Paris - Roubaix Sportive

Has anyone got experience of this? Considering doing it this year maybe with my brother.
Any tips or lessons learnt the hard way most welcome.

Getting the right tyre looks like a pretty vital first step!

And maybe this...

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So on somewhat of an impulse, bought myself an early Christmas present today. My entry! €55 for the 170~km route.

I,m in i am told . Mates did it last year 1 broke his wrist but said it wasnt that hard . Guess our northern club runs are tuff enough . Lots of road miles in between the cobbled sections .

Told? By whom?

Never ridden in the region before so might be a bit of a baptism of fire.

Club mates group entry . Hotel booked

Ah good stuff.
I'm hoping to convince my dad to be our team support!

Rode there and did it (fixed). It's great. Go big on tyres. 35mm might be cheating but it's much more enjoyable that way.

will be riding it on my isen, just have to decide between 700*30 or potentially 650b*40ish

I only have the one bike (at the moment) think I could go to 30 on the Ultimate.

The Vitoria Pave has been discontinued anything similar about?
Is Tubeless the way to go?

I'm doing this with a group of mates, the 145km though because of logistics and not being good at early starts! Challenge do a Paris roubaix tyre... I'm going 27mm open pave (found some still for sale)... Was looking at suspension seatpost and forks just for the lolz as well...

Recently? Got a link for the pave?

It's easy. What's to be hard?

Doing again in 18 after last riding in 08.

Bought them from eBay a month ago... There are still some about, but some people want silly money for them!

I've had a go twice, 2010 (self serving write up here http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104945&highlight=parisroubaix) and again in 2015 as a double header with the Ronde (more flannel here http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=322942&p=2424167#p2424167). Prior to the 2010 one I'd no experience on pave of any sort. The experience was as visceral as the memories are vivid.

I completely get the desire to go with wide tyres but if you do you are really missing the experience - it's about riding an unsuitable bike across smashed cobbles that you'd normally detour round, ride with suspension and it would be a boring and look mountain bike ride. First time I rode 25c, second time 28c, both on a 1991 Zullo. Madly I'm thinking of going again in 2020.

Oh yeah, and the enjoyment is when you finish and taste that first sweet, sweet beer......

We do the VCR one in June every two years. I think this year will be my 3rd or 4th.

This and Ronde Van Calderdale are my two favourite cycling holidays. Just have to drink less before PR.....

Great Day out and as @Big_Ted says, for me it’s about using a vaguely unsuitable bike instead of using wider tyres, imo. That said you see a complete range of bikes on the pave, from FG to dual sus MTB.

I normally use my Rourke and 25’s with no issues. This year I’m going to take the Talbot Space biek and run 28’s tubeless, Just for some variation and to see if it’s quicker.

Just hit the cobbles as hard as you can and hang on. It really is great fun and a great piss up, before and after

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Did in 2015. Did the 160km route and its ace. 30mm supple tyres, latex tubes and 55/60 psi and charge although I regretted that at are burg when the front wheel did its own thing. No offs though and a well warned beer at roubaix. I will do it again.

Done it a few times - it's as hard as you want it to be tbh.

It's a great weekend to watch the race, just make sure you're in the velodrome nice and early to get a spot (and make sure you've made it to the right side of the road, the road closures are much more militant.

Only other piece of advice is you MUST MUST MUST do the full route. The 'medium' route just trundles outbound and the first pave section is Arenberg, which is a) brutal and b) pretty much the most glorious bit of the ride. Tbh you want some cobble miles in your legs to get a feel for them because Arenberg is just a primal beast-mode effort to make sure you get over it without getting stuck behind anyone going down!

Best cycling weekend of the year!

Dont forget to charge into each sector as well.

Right accommodation booked; one night south of Busigny and one night outskirts of Roubaix. My dad is joining us so that’ll be good for support and morale.
Next the crossing...

I did it a few years back, around 30 miles in we passed a chap, at the end of a long, downhill section of Pave. He was standing, holding the majority of his bike in his right hand and his front wheel with most of his forks in his left hand.

By 120 miles in I was incredibly envious of this chap.

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/138467/?offset=175#comment9382381

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/131349/?offset=75#comment6024319

My tip, wrap your wrists tight!

It is immense fun

Signed up for the medium route. Looking at travelling out on the Friday via Eurostar and staying in Lille for the duration.
Not sure what tyres I'm going to run as its a push for clearance with 25mm GP4000's.
I'm looking forward to/dreading this in equal measures.

Brilliant fun - enjoy it. We got a great room here:

https://goo.gl/maps/2rXiVKRPZbz

Housed 4 of us with bikes for very little cash.

Further to Arvy's advice - Don't wear a watch on the ride - will damage your wrist.

I did the full VCR one ten years ago when I had been cycling for just a year and managed it. The first 60 miles before the pave were some of the nicest miles I have ever dridden. I got in with a large bunch riding at a steady pace and was pulled aloong. I went off on my own after the first feed station and hit the first section of cobbles alone. They were wet. I caught up with some other riders, one suddenly swerved causing me to take avoiding action, I went over and smashed my derailleur. I rode the next 100 miles with a selection of only three gears. I managed it. The entry to the velodrome was one of the most emotional experiences I have had in the saddle.

A really great ride. Do it.

Oh and the advice I received was to use climbing tape (the tape climbers use on thier hands) on my hands under well padded mitts. It worked.