This article first appeared on BikeRadar.
Sandwiched between the cobbled classics of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Scheldepris serves as part Roubaix gear check, part sprinter's race. As such, the collection of bikes and gear here on Wednesday is like no other race in the world.
There are two distinct types of bikes at Belgium's Scheldeprijs: full-on aero machines for those racing for the win, and endurance machines with interesting Roubaix-specific details like suspension, bar-top brake levers and creative satellite shifter placement for those looking to dial in their setups for the coming Sunday.
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Riders testing their Roubaix bikes raced them Wednesday as they will be built Sunday, except in most cases for different wheels and tires. The standard setup is 25mm for normal racing and 28mm for Roubaix.
Hydraulic rear suspension system
The biggest gear news was Ian Stannard's hydraulic rear suspension system with an automatic tuning system built into the seat tube. The upstart company HiRide has been working with Pinarello for the past year and a half on the system, which integrates into the Dogma F8-S.
The HiRide system can work with a remote switch on the handlebars, but Stannard raced it in auto mode, with the six-axis accelerometer/gyroscope in the seat tube sensing changes in the road surface and adjusting the suspension accordingly, from fully locked out to fully open.
Rim or disc?
Widening the handlebars
Making tall bikes short
And…. skinnier tubulars for Roubaix?!
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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