Ask Nick: Prescription lenses in the rain, Roubaix tire options, and more
- By Nick Legan
- Published Oct. 20, 2011
- Updated Oct. 20, 2011 at 2:18 PM EDT
Editor’s Note: VeloNews tech editor Nick Legan is a former ProTour mechanic who most recently wrenched for Team RadioShack at the 2010 Tour de France and elsewhere. His column appears here every Thursday. You can submit questions to Nick at asknick@competitorgroup.com, and be sure to check out Nick’s previous columns.
Q. Nick,
I plan on participating in the 2012 Paris-Roubaix sportive (the amateur race open to those who want to ride the same route as the pros) and am wondering about tire selection. Currently I ride the Hutchinson Fusion 3 road tubeless tires mounted on DT Swiss 1450 wheels.
I would really like to ride road tubeless setup but the widest tires are 25mm by Hutchinson and those aren’t real 25mm when compared to other manufacturers tire widths. (My Fusion’s are 23mm and look barely like 19′s). Keeping in mind that I don’t want to drop lots of cash on new tubular setup use for this event, wondering if you would suggest I go back to clinchers for this event so I can mount real 25′s or 27′s? — Ed Shapiro
A. Ed,
What a conundrum! I rode the Paris-Roubaix Challenge this year and did so on Michelin Pro Optimum 25mm clinchers with no problems. In fact, so too did then editor-in-chief Ben Delaney. He is considerably bigger than I am and he didn’t have any flats either. Road tubeless is incredible and I’m a big fan. But I’m a bigger fan of big tires.
As you’ve found, there aren’t too many options out there. I would therefore recommend either the Michelin Pro Optimum or a set of Continental GP4000 4-Seasons in the 28-mm size.
I’ve had really good luck with those as well. While tire choice is obviously important, if you get a chance to pre-ride at all and test pressures that could have a bigger impact on your event. I ran 60/65 psi front/rear and felt I could have gone lower (I weigh 150 pounds). I inflated Delaney’s tires to 70/75 psi. I would also invite readers to add suggestions in the comments section below.
Have fun out there! And don’t forget a good pair of gloves!
FILED UNDER: Ask Nick / Bikes and Tech
Nick Legan
After graduating from Indiana University with honors and a degree in French and journalism, Legan jumped straight into wrenching at Pro Peloton bike shop in Boulder for a few years. Then, he began a seven-year stint in the professional ranks, most recently serving for RadioShack at the Tour de France and the Amgen Tour of California. He also worked for Garmin-Slipstream, CSC, Toyota-United, Health Net and Ofoto. You can submit questions to Nick at asknick@competitorgroup.com.