Paris-Roubaix & Flat Tyres

Quoted message said:

Originally posted by Nickzx6r It seems quite common in pro roa
races for riders to get flat tyres, but I can't figure out why tha
should be

Maybe it just seems strange but there are a lot of riders in one bi
group, riding across pretty dodgy roads. With so may riders across th
road someone is bound to collect some rubbish and puncture

Quoted message said:

Am I just lucky to have not had many flats

Yes..ish. It could be that you ride on nice roads or you have goo
technique and spot 'puncture hotspots' early

The racers are travelling at speed and concentrating on the race - the
wont have near as much time to react to glass, etc. on the road

Quoted message said:

Do the pro road racers use singles instead of clinchers

Some of them do, yes. I'm not sure on the difference that would make t
puncture rates though

Could be that the super fast tyres are a little more susceptible t
punctures too

hth hipp

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I've watched the Paris-Roubaix highlights from last week twice now, I love it 🙂. 51.1 kilometres of pavé!! 'Hell of the north', they aren't joking about that, especially the velodrome finish after 260km of racing. Its cruel that after riding for that long you have to win the thing in a track sprint!

I found an article on cycling news on the different setups the teams us
for the race, here
http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/features/roubai
and here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/featur
es/roubaix_

Looks like some of the teams used tubeless for the first time. Th
bianchi team used 28's for their rear tyre. Cantilever brakes wer
used as well

Its good to read how the teams and individual riders differed i
selecting equipment. The cannondale cyclocross bike with built i
Headshok suspension would have been nice

As for flats I've never had one on the road probably because I alway
carry a spare tube with me (appeases the tyre gods I guess). Using Cont
top touring tyres helps a bit

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"NickZX6R" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Today I finally got around to watching the P-R from last week.

It seems quite common in pro road races for riders to get flat tyres,
but I can't figure out why that should be.

At the risk of angering the tyre gods, I'll admit that in about 40000kms
of riding, I've had less than 10 flat tyres - and three of those were
caused by worn out rim tape.

Presumably the pros tyres are new and unlikely to be worn out, and the
pressures correct. I realise P-R is particularly rough over the cobbles
but even in 'normal' road races they seem to puncture quite often.

Am I just lucky to have not had many flats? Do the pro road racers use
singles instead of clinchers?

It just doesn't make sense to my feeble mind 🙂

Thoughts?

Cheers.
--
Nick

Continetal claim to have had their tyres on the last three winners of the
Paris - Roubaix.

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/road_tyres/tubulars/tubular_comp_default.htm

I've recently put some Conti clinchers on my bike and I think they're great!

Marty

Marty

"gescom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've watched the Paris-Roubaix highlights from last week twice now, I love

it 🙂. 51.1 kilometres of pavé!! 'Hell of the north', they aren't joking
about that, especially the velodrome finish after 260km of racing. Its cruel
that after riding for that long you have to win the thing in a track sprint!

Quoted message said:

I found an article on cycling news on the different setups the teams use
for the race, here:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/features/roubaix
and here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/teamtech04.php?id=tech/2004/featur-
es/roubaix_2

Looks like some of the teams used tubeless for the first time. The
bianchi team used 28's for their rear tyre. Cantilever brakes were
used as well.

It should be noted that the Alessio-Bianchi team only had *one* puncture the
whole day. I'm sure those fatter tyres helped.

If you've ever ridden on the cobbles they use in P-R you'll know why they
get so many flats. The cobbles are as rough as buggery - far worse than
anything you'll get in Belgium or anywhere else. The unevenness means that
your wheel is hitting them front on rather than "rolling" over the top. The
Arenberg Forest is like riding up gutters for 2 km.

Also a lot of riders choose the smooth dirt on the side of the road, but
there's more [censored] collected there so more likelihood of a puncture. And if
it's wet, the water acts like a lubricant for anything sharp coming in
contact with the tyre.

cheers,
Jeff

NickZX6R said:

Today I finally got around to watching the P-R from last week.

It seems quite common in pro road races for riders to get flat tyres,
but I can't figure out why that should be.

There are lots of trade-offs in tyres. Wide, thick touring tyres with
kevlar belting,
plastic liners, thorn-proof tubes, and self-seal slime might eliminate
punctures, but you'll still loose the race. Weight and rolling resistance.

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

NickZX6R said:

Today I finally got around to watching the P-R from last week.

It seems quite common in pro road races for riders to get flat tyres,
but I can't figure out why that should be.

There are lots of trade-offs in tyres. Wide, thick touring tyres with
kevlar belting,
plastic liners, thorn-proof tubes, and self-seal slime might eliminate
punctures, but you'll still loose the race. Weight and rolling resistance.

Tell that to Backstedt :-)

Jeff

Jeff Jones said:

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

NickZX6R said:

Today I finally got around to watching the P-R from last week.

It seems quite common in pro road races for riders to get flat
tyres, but I can't figure out why that should be.

There are lots of trade-offs in tyres. Wide, thick touring tyres with
kevlar belting, plastic liners, thorn-proof tubes, and self-seal slime
might eliminate punctures, but you'll still loose the race. Weight and
rolling resistance.

Tell that to Backstedt :-)
Jeff

.... or to Museeuw

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