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11 comments to Boonen’s 2008 Roubaix Back-Up |
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[...] a reason why Boonen, Johan Museeuw, VdB, Cancellara and Van Petegem win the cobbled classics on a pair of straight gaged spoked, box section rim hand-built wheels. Hand-builts, well done hand-builts, perform. It’s as simple as [...]
[...] in a classic case of “it’s not about the bike,” winners tend to ride fairly ordinary set-ups. The classic saying is that winning at Roubaix isn’t about having good luck – [...]
Doesn’t the geometry look a little funky? I work in a shop where we sell specialized so i look at these bikes a lot and this doesnt look like a roubaix. It looks like a tarmac front triangle with roubaix stays and a roubaix fork. Any one else notice that?
Nate – Check out this article from Cyclingnews: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/update-on-boonens-winning-machine-and-more-bikes-from-paris-roubaix
It goes on to discuss your exact points. Thanks for dropping by.
- RF
Tread looks identical to the Dugast cotton Paris-Roubaix’s I used during a trip to Flanders and northern France in 2008. Dugast and FMB ‘assemble’ the tires in The Netherlands (now?) and France, respectively. The components, including the rubber tread, would be made in the Thai rubber factories.
I guess in the Paris Roubaix, there’s no real prize for making your bike look nice. Your legs and mettle do the talking at the end of the day.
@Radio Freddy : Hey its great you’re back up and running again. New look, new feel huh?
@ Gary : What’s wrong with Thailand?
Chris, Gary – Thanks for the comments. I believe Gary is correct with the FMB call. In 2007 he rode very clearly marked FMBs and they were the same green color, I would assume these are the same sans FMB logos. The tread appeared to be harvested from another tire (consistent with FMB and Dugast practices). I read an article not too long ago that discussed the laws governing tire production and the requirement that companies must declare the tire’s country of origin. I searched for it but I was unable to locate it. If anyone can clarify this bit or knows where to find this info please link it up; it would be great to find it again. The most well-known tire made in Thailand would be Vittoria but the tread does not look like a Vittoria, rather it looks more like the Challenge Parigi-Roubaix 700×27c (a generous 27c). If anyone has more info on Boonen’s tire choice please chime in.
- RF
I read somewhere that Boonen uses Francois Marie Boyaux (FMB) tubulars. I believe this is the exact tire that you see in the post (in fact, I think that’s Boonen in the blurred out photo): http://www.fm-boyaux.fr/Guppy/articles.php?lng=en&pg=22
The only thing that’s throwing me off is the “Made in Thailand” on the sidewall. I thought FMB’s were all made in France?
Who makes the tires? The tread looks like it has been cut off something else and glued back on a wider casing and painted with a green sidewall sealer.
The PROs I have spoken with agree that the rotation of the bars works well on the cobbles, but you are right – they are unsightly. And look how thick that tape is!! The combo looks like a “10-Speed” from the early 80s with beach cruiser bar foam.
Bikes built for cobbles obviously get a by, an understanding nod, of course… but that is some terribly ugly handlebar positioning. That said, thanks for the great photos, and I’m looking forward to the ongoing return of BKW.