One-Off Bike for Paris Roubaix Challenge?

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Frankie - B
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by Frankie - B

If you were riding it with a sram x1 group, what chainring and cassette would you pick?


Tape is for wrapping gifts to your girlfriend, not to hold a freaking tire on!
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Rex
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by Rex

I'm travelling over from Australia to do the PR & RVV double.
What wheels would you recommend?

Are Pacenti SL23's up to it?
Was thinking getting a set made up 24/28 with Bitex hubs

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MagnusH
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by MagnusH

@Frankie - B:

I did it with 42 x 11/32 this year (because I also did RVV) and that did the job just fine.
If I do both RVV and P-R again next year I'll use the same gearing.
If I were to choose a gearing only for P-R I'd use 50 x 11/25.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

frankie, I spent the entire PR ride in 53T ring. I have a 12-25T cassette and on the cobbles it was 53/14T or 53/13T

Based on that I would pick a 50T garbaruk chainring and an 11-23T SRAM cassette because it is light. There are no hills to speak of that 50/23t is not sufficient for. I assume though you are a fit cyclist.

Pacenti rims are up to it but search out the kinlin XR31T off set drilling and a stiffer rim makes this my favourite. the pacenti rim is no where near as stiff. I did PR on 24 spoke disc brake wheels it is only 33 miles of cobbles any properly built wheel can handle that with ease.

bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

if your hands took a beating your tyres where not wide enough and the pressures to high. I had one wrap of cinelli cork tape (no gel) and no gloves my hands where fine. I am not hard i just let the tyres to the shock absorption not my hands. Many I saw on 25mm tyres was struggling on the cobbles and many afterward told me they had a 100 psi in the tyres which is why those folk where hurting so much.

the most comfortable riders I saw where on 29er's and that is not a bad option at all. A properly set up one can average 17 or 18 mph quite easily.

LionelB
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by LionelB

As far as gearing goes I think the ideal setup is 53/42 with 11/23 or 11/25 in the back. You are mostly in the big ring, this year I put the small chainring once on Mons en Pevele which is uphill and was into a sadist 50km/h headwind. Tough as hell.

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by rainerhq

@ bm0p700f
Do you ride your Strada Bianchas with normal latex tube (for 25mm tyres) or the bigger ones (for CX)?
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drchull
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by drchull

bm0p700f wrote:if your hands took a beating your tyres where not wide enough and the pressures to high. I had one wrap of cinelli cork tape (no gel) and no gloves my hands where fine. I am not hard i just let the tyres to the shock absorption not my hands. Many I saw on 25mm tyres was struggling on the cobbles and many afterward told me they had a 100 psi in the tyres which is why those folk where hurting so much.

the most comfortable riders I saw where on 29er's and that is not a bad option at all. A properly set up one can average 17 or 18 mph quite easily.



Was running 25c at 80 psi, same as I do every day. Really was the vibrations, end up with a bit of a reactive arthritis in the small joints of the fingers. Same reason a lot of riders tape their knuckles, which is really the only change I would make if doing it again. Tried 28c but wouldn't fit on bike and since were gatorskins were actually less comfortable than the 25C Michelins. Running HED Belgiums on CK hubs.

I ride this set up everyday on a lot of gravel and chipseal, does a great job absorbing vibrations, PR is just a different animal. Didn't want to go and ride it on a CX bike or a 29er. Part of doing it is doing it on a race bike and riding the cobbles, not the gutter.

Marin
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by Marin

bm0p700f wrote:frankie, I spent the entire PR ride in 53T ring. I have a 12-25T cassette and on the cobbles it was 53/14T or 53/13T


Whoa, I'd be doing 50kph with that gearing, which I doubt I would be capable of doing on the cobbles. I'm speccing a 1x all-road bike currently, and I'll be using a 36t Garbaruk ring which will let do 40+kph on the flats, which will be more than enough for most rides.

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Frankie - B
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by Frankie - B

Those were my exact thoughts as well. Spending the day in 53 x 14 or 13 would leave me with a very low cadence at high torque. That is not the style that my knees prefer. after reading through the comments, I'm leaning more towards a force1 group with a 48t ring, combined with a 11-28 and some 25/30 tires it will be a perfect do-it-all bike.
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LionelB
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by LionelB

36 or even 48 is really not the ideal gearing for PR. A good chainline is important, I was doing most of the cobbles in 53/14 to 53/15 but on the flats in a group a 53/12 or even 53/11 is useful.

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Frankie - B
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by Frankie - B

What was your cadance for that ride, LionelB?
'Tape was made to wrap your GF's gifts, NOT hold a freakin tire on.'
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coloclimber
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by coloclimber

Frank- a Single narrow wide 46T ring may be genius. hmmm, now you got me thinking.
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BmanX
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by BmanX

Just need to match this with the right cassette. The 46t with an 11 on the rear is the same as a 50/12 combo which should be more than fine.
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bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

I kept that low cadence to keep the chain on and it worked. also my riding style can be a low cadance grind and I dont find it a grind. I am happy at low cadence I averaged 68 rpm. A high cadence ride for me is averaging 90 rpm but I can only do that for a hour and a bit. I have to force myself to spin at higher cadences or I would never do it.

rainerhq. for the last 4000km on the genesis I have had the 30mm challange strada bianca tyres running with vittoria latex tubes 25- 28mm they have been fine.

drchull. 25mm is too narrow. If I had ridden the tyres you had I would have suffered like you did. Gatorskins in 28mm would be a bad choice too also conti's are tall tyres which is why they may have not fitted. Those cobbles this year where a bit slimey in places gator skins would have made it even more hairy. Vittoria Paves 27mm on wide rim would be fine but the challange 30mm tyre I think is best. As this thread is about a one of bike then I say get one with enough clearance for these. However they don't fit on every rim, they a bitch to get onto archetypes and practically imposible on Pacenti SL23's. They slip onto Velocity aileron disc brake rims however.

I only rode the gutter on the last cobble section by then I had had enough.

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