The cotton casings of tiny French manufacturer FMB are prized possessions among pro teams for cobble racing - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Specialized-sponsored teams had FMB tubular casings with Specialized Gripton rubber in 26, 28 and 30mm widths - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Two primary commonalities about tubulars for Paris-Roubaix or Paris-Roubaix-like stages: wider widths and lower pressures compared to normal road racing - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
While this 26mm width is available to teams, many riders choose the 28mm - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Team Sky, like many others, viewed stage 5 as Paris-Roubaix, and choose gear accordingly - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Although air pressure depends on rider weight and preference along with tubular width, teams generally run about 1.5bar / 20psi less on cobbles than on pavement - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Team Belkin had these fat Vittoria Pave Team Prototype tubulars - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Super-fat tubulars on some road race bikes - like this Canyon - meant very little clearance - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Alberto Contador had a Specialized CG-R seapost, which was originally dubbed the Cobble Gobbler for its double-the-normal vertical flex - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Katusha had its own branded SencilloBikes mini-fenders - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Matthieu Ladagnous opted for metal bottle cages over the standard carbon for better retention over the cobbles - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Peter Sagan, like many Speedplay-sponsored riders, went with the stripped-down version of the pedal to allow for a bit of mud clearing on a pedal that normal jams pretty quickly with mud and debris on nasty days - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
A few Giant-Shimano bikes had large inline barrel adjusters on the brake lines, perhaps anticipating the brake pads being worn down throughout the stage - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
No compact gearing needed for the pro peloton on 'Paris-Roubaix day' - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
The mighty Fabian Cancellara has staunchly refused to run Shimano Di2 electric shifters on the cobbles, saing accidental shifts are too easy - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
But many other riders are becoming comfortable enough with the digital shifting to use it on their stage 5 bikes - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Some of Cancellara's Trek Factory Racing teammates used Di2 with the 'climbing switch' satellite shifter. Although riders weren't climbing on stage 5, many do prefer to ride on the tops over the cobbles, so the 'climbing switch' position is appreciated - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Lotto-Belisol riders stuck with their electronic Campagnolo Super Record EPS groups for stage 5 - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Belkin's Staf Clements even opted for a cyclocross-style top-mounted brake lever on his rig - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
While BMC makes a Granfondo endurance bike, interestingly none of the BMC riders choose to use it, opting instead for the their standard Teammachine SLR01s - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Lotto-Belisol voted cobbles confidence in Ridley's Helium SL - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Lotto-Belisol also went with lightweight wheels, too, with Campagnolo's Hyperion Ultra Twos - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
The Cervélo R3 Mud is an older bike, but the right tool for the job on stage 5 - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Elia Viviani needed a steeply dropping stem to get his position on the Cannondale Synapse, an endurance bike with a relatively tall head tube - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
If you are Peter Sagan, however, you can get your own custom Synapse, built low and ultra long - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Michele Scarponi choose a bike named for cobbles, the Specialized Roubaix - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
All teams but three had multiple bikes to choose from during the Tour de France. Many Belkin riders opted for Bianchi's Infinito CV - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Giant-Shimano had the Defy Advanced SL endurance bike - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Team Sky opted for the DogmaK for stage 5 - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Spartacus don't need no stinking padding or double-wrapped tape for cobbles - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Other riders, like Scarponi, were happy for a little extra padding - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
And sometimes tape is used for other things, like notes on where the cobble sectors fall - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
While many amateur riders obsess about metric-laden Garmin GPS computers or power meters, sometimes basic functions are enough for the pros - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Perhaps after substantial tubulars, rain clothing was of top priority for riders on a wet stage 5 of the Tour de France - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Every year the Tour de France tackles a new route, but this year riders and fans were in for something special on stage 5 that tackled many cobblestone sections made famous by Paris-Roubaix. Although two sections of cobbles were removed at the last minute due to poor weather and conditions, the course was still filled with treachery, causing scores of crashes and forcing the abandonment of reigning champion Chris Froome.
For riders, fans and mechanics, stage 5 lived up to its billing as a Hell of the North in July.
"For us, this stage is not the Tour de France, it's Paris-Roubaix," said Garmin-Sharp head mechanic Geoff Brown. "We are approaching the mechanical aspects exactly as we would for Roubaix."
BikeRadar spoke with teams ahead of the stage to learn about their various set-ups. Moving from thinner tubulars to 26, 27, 28 and even 30mm options was the primary difference, of course, but by no means the only change in gear for the pivotal day.
Choice in bikes
All teams but three had multiple bikes to choose from during the tour de france. many belkin riders opted for bianchi's infinito cv: all teams but three had multiple bikes to choose from during the tour de france. many belkin riders opted for bianchi's infinito cv - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Many teams had multiple bikes to choose from
Only three teams at this year's Tour have a single model of bike. The other 19 squads have at least two models, with many bike sponsors offering endurance road bikes built for stability and a little more comfort on rough roads.
One wrinkle in this plan for some teams is that so-called endurance bikes often have taller head tubes than pros would prefer, so mechanics look to steeply angled stems to get the position dialled. For instance, Team Cannondale is racing the SuperSix EVO for every road stage of the Tour save stage 5, where the Synapse was brought out. While Peter Sagan is a big enough star to warrant his own mold for a carbon bike that's low and very long, the rest of his teammates have no choice but to use stems to drop their front end.
Other teams also broke out endurance bikes for this stage only: Trek Factory Racing had the Domane (which Paris-Roubaix star Fabian Cancellara races year-round, although the team Domane Classics geometry is a world apart from standard endurance geometries), Belkin had the Bianchi Infinito CV, Giant-Shimano had the Defy Advanced SL, and on and on.
Sticking with their standard race bikes were three French teams: AG2R La Mondiale, Bretagne-Séché Environnement and Cofidis. Cofidis mechanic Mickael Houtteville said the team is racing the Look 695 for the entire race, just bumping up to fatter 25mm tubulars and dropping the pressure down to 6bar (85psi) from the standard 7-7.5 (100-110psi). The other two French squads had a similar strategy.
Garmin-Sharp put its entire squad on an older model bike, the Cervélo R3 Mud, which has external cable routing and room for fatter tubulars. The entire team switched from Shimano's electronic Di2 to mechanical Dura-Ace for this stage.
Digital versus mechanical, and other modifications
Some of cancellara's trek factory racing teammates used di2 with the 'climbing switch' satellite shifter. although riders weren't climbing on stage 5, many do prefer to ride on the tops over the cobbles, so the 'climbing switch' position is appreciated: some of cancellara's trek factory racing teammates used di2 with the 'climbing switch' satellite shifter. although riders weren't climbing on stage 5, many do prefer to ride on the tops over the cobbles, so the 'climbing switch' position is appreciated - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Some of Cancellara's Trek Factory Racing teammates used Di2 with the 'climbing switch' satellite shifter.
An initial knock against electronic shifting systems like Shimano Di2 and Campagnolo EPS was that, in some riders' minds, the gears could be shifted accidentally too easily as bikes were raced across the lumpy cobbles. While reservations remain — most notably for Cancellara and the entire Garmin-Sharp squad — more and more riders and mechanics are becoming comfortable with electronic groups on rough roads.
In fact, Shimano's Di2 system has a distinct advantage in one way; satellite shifters like the so-called climber switch let riders shift with their hands on the hoods, which is where many prefer to grip when riding the stones.
In any event, we saw more than a few bikes with Dura-Ace Di2 and Campagnolo EPS groups.
The mini-fender/mudflap, made by SencilloBikes, usually a product for commuters or foul-weather amateur riders, made an appearance on some Katusha bikes — team-branded, of course.
Overall race hopeful Alberto Contador choose to use Specialized's CG-R seatpost. Originally dubbed the Cobble Gobbler, the zigzag-shaped post has twice the deflection of a standard carbon post.
Belkin's staf clements even opted for a cyclocross-style top-mounted brake lever on his rig: - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
In addition to digital shifting, Belkin's Staf Clements even opted for cyclocross-style top-mounted brake levers on his rig.
Wider tubulars
Two primary commonalities about tubulars for paris-roubaix or paris-roubaix-like stages: wider widths and lower pressures compared to normal road racing: - Sam Dansie / Future Publishing
Stage 5 saw tubulars with wider widths and lower pressures compared to those for normal road racing
The most important mechanical element for Paris-Roubaix — or 'Paris-Roubaix day' at the Tour de France — is the type, width and size of tubulars, and the air pressure therein.
FMB stands for François Marie Boyaux. Boyaux being the French word for tubular and François Marie being the founder of the four-man operation to which pro mechanics flock. FMB makes ultra-supple cotton casings to which any type of rubber tread can be glued. At the Tour de France, FMB tubulars were branded Schwalbe, Specialized and more.
The 320tpi cotton casing means the tubular quickly absorbs bumps in the road — or, at least, some of the impact — improving grip and speed for the rider.
Specialized had FMB casings for its sponsored riders in 26, 28 and 30mm options, with some riders running 28 front and 30mm rear. Those tires encase a latex tube inside the 320tpi cotton casing, and are shod with Specialized's Gripton tread.
As important as the width is air pressure. The exact pressure depends on rider weight and preference along with tubular width, teams generally run about 1.5bar / 20psi less on cobbles than on pavement.
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Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
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