Paris-Roubaix tech preview: What we expect to see at the Queen of the Classics

(Image credit: Will Jones)

Paris-Roubaix is a race like no other, from a parcours perspective but also the way it captures the public imagination. Outside of the Tour de France, no other race cuts through quite like it, and while to ‘proper’ cycling fans the Tour of Flanders may be a bigger race, Roubaix is often the gateway drug that gets people into one-day race viewership.

Because of the unique, and horrible, course, Paris-Roubaix has become the epicentre of springtime tech nerdery. It sits in the centre of a Venn diagram at the intersection of tyre chat, aero considerations, event-specific bikes, and miscellaneous ‘hacks’.

In the days of rim brakes, riders were effectively confined to 28c tyres, such was the clearance of the brake calipers. Direct mount options upped this a bit, but not much, and not every team could use them. Specialized-sponsored teams would rock up with the Roubaix, replete with Zertz inserts, and latterly the Future Shock suspension unit below the stem. Trek, too, had the Domane, which sprouted Isospeed decouplers at the front and the back to add extra compliance.

Though unofficial, it did seem in years gone by that Specialized sponsored teams were duty-bound to use the Specialized Roubaix at the bike's namesake race. The Roubaix has gotten faster and has more aero credentials than ever, but I think you’d be mad to suggest that it’s a faster bike. Some riders simply don’t like the suspended front end, regardless of the added comfort, with Niki Terpstra famously swapping out the elastomer for an untested rigid unit that ended up with him in a heap by the roadside after his handlebars detached, although things have moved on since 2017.

Last year we saw Nils Pollit using a Tarmac SL7, but he was still very much an outlier. It was the last year of the outgoing Roubaix, so maybe there’ll be a harder whipping operation from Specialized this year, but with such a flat parcours, the majority of which remember isn’t raced on cobbles, I suspect we will see more riders than ever opt for the Tarmac. The riders will get all the aero and weight benefits, not have to change position, and run 32c tyres to take the sting out of the cobbles now that they have access to the S-Works Mondo tyre launched last year.

This is a prediction primarily confined to the men's race - SD-Worx last year exclusively rode the Tarmac and I see no reason why that won't be the case this year. The issue with smaller bikes that the women’s peloton is more likely to be using is that the saddle-to-bar drop necessary to create a very aero position isn’t nearly as possible - the front wheel gets in the way. The Roubaix has a higher stack, coupled with effectively a squishy stack of spacers under the stem, which compounds this issue, hence the riders using the Tarmac already.

In the same way nobody likes to use a brand new bike at the Tour de France and instead tests them at races like the Criterium du Dauphine first, any cobble-specific tech tends to get rolled out at smaller races first. In previous years we’ve seen the Scope Atmoz variable tyre pressure system trialled, the Gravaa KAPS system raced, and the Classified powershift hub in use before the rollout in Compiègne, but this year I don't expect to see any meme parts - I do hope I’m proved wrong here I must say.

The contenders will all be on fast bikes and squeezed into skinsuits as per usual. The newest generation of aero helmets from POC and Kask with ears partially obscured will likely be on show, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some visors too; Alberto Bettiol has been trialling it in some races recently and Nina Kessler used one at Flanders so keep eyes on them. The Uno-X team will also likely be using the old Sweet Protection time trial helmet that’s road-legal rather than anything vented.

I’ve also noticed more riders opting for cut-down versions of aero overshoes from the likes of Velotoze. I bet we’ll see more of this; the aim is to cover the shoe with a smooth cover to help with the troublesome dials, but above the ankle a dedicated aero sock works best, with textured fabrics designed to help the airflow. Mathieu van der Poel effectively uses a pre-made version of this from Spatz, the brand’s 'Windsock 2'.

Continental teams will be on large GP5000 S TR, but the interesting teams will likely be Cofidis - still on tubs - and Soudal-Quick Step/Bora-Hansgrohe, who have still been using inner tubes. At Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne I spotted Bob Jungels using the cobble-oriented Turbo Cotton Hell of The North tyres. These are non-tubeless, so it’ll be latex tube time, and only available in a 28c width, and no space for any tyre inserts. Though these have been a feature of the race for a good few years, last year we spotted riders using a new S-Works Mondo tyre, which comes in 28c, 32c, and 35c. I suspect nobody will opt for the 35c, but the 32c will almost certainly be in use, set up tubeless.

Cofidis will be an interesting one because the team still uses tubular tyres. Its deeply French Corima wheels at Omloop were shod with extremely French, no-longer-produced Michelin Power Competition tubs. Given the team's commitment to French branding (Look, Corima, Michelin) I had a forlorn hope that they would be the last outpost for the silk tub, but looking back to last year the team seemed to switch from tubs to clinchers, and were running Michelin Power Cup tyres, which can be run tubeless, though max out at a 28c width.

This is something I do hope I’m right about as, much as it makes headlines, seeing riders scattered across the Troueé d’Arenberg like skittles with snapped rims is never a good thing. The Zipp-sponsored teams (the wheel brand at the centre of the hookless rim debate) will all, from what I’ve seen so far, be running wide enough tyres to fall within the accepted safety standard. This doesn’t say hookless itself is safe enough for use, or that it isn’t, just that the setups will at least be compliant with manufacturer recommendations for size and pressure.

The fact is that we’ve seen cracked rims for years, long before hookless. Tubeless was also frowned upon for several seasons after some high-profile tyre losses on the cobbles, but liners or not, if you slam a rim into a right-angled stone at over 60km/h, there’s a good chance of a catastrophic failure. If it happens to a tubeless rim then questions will be asked, but if and when that does happen, it's worth recalling that in 2022 both Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte suffered catastrophic rim failures while using tubular Shimano Dura-Ace wheels.

Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.