Tour of Flanders

[Maria David]

I am considering doing the Tour of Flanders cyclosportive on 2nd April. And now that Lance Armstrong is doing the pro race it should be a good reason to hang around afterwards.

This might sound a strange question, but with all the cobbles, what sort of bike would you advise - just your usual road bike, or should I use a mountain/cross bike.
As well as the hammering my joints may get from the various "bergs", I'm worried about knackering my lovely bike before the season is in full flow ! Or maybe I should use an old hack. Has anyone done this before ?

Any suggestions welcome.

[higg]

Never done something like that but I would use a road bike with 28mm tyres and a decent thread. It'll be slower than slick 25s but a bit more comfortable, a bit more grip on the hills and still a lot quicker than a mountain bike. I can't imagine your bike getting wrecked, apart from getting covered in cack that is.

Might be worth considering SPDs also. I wouldn't fancy having to walk up some muddy cobbled road in LOOK cleats.

[the muur]

Done it six years running now (and this year coming) Maria and all I can say is to use the best equipment that you have. Use your BEST wheels, you might think that cheaper, 'hack' wheels will be fine, but the last thing you want is to have one of them 'fold up' on on the Paddestraat! Good condition 23 mm tyres will be fine, but again, the best you can lay your hands on. Your arms will be the first to tire, though Triathlon should keep you in good stead for this. If it's dry, no problem, if it's wet, then it will be tough in every respect. Just enjoy the experience! Plenty of roadside encouragement and help (ask Danny Collins!) and most of the pros are out on the course that day anyway, so you might find yourself next to LA, Menheer Tom or Chippo at some stage! Don't mess about with your position, you want to be as comfortable as possible from Klick one! Carry a 'few' innertubes and plenty of food, there ain't much in the way of caffes out in the Flanders fields!

If you need any more info, let me know.

[mark mclaughlin]

How about getting an Addiscombe group to join Maria for the ride of your life?
Sounds It could be an epic experience.
As for tips Richard hallet did a great review of the ride in cycling weekly a few years ago anyone remember it? I'll try and find a copy.
I know Roger Hammond's great ride in Paris- Roubaix where he mentioned that tyre pressure was a big deal Something like 6-7bars dampened the cobbles, mind you you don't have those Bergs in Roubaix!!
I Know Brian rode the sportive Roubaix event last year mostly by himself- any advice for the cobbles Brian?

[Maria David]

Thanks for the reply guys - will probably use my road bike with slightly thicker tyres - or if I can get hold of one, a cyclo cross bike, plus gel handlebars and gel soles.

It would be good to get a group of us over. Looks like it's just a case of jumping on the ferry to Oostende, and then getting to Ninove.
I was only planning on doing the 140km ride - so can enter that the day before.
Will just need to check out accommodation options for the area - I hear that they are already getting quite booked up.

Who is up for this ? Dave L, Mark ?

[Brian Robinson]

As Mark kindly pointed out I did the Paris-Roubaix Sportive last year.

There were all kinds of bikes enroute from mountain bikes (few) to full-blown Carbon De Rosas/Colnagos/Pinerellos. Thus, anything goes! I did it on my training bike (Pinarello Sestriere with normal 32 spoke roadwheels with 23mm Continental Duraskin tyres). I went over all and sundry from the cobbles to the gutters. Post the event there were no discernable damage to the wheels or otherwise.

I'd probably advise against a mountainbike, cos it is a tough day in the saddle (P-R was 265km with 50 km of cobbles). It may help on the cobbles but speedwise you're likely to lose too much time especcially on the tarmac when you need to motor on.

I'd go for a normal roadbike with training wheels and 23mm tyres. Put 2 layers of bar tape to help absorb the bumps (I saw people with pipe lagging for the cobbles but it's a bit cumbersome). As to tyre pressure, I rode with 80psi front and back but whether this made a difference or not I have no idea.

And lastly.....good luck!!

[Maria David]

Were your bikes made of aluminium or steel ?

I've been told that steel is a better option from a shock absorber point of view.
I don't have a steel bike, so if I go it would just have to be with what I've got.
Any idea how much worse the vibrations would be on alu than on steel ?

[Rob]

who told u that? i sure hope they werent someone in the industry..


steel is the worst material, its super solid and will outlast you, but, u feel absolutely everything.alu is in the middle, and carbon firbe is the best absorber .

[Grahame]

Rob, I'm afraid you are thinking of children's bikes where low cost is all.
For "grown-ups" bikes:
(Here's the science bit)
Steel has a high Young's modulus (stiffness), high density (weight per size) and good fatigue properties (can be flexed quite a lot before it snaps). So a thin walled steel frame can be designed to flex and absorb some shock loadings without fatigueing to death. Vibration is repeated, small shock loadings. Unfortunately, steel rusts when wet.
Aluminium has a Young's modulus about 1/3 of that of steel, and a density about 1/3 of steel, but VERY poor (read zero) fatigue strength. So an Aluminium frame has to be made stiff to stop it wearing out and snapping fairly quickly - that is what happened to the early aluminium frames (the 1970's Alans, etc) that were made to the same designs as the steel frames of the time with small diameter tubes. Result - aluminium frames are not generally good at absorbing vibration, and can feel "harsh" but they do transmit pedal power a bit more efficiently by not flexing, so they feel "fast"
Titanium is between steel and aluminium in modulus and density, and has a good fatigue life. So titanium frames can be made to have the best of both worlds - long life (no rust, good fatigue), vibration absorbtion (some flex), and power transmission (but not too flexy)
Carbon fibre reinforced plastic can be almost infinetely engineered by varying the number of layers, and orientation for the fibres. Unfortunately this is expensive, and not necessarily very "worker friendly"

Aluminium lighter than steel? not necessarily. In 1993, my road (training for MTB racing) bike was a steel Breezer Venturi that weighed 19lbs for the complete bike.

Most frames are now aluminium 'cos the fashion (in mountainbikes) makes aluminium tubes cheaper to put together into frames than steel or titanium ones, this volume production spills over into road bikes.

[Rob]

if your riding childrens bikes then yes steel is the best.. but,i dont ride those and i should hope children arent riding a 4 and half grand look kg486!

ive always been told that carbon firbe is most absobant out of steel alu and carbon(titanium, not my thing, cant afford that)

i dont follow that science crap, i prefer to listen to people that have rode all of the materials and have reviewed them.....and ive just looked at some websites, so im keeping my opinion(ive also owned the top of the range bikes in all materials)could go on, but no point

good luck

[Rob]

also finding sites that agree with grahame!

[Brett P]

Yeah but Rob, just because you ride the top of the range carbon mono-thingie doesn't mean it's any good. Bet ya any money me on my old heap of junk £300 training bike climb hills faster than you on your £1000000000 look bike!

[Grahame]

My carbon fibre section was probably a bit short. But in essence, carbon fibre is potentially the best matrial to make bike frames out of. Its downsides are: it's expensive and labour consuming to make into frames, and the design engineer has to REALLY know what (s)he is doing, its failure mode is also a concern (it snaps rather than bending like steel or titanium).

I don't want to get into a flame war. So, money no object, my choice of frame material would be:
1 Carbon Fibre, properly engineered
2 Titanium
3 Good steel (Reynolds 853 or similar)
4 Aluminium
5 Beryllium (I've only ever seen one frame made from this, it weighed nothing, but the metal is very expensive and VERY toxic, the only frame I saw was priced at about £10,000 in 1995)

[Rob]

i never said that the rider wasnt the most valuable asset to the bike, conversation wasnt about that, but yes i agree, you would beat me up a hill, but dont forget, your getting older, and the weight doesnt appear to be falling tut tut tut, and just cos u won a winter series, doesnt mean that old forms back just yet!!!!!
see u soon with that oh so fantastic team

[Marek]

I always found my old Steel Dawes quite comfortable to ride, although was very heavy and slow, but does soak up vibration a lot better than Aluminium.

My old Trek was all Alloy and although quite responsive was a bit of a ball breaker. My Carbon Alan is pretty comfortable, although is not exactly the Stealth speed bike that Rob rides. I do enjoy riding my Viner which has carbon front and rear and a alu main frame, this seems to be quite stiff but also reasonably comfortable due to the carbon rear.

As you are talking about weight mine seems to be fluctuating depending on how many Doughnuts I eat during the week, Tesco next to my work are now stocking Krispy Kreme doughnuts and they are DELICIOUS, if you get the chance to try them DO NOT TOUCH, they are highly addictive, save them for me.

Cheers

Marek...