To prepare for the 18 cobbled bergs of the 101st Tour of Flanders, riders dropped the pressure in their tubulars a little bit — and a few opted for 28mm casings instead of the standard 25s. BikeRadar took a close look at the bikes of all 25 teams.
While the Tour of Flanders course celebrates Belgian cobbles, the pro peloton does not regard it as extreme as the following week's Paris-Roubaix, where disc brakes can offer clearance for ultra-wide tires to deal with the stones. At Flanders, we only saw five disc bikes, and none of those had tubulars wider than 28mm.
Stijn Devolder rode a Felt FR1 with SRAM eTap Hydro and his Veranda’s Willems–Crelan teammate Dries De Bondt raced on the older SRAM Red Hydro.
We only saw five bikes with discs at the Tour of Flanders - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The peloton has recently moved from 23mm to 25mm tubulars for normal racing. For Paris-Roubaix, riders will often go as wide as they can, with 28mm or 30mm tubulars being squeezed into frames. For Flanders, most choose 25s, but seemingly more riders than last year opted for 28mm. Continental's Competition RBX was a popular choice for both 25 and 28mm widths.
While most riders opted for 25mm tubulars, a few choose 28s, like this Continental Competition RBX - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
As with width, air pressure at Flanders is another in-between story, with mechanics topping off tires between 5.5 and 6.5 bar (80-95psi). Normal race conditions warrant pressures around 8 bar / 115psi, varying of course for rider weight and preference. For Paris-Roubaix, riders will go as low as 4.8 bar / 70psi.
Pressures for the Tour of Flanders are lower than those for a standard road race, but still much higher than Paris-Roubaix - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Dura-Ace 9000/9100 mismatches continue
Shimano's new 9100 group hasn't made its way completely into the peloton yet. The 9100 cranks were initially in short supply, and while Shimano tells us they are now delivering in full, many teams still had bikes with 9100 or 9150 groups built with 9100 cranks. Sometimes that can be chalked up to the delivery of crank-based power meters, such as Pioneer and Stages, which were also affected by the earlier delivery issues. Team Sky had full 9100 and 9150 setups with Stages, however.
Pioneer meters are still 9000, whether on Subweb's otherwise 9100 bikes or on these all-9000 bikes - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Big computers, big gears and... a route sticker on the down tube?
Pros are just like the rest of us in that they have different preferences. Whether it is saddles or lever position or computer choice, there is no single right answer.
Still, it's always fun to see some of the more extreme setups. At Flanders, it was surprising to see a monstrous 11-32 cassette on Cyril Lemoine bike. Was that because he had a 54/42 setup? Most everyone else seemed content with the standard 53/39 and 11-28.
An 11-32? Maybe is you didn't have a 42-tooth small ring you wouldn't need that - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A few riders like big Ian Stannard race with the big Garmin Edge 1000 computers.
Both of these things we have seen before. But a route sticker of key race elements like cobbled climbs placed on the down tube? That is not something we have ever seen.
A berg sticker on the *down tube*? We've never seen that one before - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
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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