its weeks away now and im finalising the bike set up. ive always run thudbusters on my hardtails and used them on my cross. For those who have done P-R before, would a thudbuster be overkill?. They are a bit of a heavyweight compared with the ti post they would replace
cheers

It done the PR, USE post maybe lighter use mine on my cx bike due to my decrepid back . I

No

P-R

No plans to do

P-R

But glad to hear of bikers which still use this fantastic piece of equipment.
Proudly bike the LT version on one of my old hardtails as well.

Rattles** like hell once I’am out of the saddle – but such a wonderful high quality product!

Cheers!
😉
** which doesn’t annoy me. Only my bike – pals… 😈

Sorry that should have been ‘I’ve not done the pr’ & that the USE maybe lighter if that’s an issue, if I did do the pr in the future I’d certainly consider a shock post.

@simon – the “loco” – bloke:

haha.
Now the post is clear.

Using the bike forum on mobile phone in the sub ends in funny posts sometimes…

Cheers
😉

Rattles** like hell once I’am out of the saddle

Not if you stick an old bit of inner tube round it to hold it down*.

* It annoyed me too much 😉

i lost a filling on PR. that said i would see a thud buster as cheating but that’s just me.
just fit decent size tyres preferably tubeless.
remove watches and rings and tape fingers, i found the drops a good place to be mainly because the bars have more flex when you hold them near the ends not either side of the stem on the tops.

i’m only 65kg and i think the heavier riders have an easier time of it. i love the tour of Flanders, i’m never doing Roubaix again!

@fasthaggis:

Not if you stick an old bit of inner tube round it to hold it down.

Great idea!
Planned already to invest 20 bucks for the LT rebuild kit.
But an inner tube I have…!

Neat.
🙄

@andreasrhoen… rattling can be sorted by replacing the bushings..you can get a kit with the bushing tool for around £25 from your LBS….

Ive already got a set of lauf grit SL’s coming in time for PR so I think I’m already ‘cheating’

I’ve done PR 5 times and rode with/without suspension seatpost. If I was doing it again then I’d ride with a suspension seatpost. They help you enjoy it a bit more and keep the power down on the cobbles. Make sure every bolt is tight on your bike. Good gloves, double bar tape, larger volume tyres etc… all good.

I’ve ridden the full-distance 270km P-Rx a few times before the “shandy drinker” ASO version came along 😉 Also spent a bit of time riding in Belgium, learning how to ride hard on the stones – racing weight was 60kg but I could still keep up with the big guys. First time my worst injury was my metal watch winder digging a big lump out my arm – stung like crazy! If you adopt the pro-technique of rolling the biggest gear you can, driving through your quads then you’re barely hovering above the saddle – takes a bit of core strength to survive the Arenberg, but means you barely touch the saddle. Riding the Arenberg “full bore” is awesome, absolutely smashing it as you hit 50kph on the slight downhill under the bridge. If you try and relax and ‘ride it out’ you’ll find yourself being bounced about all over the place. Leave your chi-chi carbon bottle cages at home and invest in some strong alloy ones – one time it was 30 degrees and losing your bottles in Arenberg where there’s 25km of pave in 40km is absolute purgatory in the heat and dust. Double bar tape and decent mitts that don’t have any hard seams that dig in. Have fun!

metal watch winder digging a big lump out my arm

haha
Know this from my road biking times. But my wtach only poked a hole…

sorry to side track the thread:
Above already good advice for the cane creek thudbuster LT. Thanks.

Question: I use mine on hardtail mtb, for LONG XC trips and vacation trips with backpacking.
My biking pals use hardtails as well but no Thudbuster – instead FATTER tires.

I was always in the opinion that the Thudbuster doesn’t has a damper and doesn’t need power when wobbling up and down.
Uphill, with backpack: my Thudbuster does quite of movements.

Swapped the bikes and had the impression: hey – that’s easier uphill without Thudbuster.

Now I’am not sure any more about my theorie about “Energy & Thudbuster”.
What do you think?

Comfort: love the Thusbuster LT and this will stay on my hardtail.
But racing: power / energy is an issue…-or?

Good point re. power/energy, although over long races (i used mine for 12 hour off roads, it allowed me to finish (some) races due to reduction in fatigue as opposed to being a broken heap & not finishing.
A suspension post would definitely sap a bit of power but unless you’re going for a top ten , in which case you’re double hard anyway!, there’s not a huge amount of difference.
Looking at how a parallelogram post and a telescopic seatpost works could also prove different energy v power results as well as the comparable weights. 😉

@ Simon the “loco” bloke:

due to reduction in fatigue

Excellent.
Yes. And maybe even more when you run with high pressure tyre setting…

This idea makes me love the Thudbuster again.
😉

By the way, in the “old times”, USA, where many bikers still preferred 26″ hardtails to race: was common to see these Thudbuster LT on these bikes.
Reduction in fatigue…

Good!
🙄

Flex stem, too maybe 😛

Flex stem

haha.
Personally I would fear this a bit on a mtb…
But o.k. – we talk P-R.

But funny enough: there is some silly tendency in the mtb industry to push for new standards – and this might effect our flat bar as well…
If these get stiffer and stiffer we soon will need

Flex stem

as well…
😯

Flex Stem – blast from the past! I don’t think so 🙂
Ive seen stems and forks snap on PR I’d just go for a strong/bars/forks combo.

BTW “Shandy drinker ASO version” 😀 Done both versions and really the new shorter version gives you most of the experience.

Flex Stem – blast from the past! I don’t think so

you are right.
Was a joke…
😈

current setup for PR, what do you think?

Genesis croix de fer ti with king ti cages
USE ti post or thudbuster
easton ax70 bars (gel pads all round, geko tape)
thomson stem
lauf grit Sl forks
mix of sram red / XO / ultegra drivetrain (CX set up, 46/36 front 11/32 rear) with TRP disc brakes
stan grail’s on kings shod with schwalbe G-ones (tubeless)

I’ve ridden it twice, both times on:

– Salsa La Cruz.
– 30mm Challenge Strada Bianca tyres with latex tubes.
– 11 – 28, 50/34.
– 90s USE suspension post.
– Cinelli gel tape with gel inserts underneath.

I reckon that was a decent compromise between the full experience and riding on an FS, if still a bit cheaty. Lots of continentals seem to do it on 29ers with fat slicks – probably the ideal bike for the cobbles, but cheating really.

It’s like nothing you’ve ever ridden on a bike before, mountain or road.

I’ve ridden Flanders on a Scott Foil with 25mm tyres which was smooth as the proverbial in comparison.

lauf grit Sl forks
mix of sram red / XO / ultegra drivetrain (CX set up, 46/36 front 11/32 rear) with TRP disc brakes
stan grail’s on kings shod with schwalbe G-ones (tubeless)

– forks are a bit much, but then I was grateful for the visible flex in my Salsa steel forks.
– it’s pretty much pancake flat apart from some gradual stuff near the start, you won’t use the 36 on the front, and probably not the 32 on the back either.
– G-ones are also potentially too slow on the open road, but will be good on the cobbles, or more specifically the muddy edges of the cobbled sectors that you will find yourself sorely tempted to use, and to my mind within the rules as the Pros certainly use them.

As I said thought – it’s like nothing else. The relentless vibration does the most unnatural things to a bike. First time I did it:

– On the 4th sector or so (the first timed one) my 105 rear mech cage tension spring popped out, resulting in a 15 minute rebuild.
– Then it did it again about 30 miles later.
– At the end of the Arenberg my seat pack had gone awol, the stitching had come undone leaving just the velcro straps attached. I did find a Garmin Touring in my search, but no seat pack containing tools…tubes…you get it.
– That was a blow as my rear mech cage went again about 30 miles later, from which point I had to soldier gingerly on with an extremely loose chain.

I’ve heard stories of people finishing with just one or two chainrings bolts, the lot. So check everything and expect anything.

cheers of to buy a gallon of locktite

Thud buster is overkill. You kind of hover over the bike and support your weight on your feet like dovebiker said. You get rest too. It’s a bit like intervals. Few minutes on cobbles then 10 minutes on the smoothest glass roads with the most considerate drivers you’ve ever seen then repeat. Sigh

You will loose all the feeling in your hands though.

Oh and the banks on the velodrome are really high.

Hell.

I have to check on google why exactly the roads close to roubaix are so bad.

Reading this thread: man and machine eating event…?
😯

My view for what it’s worth. Road bike (it’s a road event). One set of bar tape (it’ll be too thick to grip and you’ll end up with arm pump). Continental 4 Seasons 25-27mm at about 70-80 Psi are nice and grippy. Selle Italia or other gel saddle should be all you need. Don’t carry loads of unnecessary stuff, I never punctured. On the pave try to ride as fast and fluid as you can, the tops are good except for a couple of sectours which run slightly downhill and you may want to cover the brakes. It’s A W E S O M E !!!

I’d love to ride pr!

As a thudbuster user, I’d say that you’d appreciate the extra traction.

Even in a fairly mundane urban setting, I can feel the rear wheel sniffing around for extra grip.

I’d say that you’d appreciate the extra traction

haha. That’s interesting!
I always thought about this: does the Thudbuster increase traction?

For me the LT was for comfort and fatigue. Going on my hometrails and comparing the hardtail / Thudbuster LT with my 130/130 full suspension: no – the Thudbuster doesn’t increase the traction ON MY BIKE.

But this might be different from bike to bike and riding style.
Glad that you mention “traction”.
Although on my bike: no effect.

But wouldn’t like to miss the Thudbuster. No matter if the thing has an effect on traction or not.

(o.k. – and once you are “out of the saddle” there can’t be an effect on traction any more. Maybe I’am too often out of the saddle)

I used one of these, did take some of the sting out of the tale, a good general seatpost anyway if roads are rough near you:

https://www.bikester.co.uk/ergon-cf3-pro-carbon-seat-post-o272-setback-7×7-black-367108.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAqIHTBRAVEiwA6TgJw8qN1Kp2vjUsRSSZWY9VI-l_7d2sdjPFe6WwlrGcyAaLupCgwiv8uRoCppwQAvD_BwE&_cid=21_1_-1_9_150_367108_201607092657_pla&ef_id=Wbk9LQAAAIF0V3l0:20180118085912:s

Only advice i can add, do double tape the bars, either use alloy bottle cages that you can bend in to retain the bottles or i used these which were ace:

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Elite-Pria-Pave-Bottle-Cage_58153.htm?sku=165503&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAqIHTBRAVEiwA6TgJwxYZUlZDWEGrtCZGbxAvlS_wu47aQh7dOH8pJ2Msrjaaw5BlVNbzlBoCU5IQAvD_BwE

I used one of these, did take some of the sting out of the tale, a good general seatpost anyway if roads are rough near you:

https://www.bikester.co.uk/ergon-cf3-pro-carbon-seat-post-o272-setback-7×7-black-367108.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAqIHTBRAVEiwA6TgJw8qN1Kp2vjUsRSSZWY9VI-l_7d2sdjPFe6WwlrGcyAaLupCgwiv8uRoCppwQAvD_BwE&_cid=21_1_-1_9_150_367108_201607092657_pla&ef_id=Wbk9LQAAAIF0V3l0:20180118085912:s

Only advice i can add, do double tape the bars, either use alloy bottle cages that you can bend in to retain the bottles or i used these which were ace:

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Elite-Pria-Pave-Bottle-Cage_58153.htm?sku=165503&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAqIHTBRAVEiwA6TgJwxYZUlZDWEGrtCZGbxAvlS_wu47aQh7dOH8pJ2Msrjaaw5BlVNbzlBoCU5IQAvD_BwE

wont use my road bike as its a moots and im afraid it will get scratched!!

wont use my road bike as its a moots and im afraid it will get scratched!!

As i went through Arenberg i hit a section where cobbles were really muddy and greasy and was just concentrating in staying upright, some racing snake on a beautiful classic steel Colnago came flying past me, and then all of a sudden was lying on the ground, rode over to see if he was alright and his forks had snapped at the steerer completely.

Also, the sound of deep section hollow carbon wheels i saw a lot using is a strange one!

I rode the first 8-9 sections with a French guy i’d been chatting to at the start and he said to be in a thick Gaelic accent “listen for the tarmac orgasm” and i wondered what he was talking about, until we got to the end of the next really long cobbled section and you hear everyone as the migrate from cobbles to smooth tarmac go “aaaaahhhhhh” under their breath.