This is the custom painted bike that world champion
Peter Sagan will use to take on pave of Paris - Roubaix.
The bike is a new Specialized Roubaix, which
has been changed to accommodate standard calliper
brakes instead of the disc brakes it was originally
designed with. Tom Boonen of Quick-Step Floors
has a similar frame too, with his own custom
paint job.
Sagan’s bike has some really neat touches
and details, so let’s begin with the cockpit.
Sagan uses a Zipp Sprint stem on most of his
bikes and has done for a while. This is not
inline with sponsors, so we can see that the
team mechanics have covered up the logos with
electrical tape.
You can also see the ‘FutureShock’ which
is intended to provide relief on the rough
surfaces. Having tested it ourselves on cobbles
we were impressed. Sagan is using an aluminium
bar wrapped with a single roll of his favourite
SupaCaz bar tape – no double wrapping to
dampen the cobbles.
Having been quickly redesigned to accommodate
caliper brakes instead of discs, it is interesting
to see that Specialized has opted for direct
mount brakes over standard single mount calipers.
Something that should mean the caliper cant
be knocked to one side on the pavé.
Sagan’s wheels of choice are Specialized
Roval CLX 50’s fitted with 28mm S-Works
Turbo Tubulars. In previous editions of Roubaix,
he has opted for shallower rims, to improve
comfort, so it will be interesting to see
what he uses on the day.
Sagan’s power meter is the prototype 4iiii
dual sided meter, while his chain rings are
53-44t. It is common for riders to use a larger
44t inner ring for Roubaix and we suspect
this and the power meter is the reason why
Sagan does not have the new Dura-Ace chainset
fitted.
For Paris-Roubaix, Sagan insists on running
mechanical Dura-Ace over the Di2 he normally
runs. He did this last year too, with Fabian
Cancellara also famous for insisting on mechanical
gears.
Sagan’s iridescent down tube looks stunning
when it catches the light. Also note the added
grip tape on the inside of the bottle cages
to help hold the bottles.
Upon its launch, Specialized originally said
that the new Roubaix model would be disc specific,
and that they will not be releasing a rim
brake version of the bike. When asked of this
contradiction in reference to Boonen’s bike,
Specialized replied:
“In a time where bikes with disc brakes
have not yet been adopted by all teams, there
exists a discrepancy in mechanical assistance
along the course.
“For these technical and strategic reasons,
working closely with our teams and riders,
we’ve decided to supply Tom Boonen (for
whom Paris-Roubaix will be the last race of
his career), and all of our riders competing
at both Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, with Roubaix
bikes that have traditional rim brakes.”
