Pro bike: Peter Sagan's Specialized Tarmac and Roubaix for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix - Road Cycling UK

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Pro bike: Peter Sagan’s Specialized Tarmac and Roubaix for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix

Two cobbled Classics, two different bikes for the world champion

The cobbled Classics place a unique set of demands on both riders and their equipment. And that’s amplified at Paris-Roubaix, the toughest race of them all. 

The pavé of the Hell of the North, the final cobbled Classic of this year’s campaign, is rougher than anything that comes before it through spring – and will see Peter Sagan switch from the Specialized Tarmac on which he won the Tour of Flanders, to the American firm’s cobble-specific Roubaix.

Peter Sagan will switch from the Specialized Tarmac (top) on which he won the Tour of Flanders, to the Specialized Roubaix (bottom) for Paris-Roubaix

Sagan went into the 2016 cobbled Classics seeking to secure his first Monument win – and the world champion claimed a solo victory at last week’s Tour of Flanders to break that duck after seven top-ten finishes in cycling’s major one-day races.

We stopped by the Tinkoff mechanics’ truck after Sagan’s Ronde victory to take a look at his Flanders-winning bike and also took the opportunity to check out the machine the Slovakian will ride at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. As well as switching frames, Sagan has wider tyres for Roubaix and, interestingly, has swapped his normal Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset for a mechanical Dura-Ace groupset.

The cobbles of Flanders are significantly smoother than those found in Paris-Roubaix and the only significant change to Sagan’s  regular race-day Tarmac, in a stunning world champion’s custom finish, was a switch to wider 26mm tyres.

Sagan’s Specialized Roubaix, however, is an entirely different beast, and the change in machine, and the steps Sagan and his mechanics take to combat the cobbles, highlight the severity of the race.

Flick through the photo gallery below to take a closer look at both of Sagan’s Classics bikes.

Specialized Tarmac - Peter Sagan has two bikes at his disposal for 'regular' races: the Specialized Tarmac, which is something of an all-rounder, and the super-aero Specialized Venge ViAS. The Tour of Flanders may be a cobbled Classic, but the cobbled climbs are relatively short and, by and large, the pavé fairly consistent, so Sagan rode the Tarmac to victory in Sunday's Ronde. However, for Paris-Roubaix the Slovak will switch to the comfort-focused Specialized Roubaix.
Specialized Tarmac - Specialized struck gold when Sagan and Lizzie Armistead won last year's World Championships, meaning both world champions, riding for two of the American firm's sponsored teams, would be on Spesh bikes in 2016. Never to miss a marketing opportunity, Specialized presented both riders with custom bikes, and Sagan's include a gold headtube badge.
Specialized Tarmac - Sagan's custom-painted Flanders-winning machine has a speckled rainbow glitter finish, while Specialized have also sought to add a personal touch by including Sagan's personal logo alongside his name on the toptube and the double cross of the Slovakian coat of arms on the downtube.
Specialized Tarmac - Sagan is no stranger to custom-painted bikes and some of his previous machines have used a camoflage pattern. That continues here, but using the colours of the rainbow jersey. We photographed Sagan's Tarmac less than 24 hours after he wheelied to victory at the Tour of Flanders - it hadn't yet been washed by Tinkoff's mechanics and was still caked in dirt from that historic victory.
Specialized Tarmac - Tactics and strategy are absolutely vital at a chaotic race like the Tour of Flanders and Sagan's extensive race notes, which detail cobbled secteurs, climbs, feed stations and distance, are testament to that. The Oude Kwaremont, which features three times on the route, is highlight as a particularly key cobbled climb - it's the longest on the route and often a launch pad for attacks, though the race-winning break was eventually formed between the Taaienberg and Kruisberg, before the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.
Specialized Roubaix - While Sagan was able to deploy the Specialized Tarmac for the Tour of Flanders, this Specialized Roubaix will be called into action for the harsher cobbles of the Hell of the North. A number of details ensure the Roubaix is better suited to the Queen of the Classics.
Specialized Roubaix - With the Roubaix used for only one race a year, Sagan's bike gets a regular stock paintjob but there's still no missing the world champion, with rainbow decals on the Roval Rapide CLX 90 wheels.
Specialized Roubaix - These Zertz inserts, placed in both the seatstays at the rear and the fork at the front, are the stand-out feature on the Roubaix. Specialized say the Zertz inserts are viscoelastic dampers which help absorb road vibrations before they reach the rider.
Specialized Roubaix - The Roubaix was first launched in 2004 and this is the fourth version, dubbed SL4. The bike has scored a number on victories in the race it was named after, including with Tom Boonen in 2012 and Niki Terpstra in 2014. The team frame is made from Specialized's top grade of 11r carbon fibre.
Specialized Tarmac - Tyres play a vital role at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, where grip and control over the cobbles is absolutely crucial. Regardless of their official tyre sponsor, a lot of teams use handmade tubs from French specialists FMB at the Spring Classics. Specialized went one step further in 2014 and teamed up with FMB to produce a tyre which uses the French firm's lauded cotton casings and Spesh's Gripton rubber compounds and file tread pattern.
Specialized Roubaix - While Sagan's bike was equipped with 26mm tyres for the Tour of Flanders, his Roubaix for Sunday gets plush 30mm tyres. Wider tyres can be run at significantly lower pressures - teams are very secretive over the exact pressure - to provide a bigger contact patch and offer extra grip, comfort and control over the pavé. If Sunday's edition is wet as predicted then that becomes even more important and it's one of the reasons why teams switch to endurance bikes (or even cyclo-cross bikes) for Paris-Roubaix, as they generally have more tyre clearance.
Specialized Tarmac - Sagan's bike was equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset for the Tour of Flanders. However, while this chainset is marked up as 53-39t, the inner chainring actually has 36 teeth. The smaller ring helped provide a lower gear over the steep cobbled climbs of Flanders - it seemed to do Sagan no harm.
Specialized Roubaix - Gearing goes in the opposite direction for Paris-Roubaix, which takes place over a largely flat course, with Sagan making the switch to a 53-44t chainring setup, with an 11-25t cassette to make for a tight spread of gears. What's even more interesting is that Sagan switches to a mechanical Dura-Ace groupset for the cobbles. Mechanical Dura-Ace is fairly rare in the pro peloton - the vast majority of riders on Shimano-sponsored teams use Di2 - and while Sagan's mechanic wouldn't tell us what prompted the switch, the 26-year-old may see a mechanical groupset as a more reliable option when pounding the pavé. Both the Tarmac and Roubaix are fitted with an SRM power meter.
Specialized Roubaix - Team mechanics use all kinds of tricks of the trade to make Paris-Roubaix a more comfortable or safe experience, including using gripper tape on the inside of bottle cages to help provide a firmer grip. A bottle bouncing out of a cage on the cobbles could cause a crash or just leave a rider without a drink at a crucial stage in the 257.5km race. The cobbles of Flanders are less of a problem, with Sagan using regular bottle cages for that race.
Specialized Tarmac - While rattling valves may be less of a danger, they can become very annoying over the course of a six hour race, so mechanics often use tape to help hold them in place. Specialized have used that as an additional branding opportunity.
Specialized Roubaix - Most endurance bikes now have a 27.2mm seatpost, as the skinnier tube is said to offer a little more compliance. However, the Specialized Roubaix sticks with an old-school 30.4mm seatpost - in Sagan's case a carbon FSA K-Force post, which is customised with rainbow stripes and Sagan's logo, and with a small white sticker to mark his saddle height.
Specialized Tarmac - Sagan's Tinkoff team includes FSA among its sponsors but the 26-year-old goes off-brand when it comes to his stem. While the graphics have been covered by black tape, it's still recognisable as Zipp's SL Sprint stem. The oversized carbon unit is exceptionally stiff - ideal for a rider of Sagan's power. He uses the SL Sprint stem on both the Tarmac and Roubaix. The stem clamps an FSA Energy aluminium handlebar.
Specialized Tarmac - Sagan uses a Prologo Scratch 2 Nack saddle on both bikes, but with a custom finish, using the same camouflage theme as the frame and with Sagan's logo.
Specialized Roubaix - You'll also find that logo on the underside of the LOOK Keo Blade 2 Ti pedals, which are a popular choice in the peloton, and used by Sagan on both the Tarmac and Roubaix. The French firm's top-of-the-range pedals use a carbon blade design, rather than a traditional spring, to make for easier cleat engagement and release.
Specialized Roubaix - Finally, you'll find an SRM-branded K-Edge chain catcher on both bikes. While Paris-Roubaix is often a battle of brute strength, a dropped chain can easily end a rider's race, regardless of their form.

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Paris-Roubaix 2016 Tour of Flanders 2016

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