This weekend QuickStep-AlphaVinyl will probably be utilizing hitherto unseen tubeless know-how from Specialised, revealed on Yves Lampaert’s Specialised S-Works Roubaix after the crew’s ultimate recon trip for Paris-Roubaix on Friday afternoon.
The S-Works Roubaix options a lot of the spec as QuickStep used final 12 months, even opting to stay on older technology Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 groupsets, with among the crew workers explaining that the crew hadn’t absolutely examined the most recent technology Dura-Ace 9200 on cobbles amid issues of dropped chains.
Hid on the wheel of Lampaert‘s bike, although, was a tubeless valve, regardless of the present technology of Roval Rapide CLX 32 and 50 wheelsets being tubeless incompatible since 2020.
On asking the crew workers, Cyclingnews discovered that the wheels have been yet-to-be unveiled new tubeless Roval wheels, accompanied by a completely new tyre from Specialised.
Referred to as merely Undertaking Black, the tyres revealed no spec, strain or sizing particulars on the sidewall, although we might speculate the tyres have been 30mm in width.
Hypothesis has unfold that alongside a brand new high tier tyre from Specialised, the model has additionally experimented with tubeless foam inserts for street bikes. The froth inserts would cut back affect harm to the rim, but additionally cut back air loss incurred from ‘burping’ – the place a big compression of the tyre results in air escaping from the bead.
Elsewhere on Yves Lampaert’s construct we see some fascinating spec selections, together with a cumbersome 54-46 chainring mixture – serving to to make sure itself to straight chainlines, and fewer probability of chain drop on the cobbles.
Not like some groups nonetheless favouring aerodynamic bikes at Paris-Roubaix, QuickStep has opted for Specialised’s comfort-orientated Roubaix, named for the race itself.
The Roubaix makes use of an adjustable entrance suspension system under the stem referred to as the Future Shock 2.0. On Lampaert’s bike the shock has had a small stretch of sandpaper positioned on high of the stem cap, which can also be the place the shock’s stiffness will be tailored by rotating it.
The Roubaix is accompanied by Specialised’s S-Works Romin Evo Mirror saddle – the most recent in Specialised saddle know-how which makes use of 3D printed Mirror padding composed of twenty-two,000 struts and 10,700 nodes.
Specialised’s transfer to tubeless tyres continues the now nearly ubiquitous swap from tubular tyres towards tubeless tyre know-how for the race, with Workforce DSM even experimenting with a pressure-management system to regulate tyre strain whereas using.
