Roubaix: what kind of bike to use, how the frames are made and how they have changed

Fire call from France. Roubaix 1995: Giorgio Squinzi, Mr. Mapei, calls Ernesto Colnago. “Here it’s all a criticism, even our mechanics are undecided, Ernesto. They say that when you go over the cobblestones, the carbon will shear. Both the frame and the fork. We race with the steel Master frame and that’s it”. Colnago calls him back at 10 in the morning: “Giorgio, do what you want. I tell you: I will fail, but I have some apartments around, you will sue me, but I am convinced that tomorrow we will win. Mapei wins and carbon wins. If we lose, we both lose. Good luck, Giorgio, don’t be angry.” Seven come out of the Forest of Arenberg and among them is Franco Ballerini. His Colnago C40, carbon frame and straight fork, flies over the stones: it is the first triumph of carbon, 4 more out of five editions will follow. Just think: the idea of ​​the straight fork had been given to Colnago by Enzo Ferrari in Maranello, while they were eating mortadella and studying how to transfer carbon technology from F1 to bicycles.

roubaix and muscles

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Roubaix has always been an advanced technology laboratory. The most anachronistic classic, which is run on six million cubes of stones on the country roads of France, combined with the most exaggerated technique. And an obligation: to reduce vibrations and try to give more comfort to the runner, with relief to the muscles of the arms and shoulders. A thousand solutions. The rear end lengthens to make the bike more comfortable. Bianchi in 2014 is third with Vanmarcke and a carbon frame containing Countervail, a viscoelastic material tested by NASA, the American space agency. In 2015 Wiggins has a groundbreaking Pinarello, the Dogma K8-S, with rear suspension. Nothing to do with those of mountain bikes: system weighing only 95 grams, adjustable in 3 positions by the rider. In 2019 an evolution with the double suspension, which transforms the Pinarello into a bike full suspended. Also in that year, Peter Sagan uses a Specialized with a hydraulic front suspension system, a special carbon seatpost to absorb shocks, mechanical shifting and 30mm tubulars. We also work on the brakes, with the use of cyclocross ones to pass the tires with larger sections, and on the saddles: the Prologo of Sagan and Pozzato in 2015 are covered with a special polymer derived from the gloves and seats of the F1, to keep the runner from sliding forward.

roubaix and tyres

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With the arrival of tubeless tires (without inner tubes) the way of understanding the Roubaix bike changes: we only work on tires and pressures. Ganna will use the usual road Pinarello Dogma F, but with 32 mm tubeless and pressures from 2.5 to 3. Inside, instead of sealant liquid, an anti-puncture insert inflates, which looks like a ” of plastic.