Punctures in Paris-Roubaix

[TourOfTexas]

What is the most common type of puncture in this race?

Sharp stones tearing the tire?

Pinch flats? (yes, it is possible on tubulars)

The usual road debris like glass shards? (from riding in the ditch)


It seems to me from reading the pre-race reconnaissance news coverage that teams were optimizing their tire choice and pressure based on speed and road feel. But post race, most riders complaints were about punctures, usually multiple. Seems there is room for some tech advancement in this area.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Seems there is room for some tech advancement in this area.

The fundamental problem being adding weight to limit punctures is done at the worst possible place, on the outside of the wheel.

What makes this race so great is that a conventional road bike is *still* the best equipment for the race. It's not optimal for some parts of the course, but great for other parts.

 

[RedheadDane]

You can't avoid punctures completely. The day someone invents totally puncture-free wheels that person is gonna get very rich!

 

[Netserk]

You can do that already. Just not very fast wheels.

 

[RedheadDane]

Puncture-free wheels that would still be useful for racing...

Same for clothing. Imagine the amount of money the person who invents a type of fabric for cycling clothes that is light and breathable but doesn't tear at the slightest contact with the ground would make...

 

[Hawkwood]

Flint?

I live in Kent about 100 miles away from Roubaix in a straight line. In Kent we have chalk and flint, and it's normally the latter that punctures tyres. In wet weather more flints are washed on to the roads, plus I suspect that the water acts as a cutting lubricant, result punctures. I know that parts of northern France have a similar geology to Kent (for one we share the same coal seam) so if the riders are traversing areas of flint then they will have problems. Back in the 80s a company brought out a tyre that had a steel puncture proof mesh imbedded in the tread, this appeared to make no difference whatsoever the flints still penetrated.

 

[FreeSpirit]

The fundamental problem being adding weight to limit punctures is done at the worst possible place, on the outside of the wheel.

What makes this race so great is that a conventional road bike is *still* the best equipment for the race. It's not optimal for some parts of the course, but great for other parts.

Is it a problem adding weight to the outside of the wheel? I am thinking it might be an advantage carrying the rolling momentum into the cobbles. I know there are some uphill drags but it is mostly flat

 

[DirtyWorks]

Is it a problem adding weight to the outside of the wheel? I am thinking it might be an advantage carrying the rolling momentum into the cobbles. I know there are some uphill drags but it is mostly flat

Yes, that's the issue.

Riders like and **want** above all to be able to accelerate quickly. So much of an attack that works is getting that gap. As such, they will never like a more reliable tire that is heavier. Add to that, various materials have been bonded into tire casings and none of them seem to be overwhelmingly better.

Let's make things triply worse. Let's say for a minute there is a material that does work to limit punctures. Riders get to the end of races like P-R with no flats with or without the tire, while other riders don't "know" that the new material worked.

 

[Master50]

I live in Kent about 100 miles away from Roubaix in a straight line. In Kent we have chalk and flint, and it's normally the latter that punctures tyres. In wet weather more flints are washed on to the roads, plus I suspect that the water acts as a cutting lubricant, result punctures. I know that parts of northern France have a similar geology to Kent (for one we share the same coal seam) so if the riders are traversing areas of flint then they will have problems. Back in the 80s a company brought out a tyre that had a steel puncture proof mesh imbedded in the tread, this appeared to make no difference whatsoever the flints still penetrated.

I had tubular tires with a steel belt. liked them at first because I imagined they would work. Eventually most failed from the steel belt puncturing the tube. I imagined they were Continentals? Darn the longer I think about it the less sure they were tubulars? Did not work. Kevlar and urethane were better.
I think a lot of flats in PR are pinch flats.

On my MTB i ride tubeless and I think I will go tubeless the next time I buy a new road wheel. With sealant they can be pretty flat proof and run lower pressure. The problem with PR is burping air around the bead. Road tires being such small volume a little air lost is a big drop in pressure.

 

[TourOfTexas]

Is it a problem adding weight to the outside of the wheel? I am thinking it might be an advantage carrying the rolling momentum into the cobbles. I know there are some uphill drags but it is mostly flat

OPQS was rolling on 404s. They could add 100g to each tire and select the lighter 303 to make up for it.

There were riders complaining of having to chase back on 3 times because of flats. Then there are the riders who crashed because their tires were going flat and took down riders behind them. If I was a racer, I'd go for the durable tire in this race.

 

[Michele]

OPQS was on 30mm tires on the back and 27mm tires on the front, which added another 50-100 gramms to those teams who used the "standard" 25 choice.

Does that weight matter? Im not an engineer but in a race mostly flat the advantages > the added weight.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Weight is not a disadvantage on the Roubaix cobbles.

 

[Volderke]

Combination of pinch flats and sharp objects.
Pinch flats as tubulars at 4.5-5.5 bar in a peloton will hit the stones hard and thus rims will break / tubulars will be damaged.
Sharp objects as they use the softest silk casings for the tubulars which are a little sensitive to sharp objects (but they are so comfortable!).

So also don't forget carbon wheels DO CRACK in this race and are a reason why riders change wheels and bikes (so it's not always a flat!). Because they use carbon wheels doesn't mean they are bullet proof...

 

[DirtyWorks]

OPQS was on 30mm tires on the back and 27mm tires on the front, which added another 50-100 gramms to those teams who used the "standard" 25 choice.

Does that weight matter? Im not an engineer but in a race mostly flat the advantages > the added weight.

OPQS??? Two or more of their guys are in the lead group and it's not because of their tire choices.

 

[Master50]

Weight is not a disadvantage on the Roubaix cobbles.

I agree. PR is a pretty flat course so heavier wheels are going to be more flywheel than anchor. Except in the final or coming out of a corner the mass of the wheels on a flat course can help smooth out the power. once the wheel is up to speed the mass is not as much of a penalty but it would take some hard math to figure out if there is any advantage?

 

[Granville57]

What I find to be a nearly staggering statistic is that Boonen apparently had not one, single puncture in his previous 14 rides at Paris-Roubaix.

I can't understand how that is even possible.

 

[Glyndwr]

OPQS tires at Roubaix

I heard Omega Pharma - Quick Step used 30 mm tires at Roubaix. How did they have adequate clearance for the brakes? Was this a different bicycle, i.e. cyclocross setup, or was there some modification to a regular road bicycle?

 

[Angliru]

I heard Omega Pharma - Quick Step used 30 mm tires at Roubaix. How did they have adequate clearance for the brakes? Was this a different bicycle, i.e. cyclocross setup, or was there some modification to a regular road bicycle?

Maybe fully deflate the tire before putting the wheels on the frame? I have a 28mm tire on the rear and it takes a little push to clear the brakes if fully inflated.

 

[burning]

What I find to be a nearly staggering statistic is that Boonen apparently had not one, single puncture in his previous 14 rides at Paris-Roubaix.

I can't understand how that is even possible.

What about 2011 at Arenberg?

 

[oldcrank]

I heard Omega Pharma - Quick Step used 30 mm tires at Roubaix. How did they have adequate clearance for the brakes? Was this a different bicycle, i.e. cyclocross setup, or was there some modification to a regular road bicycle?

The brakes are fitted with an inline quick release
to allow clearance for wheel changes, my friend.

 

[Aapjes]

In wet weather more flints are washed on to the roads, plus I suspect that the water acts as a cutting lubricant, result punctures.

Most punctures seem to be rear tire punctures. My theory is that the main reason is that debris tends to lay flat on the road, so the front tire just rides over it, but small debris sticks to the front tire. So it gets lifted and dropped in front of the rear tire at an angle, causing it to penetrate.

A wet tire is much more sticky, so bigger debris gets lifted up by the front tire, causing way more punctures on wet roads.

Anyway, I wonder why there isn't a Roubaix tire with Schwalbe's SmartGuard. It works great for me.

 

[LugHugger]

What about 2011 at Arenberg?

That was chainsuck, not a flat

 

[Volderke]

Most punctures seem to be rear tire punctures. My theory is that the main reason is that debris tends to lay flat on the road, so the front tire just rides over it, but small debris sticks to the front tire. So it gets lifted and dropped in front of the rear tire at an angle, causing it to penetrate.

A wet tire is much more sticky, so bigger debris gets lifted up by the front tire, causing way more punctures on wet roads.

Anyway, I wonder why there isn't a Roubaix tire with Schwalbe's SmartGuard. It works great for me.

The main reason why there are more punctures in the wet is, that the mud is washed out between the cobbles, thus the tires really sink in crags and rub sharp edges of cobbles more.

Schwalbe's Smartguard is not good for racing at the highest level compared to FMB or Vittoria open Pavé. Do the comparison and you will not wonder anymore.

 

[manafana]

what i want know is it true that in 15yrs kelly never got a puncture.