Propel on Pave?

Shamblesuk wrote:

For all the horror stories about P-R, it is an amazing experience, and one everyone should try at leadt once in their lifetime.

I would ... hit the cobbles as fast as I could - and ride right down the middle or on the grassy verges, not in the tyre tracks. Some of the more astute riders seemed to be floating on clouds of air, but they were the ones going past me, not the ones I went past.

I ran double bar tape + gel but can't say how much difference it made. I found myself switching from drops - hoods - literally clasping the brake lever hood as lightly as possible without touching the bar, often switching many times per pave. More than a minute or so of holding the bars in the same place on one of the 4/5 star sectors can be brutally painful.

It's an amazing experience but its better once it's over.

I have worked out that the trick isn't to hit the cobbles hard - or rather not JUST to hit the cobbles hard - you have to keep going fast. As soon as you slow down you almost get "bogged" down and you feel like you are belting into every stone. Of course in order to go fast you need a big engine. If you have a normal punter style engine it's difficult to do more than a couple of hundred metres at max wattage before you slow and then its just a slog to the next section of road.

I am sceptical of double bar tape. Have done it, didn't seem to help. Found the hoods the worst place to hold bike - tops or drops, latter better because bar flexs further you get from stem so vibrations dampened ever so slightly out there.

Yorkshie Whippet wrote:

As for Roubaix, it will hurt, really hurt, I mean hurt. Flanders is billiard board smooth compared to Roubaix... It maybe worth borrowing some clinchers and have a spare tube or two especially for Roubaix...
enjoy both challenges rather then endure.

In agreement with bit about P-R hurting. First time you stop for a pi$$ and it stings like you are passing barbed wire. Still hurts a couple of days later. Hands blistered. Fingers cramping because although you know you shouldn't do death grip if you dont you get feeling bike will end up in hedge.

I think the idea of using clinchers is lunatic. 27mm Vitt Paves are the common choice (run at 80/85psi), although the best thing about the new trend for gravel racing is that you can get even bigger tubs. In the very unlikely event I go back (see below) I would probably ride my cross bike so I had clearance for a pair of Challenge Strada Bianchi which come in a 30mm.

I have done Flanders on Vitt Pave 24mms quite comfortably, including in wet (although forced to walk up part of K'berg by sheer volume of traffic - this can happen in wet or dry).

In 3 attempts (including one hospitalisation and the full 254km route run by Velo Club Roubaix), I have never managed to enjoy it and I have no desire ever to return.

Surly,

I must be nuts.

I've done all attempts on Specialised 23/25mm clinchers around the 80psi mark and not had any problems, Apart from letting some air out after first sector. Seen so many crying at the roadside with punctures. I do agree some pros use 27mm tubs and some do use cross bikes.

Spent the last few months talking myself out of the Roubiax for a 4th year with the promise of Liege. Gonna miss the first couple of sectors of pave with all the bottles, tubes, gels and anything else that isn't nailled down scattered all over. The Arenburg, that final sector to the velodrome and the veldrome itself. You can keep Carresfours and Hem sectors, though. Heading back to Flanders, as that was a blast.

Yorkshie Whippet wrote:

I must be nuts. I've done all attempts on Specialised 23/25mm clinchers around the 80psi mark and not had any problems

You may well be nuts. But you would also appear to be lucky, which probably makes up for it.