This article originally published on BikeRadar in 2012
The cobbles of Paris-Roubaix.
More akin to a field of bowling balls dropped into the middle of the woods than a road, the mere thought of them conjures images of unrecognizable faces caked with mud, broken men defeated on the side of the road, brutal and unspeakable suffering – and not just on the men who are tasked with hurtling themselves across the pavé but also the machines they all hope will carry them across the line in victory, if at all.
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"Roubaix is not a race where you have fun," says fifty-year veteran pro mechanic Julien Devriese, who wrenched for such legends as Eddy Merckx and Greg LeMond. "You can work eight days for Paris-Roubaix and all the work can be for nothing by the first cobblestones."
Looking for the edge
Since the earliest days of the race, riders and teams have been searching for a mechanical advantage over their rivals or, at the very least, ways to merely keep their bikes from disintegrating. For almost the first hundred years of Paris-Roubaix, riders and teams employed a panoply of traditional solutions. Stronger tubes prevented frame failures; slacker angles and longer wheelbases helped to cushion the ride; additional clearances and bigger tires helped keep pinch flats at bay and made for freer running in muddy conditions; and double-wrapped bar tape spared riders' hands.
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