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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)
We're not entirely sure what wheels these are on the Cofidis bikes but they're not in the current Vision catalog. Tubular alloy rims with 'Vision' and 'Arenberg' decals, 'Vision'-etched alloy hubs - maybe we'll find out at Sea Otter? (Image credit: James Huang)
Acqua & Sapone riders set off aboard these Bottechias. (Image credit: James Huang)
Acqua & Sapone appears quite confident in these shallow-section Shimano Dura-Ace tubulars. (Image credit: James Huang)
Massive tire clearance on this BBox-Bouygues Telecom Colnago Cross Prestige. (Image credit: James Huang)
A common sight at Paris-Roubaix: double-wrapped bar and top-mount brake levers. (Image credit: James Huang)
BBox-Bouygues Telecom riders were about evenly split between Colnago CX-1 and Cross Prestige frames. (Image credit: James Huang)
BMC's rigs lie in wait just prior to the start of Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: James Huang)
Even the cars take a beating on Paris-Roubaix's infamous cobbles. The bottom of this BMC vehicle is armored with a steel plate to shield the oil pan. (Image credit: James Huang)
Caisse d'Epargne riders opted for standard Pinarello Dogmas for their attack on Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: James Huang)
Caisse d'Epargne's 25mm-wide Continental tubulars sport reinforced sidewalls and double breaker belts to prevent flats. (Image credit: James Huang)
FSA K-Force brake calipers are fitted to the Look 595s of Cofidis. Interestingly, SwissStop Yellow King pads are installed even though the team is using alloy rims. (Image credit: James Huang)
Carbon cages generally have no place at Paris-Roubaix. These Cofidis bikes use fairly inexpensive Zefal alloy cages. (Image credit: James Huang)
Top-mount brake lever setups vary from team to team. Cofidis opts for just one, hooked up to the rear caliper. (Image credit: James Huang)
These Cofidis Look 595s look to be fully standard machines with no additional clearance around the tires. (Image credit: James Huang)
Francais des Jeux is using 25mm-wide Hutchinson Road Tubeless tires mounted on Dura-Ace carbon-alloy clinchers. (Image credit: James Huang)
Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) is using double-wrapped bars today. (Image credit: James Huang)
Garmin-Transitions has traded in its usual carbon fiber Arundel bottle cages today for the company's stainless steel ones instead. (Image credit: James Huang)
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) is continuing his stylistic tendencies with this blacked-out Ridley Damocles Pi with custom geometry. (Image credit: James Huang)
Fresh Look KeO Blade pedals are fitted to Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) custom Ridley Damocles Pi. (Image credit: James Huang)
Selle San Marco provides Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) with a special Zoncolan saddle. (Image credit: James Huang)
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) looks to have carried these wheels over from last year's Paris-Roubaix rig. (Image credit: James Huang)
Lampre's Wilier Triestina Cento 1 SL machines had traditional box-section wheels mounted up for Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: James Huang)
Lampre is using the Wilier Triestina Cento 1 SL for Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: James Huang)
Manuel Quinziato (Liquigas) has his single top-mounted brake lever looked up to the front caliper. (Image credit: James Huang)
Cannondale provided Liquigas riders with carbon Synapses for Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: James Huang)
Liquigas mechanics have jammed in a bit of extra material to keep the seatposts from slipping. (Image credit: James Huang)
New Schwalbe Ultremo HT tubulars are mounted to Mavic Reflex rims on Liquigas's Cannondale Synapses. (Image credit: James Huang)
As do most teams, Liquigas has older wheels kept on hand just for the cobbles that come out of storage only for this time of year. (Image credit: James Huang)
Omega Pharma-Lotto riders were using a mix of aluminum and carbon fiber frames. (Image credit: James Huang)
The small aluminum seat stays provide decent tire clearance at the seat stay bridge. (Image credit: James Huang)
The Campagnolo Record rear derailleur on Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike is bolted to a replaceable dropout. (Image credit: James Huang)
A simple plastic chain watcher is on hand on Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) bike. (Image credit: James Huang)
Garmin-Transitions mechanics report excellent results from the team's AceCo K-Edge chain watchers. (Image credit: James Huang)
Tyler Farrar's (Garmin-Transitions) Felt F1 boasts massive clearances front and rear - enough that a long-reach caliper is required. (Image credit: James Huang)
Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) is using top-mounted brake levers today. (Image credit: James Huang)
Garmin-Transitions' Felt F1s use the same formula as last year's bikes, Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 group and all. (Image credit: James Huang)
Unique dropouts provide more tire clearance on Tyler Farrar's (Garmin-Transitions) Felt F1 and lower the bottom bracket for more stability. (Image credit: James Huang)
Slightly longer fork blades and a carved-out crown on Tyler Farrar's (Garmin-Transitions) Felt F1 provide lots of tire clearance. (Image credit: James Huang)
Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) is coming off a big win at Scheldeprijs on Wednesday. (Image credit: James Huang)
27mm-wide Vittoria Pave Evo-CG tubulars are wrapped around Mavic Reflex rims on Tyler Farrar's (Garmin-Transitions) Felt F1. (Image credit: James Huang)
Katusha riders set off on a mix of road and road-'cross hybrids for this year's Paris-Roubaix. (Image credit: James Huang)
Nicolai Trussov (Katusha) slapped this sticker on his head tube just before heading to the start line. (Image credit: James Huang)
Filippo Pozzato's (Katusha) front brake is fitted with SwissStop Yellow King pads. (Image credit: James Huang)
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) isn't using Gore Ride-On's sealed cables but apparently his mechanic went ahead and crafted a set himself. (Image credit: James Huang)
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) is using a special blacked-out edition of his Italian national champion Ridley. (Image credit: James Huang)
Tire clearance on the Omega Pharma-Lotto Canyon fork is tight with the big tubulars installed. (Image credit: James Huang)
Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) took his second Paris-Roubaix victory in spectacular fashion, surging away from an elite group with about 50km to go and crossing the line with a two-minute margin over Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam). In terms of equipment, though, Cancellara's win also marked Specialized's third Paris-Roubaix victory in a row, this time with its still-secretive 'Project Black' prototype.
We've already covered the Project Black – otherwise known as the upcoming S-Works Roubaix SL3 – in fair detail so we won't overly rehash here but to summarize, the concept has proven to be a virtually perfect formula to tackle Paris-Roubaix's brutal parcours. Relative to a pure race bike, its slightly longer wheelbase and slacker angles lend more stable and predictable handling, extra clearance leaves room for fat tubulars, the monstrous down tube and chain stays yield efficient pedaling, and Specialized's unique Zertz elastomeric inserts effectively damp vibration for a smoother ride.
Skeptics can scoff as they see fit, but having ridden previous Roubaix iterations we're looking forward to riding this new one as well – and while it's true that Cancellara likely would have won on another machine, he also could have lost on one that didn't work well, either.
Most of the other top-placing machines at this year's Paris-Roubaix also shared the Project Black's basic formula of slightly adjusted geometry and high-volume tubular tires. Hushovd's Cervélo R3 bore the same modifications used on the bikes Stuart O'Grady and Cancellara used to win Paris-Roubaix in 2006 and 2007 when they were on Team CSC and though Juan Antonio Flecha's (Team Sky) stock Pinarello KOBH 60.1 was a new creation debuted just prior to the race, it still adhered to the same general recipe.
Interestingly, Cancellara did buck the trend of traditional alloy box-section tubular wheels and instead relied on Zipp's new 303 carbon aero rims instead. True, he did break one rear rim coming through the Arenberg forest but to be fair, alloy rims have failed there as well. Moreover, Cancellara's wasn't a catastrophic failure and he was able to continue all the way through until a more convenient time for a bike change presented itself – a significant improvement considering how many Zipp carbon rims then-Slipstream-Chipotle rider Magnus Backstedt broke at the 2008 Paris-Roubaix.
Granted, muddy conditions may have altered the equipment selections but even in years of bad weather, bikes that deviate only modestly from the norm have generally fared better than the more 'cross-like creations we've occasionally seen from time to time. Only a few teams (Katusha, BBox-Bouygues Telecom, Skil-Shimano) campaigned 'cross or 'cross-like machines during the race but others (BMC, Milram) were prepared with them just in case.
With another Paris-Roubaix wrapped up we'll have to wait another year to see what sort of (semi) wild creations sponsors will cook up in an effort to defeat the Hell of the North but chances are they still won't be all different from what's been well proven to work.
In the meantime, enjoy this gallery of team bikes and components from the 2010 Paris-Roubaix.