Ok, so for Paris-Roubaix it is pretty much accepted that you need double thick bar tape and slightly wider, robust tyres. But what do you need for the Ronde? I’m assuming extra bar tape is unnecessary and that the main requirement is low gearing to get up the 1 in 5 cobbled climbs. But a compact plus wide cassette? or 52/42 and man up?

For what it is worth I’ve currently got 52/42 and 12-25 on this

Well I’ve ridden it 10 times now and I’ve learned not to make much in the way of changes to your usual setup. If your body is comfortable with the way you have your bike now keep it that way. Maybe just turn the bars up a little. Even if you make changes that you might think will make it more comfey you can end up with muscle pain in places (neck, back, shoulders).
No need for extra bar tape, there’s usually only a couple of fast flat cobble sections that might cause any problems. I find 39/26 is good for the steepest climbs. I use standard race tyres, Michelin pro races, nice and supple and grippy on the climbs.
I’ve no idea what it will be like this year with the change to the circuit. I think it’s going to be very congested, which is not normally the case if you do the full route as it gives time for those doing the short routes to be well out of the way by the time you get to the hills. But with the multiple loops, who knows?!

Your not the John Talen of Dwars fame and TDF rider are you?

EDIT Not if your name is Ted! 😕

Gorgeous bike, but a lot to live up to! Have fun!

Great bike there, you could just buy a 38. I used to swap from 42 to 38 depending on the course.

Wear mitts! I don’t as a rule but on the cobbles the friction/vibration gave me some nasty blisters.
No need for specific tyres. Do train for it so that you can ‘enjoy’ it. Do ensure your cages hold your bottle tight and make sure your computer, if you use one is firmly attached. The amount of the aforementioned I saw strewn across the cobbles was quite something.

I saw a pair of Radars lying on a particularly fast rough cobbled section with the owner frantically dodging riders trying to retrieve them only for someone to go over the top of them, wounder.

You must be plenty strong with that gearing!

Enjoy.

p.s. nice bike.

Also, don’t queue up at the start, we waited in Bruges square in a line for about an hour only to get to the front and some old timer waved us on!

Enjoy

You must be plenty strong with that gearing

That was the norm, in fact a 25 was considered quite innovative, 21 was more common.

Cross bike with road tyres here.Might double wrap my bars, but it doesn’t do much to be honest. The climbs aren’t the bad bit, its the slightly downhill cobbled stretches that are bad on the hands.

A spare gear hanger and chaintool with some quick links are a good idea. I’ve seen loads of bust hangers and chains on most of the the climbs.

Oh and for a more authentic “when in Rome” experience, make sure you stop dead at the top of each climb(heaven forbid you pull over to the side of the road), high five your mates and light up a ciggy!

I used a compact with a 25, and was glad I did. Lots of walkers on the bergs, happy to report a clean sheet though, not a foot down.

Dont fancy it now the routes changed. Looking to Liege, or Lombardy.

manning up is dependent on your fitness/climbing, only you can answer that.
it’s not the steepness that will be the problem but grip if it’s wet/muddy and other riders not getting out the way.
i just use normal 23c tyres at 80-90psi (i’m only 67kilo)and maybe run a double tape only if i’m due a retape, i’ll not bother if i have recently fitted expensive white tape.
i have a pair of cages just for flanders, old style wire ciussi’s that have been bent tighter and take old bottles in case i lose one.

my only concern with your set up is downtube shifters, taking your hands off the bars on the faster cobbled bits could get interesting.

a skinny steel frame will float over the top if you go fast enough 😀

Did it last year and didn’t use anything special apart from new pave tyres which lasted about 4 months then got binned. My top tip would be to be as self sufficient as possible to avoid having to stop; the feed stations get crowded.

The weather plays a big part; a Belgian guy we spoke to said that in a bad year the number of punctures increases by about 5 times. The cobbles are not bad, the climbs are short, the chance of a big group is high, the beer is good.

Thanks chaps, some really useful stuff – typically I am thinking about bike set up when in reality I should be thinking about my legs. That said, I will use broader tyres with thicker tubes and pumped up hard to try to avoid punctures if possible (standing at the side of the road furiously using a mini pump like I’m trying to stab a rabbit with a plastic spoon is not the image I have in mind).

Your not the John Talen of Dwars fame and TDF rider are you?

No, not me, but it is one of his old bikes and if I hold my breath and squint for long enough I can persuade myself that he rode the Ronde on this one.

Great bike there, you could just buy a 38.

I think that I might do that although it may be as easy/easier to just swop out the cassette if I have a slightly gentler one in the shed.

my only concern with your set up is downtube shifters, taking your hands off the bars on the faster cobbled bits could get interesting.

I’m guessing the faster cobbled bits are flat or downhill (certainly won’t be uphill!)? From Paris-Roubaix in 2010 I found that the approach on the flat was to hold the bars on the tops and turn as big a gear as you reliably could as placing hands on the hoods was a recipe for really bruising the webs on your hands. And downhill I think I will be more concerned with slowing down/staying on than changing gear. I know what you mean about downtube shifters though, however I am trying to convince myself that they have a certain elegance, elan even and just leave it at that.

a skinny steel frame will float over the top if you go fast enough

That’s what I hope although with a biffer like me aboard ‘float’ isn’t perhaps the word I would have chosen 😉

roubaix pavé is much tougher than flanders, if you have ridden that then nothing to worry about.
wouldn’t over inflate your tyres though as this means less grip.

We were talking about this very subject on the roadride today. RVV pave isn’t a bad as Roubaix. The only thing mentioned today was to wear MTB shoes since it’s a lot easier to walk up the steep bergs (a bit defeatist if you ask me!) if you get stopped. Not that I ever have walked them!

Ed i hope you going to pick the smoothest line as i will be sneaking in behind you sheltering from the wind 🙂

as far as i can see although the pro’s will have to face the 3 lap finishing circuit it doesnt look like we will have to

I think it’s going to be very congested

+1, i fully expected them to keep the ‘classic’ route for the sportive.

I went last year and made no changes to my bike at all, and I also did 60 miles of roubaix on the friday, but I did run 85psi, compared to my normal 110. As one person has already said, the downhill pave on the ronde is the killer, theres a section of about half a mile where I was really struggling to hold on, double tape would of made that even harder IMO, as the diameter of the bar would of been much bigger.

I used a double / 25, and I got up everything without too much trouble, although I had to ‘encourage’ a few walkers to move on the koppenberg.

It was a great weekend, will be back in 2013

Last time I did the full edition, I fitted a compact chainset, but usually just use a standard.

Yeah, over the flat and downhill cobbles, big ring and smash it..!

The routes for 2012 are now published:

http://sport.be.msn.com/cyclingtour/rondevanvlaanderen/2012/eng/parcours/

Hmm, many are saying standard double, others recommend a compact but still not decided on what is suitable for a biffeur apart from perhaps a Double Corona and a certain loucheness.

Oh yeah, and modesty aside, I make a cracking windbreak.