spartacus.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
An 11-25T Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 cassette for Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) at Paris-Roubaix.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Trek has built a chain catcher into the Domane 6-Series frame. It's bolted directly to the seat tube so it's less likely to yield when needed than many derailleur-mounted designs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
While many racers at Paris-Roubaix are riding bikes they only see a few times per year, 2013 Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard-Trek) should feel right at home on his Trek Domane 6-Series for Paris-Roubaix. Not only is he using the same bike in both events, it's also the machine he rides all year round.
Cancellara has made few changes from Sunday to deal with the far harsher cobbles and flatter parcours of Roubaix. His 25mm-wide FMB Paris-Roubaix tubular tires have given way to 27mm-wide ones - run at approximately 5.5/6 bar (80/87 psi) front/rear according to mechanic Roger Theel - and his usual 53/39T chainring combination has been changed to a matched 53/42T combo.
If you really want to nitpick, Theel has also switched the colored accents on Cancellara's Nokon segmented aluminum housing from red to gold.
Those changes have added some weight but only just barely. Total weight without the computer is still just 7.62kg (16.80lb) - an increase of 120g.
We should clarify at this point, however, that when we're talking about Cancellara's bike, we really should say "bikes" since he has three identical setups. According to Trek team liaison Jordan Roessingh, Cancellara was making the final tweaks on those machines when he crashed on Friday before the race.
"Fabian is one of the few riders out there that does ride his spare bike," Roessingh told BikeRadar. "He wants to ride that spare bike as well because in the chance that he has to go on to it, he's one of the riders that really feels the small differences and if it doesn't feel as good as his race bike, that ends up being a problem. So he wants to make sure everything is perfect on all three bikes."
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If all goes well at Paris-Roubaix, Cancellara won't just have three identical bikes afterward - he'll have three matching cobblestone trophies, too.
Complete bike specifications
Rider's height: 1.86m (6' 1") Rider's weight: 82kg (181lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 780mm Saddle setback (ask mechanic): 90mm Seat tube length, c-t: 500mm Seat tube length, c-c: 485mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 620mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 110mm Head tube length: 150mm Top tube length: 567mm Total bicycle weight: 7.62kg (16.80lb) w/o computer
