Too light for Flanders?

[liam7020]

So I've used this bike in Flanders...


and this one...


and this one...


and this one too...


this one had to be my favourite so far LOL...


but what about this one?


This Simplon Pavo III is my current road race/sportive bike and it does a fine job being both light and responsive but still reasonably comfortable over longer distances. I’m considering taking this bike, with a different wheelset, to Flanders next spring for my annual bash over the cobblestones. But is the frameset too light for such harsh roads?

Frame weight is 860g and the fork comes in at 324g with the rider usually weighing around 76-77kgs. I know that this year IAM Cycling and Orica Greenedge rode the new Scott Addict at Flanders which has a claimed frameset weight of <1000g whilst Katusha were aboard the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX which is also lighter than the Pavo. I believe Alexander Kristoff also rode the Canyon at Paris Roubaix where the cobbles are even harsher then Flanders.

In general, over the last few years the pros have been using increasingly lighter equipment for the cobble classics and of course you might say that they can afford to replace expensive bikes if they break. However the flip side to that argument is the reality that when Cancellara, Boonen etc are in the closing stages of a crucial race they absolutely cannot afford to lose even a couple of seconds to mechanical failure which would suggest that any equipment they use would need to be reliable as is humanly possible. Sure there are no guarantees in those circumstances but I’m pretty sure the top teams aren’t going to use any gear with even the slightest question mark over it.

From what I can ascertain from their website (German wouldn’t be my strongest point..), Simplon do make a big play of the Pavo’s strength/ weight ratio, citing the frame’s top results from the well known EFBe testing protocols.

So guys, what do you think – would you use this frame in Flanders?

[fa63]

I am sure the frame will be fine. How big of a tire can the frame accommodate?

[liam7020]

It easily accommodates 24mm Vittoria Pave tyres fitted to a 24mm wide rim, so I suspect I could probably use 27mm tyres but that's possibly a bit of an overkill for Flanders.

[Rikc]

With low section wheels and 25 or 27mm tyres you should be comfortable. With the 27's you filter a lot of the abuse.


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[Causidicus]

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[GonaSovereign]

...I suspect I could probably use 27mm tyres but that's possibly a bit of an overkill for Flanders.

There is no overkill for Flanders.

I think 27s on wide rims would be more than neccessary there. OP would be fine with 24 or 25s on there. I rode it with 25s on narrow rims (it was plenty) and the same at Roubaix (wished I had more).

[liam7020]

Thanks for the comments so far guys. Aside from tyres, am I right in thinking that most of you would be satisfied that the Simplon frame would be robust enough for Flanders and shouldn't break below me on the cobbles?!

[jekyll man]

I'd say change the wheels- some 32 spokes/ low profile rims and 24/25mm tyres (FWIW I've always ridden it on 23s with no problems, punctures etc). Certainly don't need anything bigger.
As you know from doing it before, its not the bergs that do you, it's the extended flat sections of cobbles which take it out of you. Some "soft" wheels will make a hell of a lot of difference.

There's a lot of LWish kit been ridden there without too many problems;You're more likely to damage your bike by some fat knacker grinding to a halt and toppling onto you than by the hardness of the route.

Of course, anything could happen, so could you afford to (and be happy having to) replace it?

Some people are hard on equipment whatever. Only you'll know if you match that description

[Oswald]

In case you are thinking that Flanders is entirely covered by cobblestones, I can assure you we really don't have that much pavé over here

You will do fine with a superlight bike on 22mm tires... But ofcourse a bike with 25mm tires will be more comfortable...

[liam7020]

I'd say change the wheels- some 32 spokes/ low profile rims and 24/25mm tyres (FWIW I've always ridden it on 23s with no problems, punctures etc). Certainly don't need anything bigger.
As you know from doing it before, its not the bergs that do you, it's the extended flat sections of cobbles which take it out of you. Some "soft" wheels will make a hell of a lot of difference.

There's a lot of LWish kit been ridden there without too many problems;You're more likely to damage your bike by some fat knacker grinding to a halt and toppling onto you than by the hardness of the route.

Of course, anything could happen, so could you afford to (and be happy having to) replace it?

Some people are hard on equipment whatever. Only you'll know if you match that description

Good points jekyll man. That cobbled false flat after Kwaremont village which drags up on to the N36 or the exposed section along the Paddestraat are almost as exhausting as the actual helliingen and yeah at the sportive you are very likely to get wiped out by a spandex clad fattie on a mountain bike! All good fun!!

And don’t race what you can’t afford to replace. Exactly. In fairness, my Pavo gets ridden regularly in 80 rider bunches with at least half the buggars not having a clue how to ride in close proximity to other human beings! So from that perspective I’m prepared to accept crash damage at De Ronde in the same manner as I would at a local road race.

And I’m not too hard on equipment so, crashes aside, the consensus of opinion seems to be that the Pavo frameset won’t fall apart at the first sniff of a cobbled road! Perhaps I was being a little over cautious but, as you can tell from the photos, I’ve never used a bike quite as light as this in Flanders before. Cheers.

[liam7020]

In case you are thinking that Flanders is entirely covered by cobblestones, I can assure you we really don't have that much pavé over here

You will do fine with a superlight bike on 22mm tires... But ofcourse a bike with 25mm tires will be more comfortable...

Think I might go with 25mm, maybe something like Michelin Optimum Pro. Sounds like you're in Flanders Oswald. Epicentre of the cycling universe!!

[Powerful Pete]

You should have no issues with your Simplon. As others have said, a more traditional wheelset would be a more comfort oriented option, but you'll be fine. Enjoy the ride on your A bike, take a few pictures and then post about it here!

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[de zwarten]

The frame won't break.
The wheels and tires have to be more comfortable.
I can borrow you a set of whatever Campag-geared wheels + tires you need for the job, if you have any doubts about your current ones.
Give me a PM if you are around Bruges.

[PinaRene]

Did Flanders last September with the Scott Addict and 23mm Vittoria CX tires. The tires could be wider 25 for more comfort, but it was ridable. For my son who is way to light with his 50kg it was a punishment to ride with 23mm. But he rode his Batavus Vacansoleil team frame, full carbon 7.0 kg.

[Oswald]

In case you are thinking that Flanders is entirely covered by cobblestones, I can assure you we really don't have that much pavé over here

You will do fine with a superlight bike on 22mm tires... But ofcourse a bike with 25mm tires will be more comfortable...

Think I might go with 25mm, maybe something like Michelin Optimum Pro. Sounds like you're in Flanders Oswald. Epicentre of the cycling universe!!

I lived in Brakel for 30 years. That's where the Valkenberg, Berendries, Tenbossestraat are... And most of the famous climbs are within 20kms like the Kwaremont, the Muur, ...

Back then my favorite bike was my carbon TCR with 9 speed dura ace and a set of DA / DT Rev / Mavic OP 32 3x wheels usually with 23mm Conti's or Michelins... So nothing specific for cobbles or comfort.