{"id":604171,"date":"2026-04-13T13:41:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604171\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:41:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:41:48","slug":"paris-roubaix-2026-tech-gallery-1x-drivetrains-take-over-as-teams-move-to-mtb-groupsets-and-35mm-tyres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604171\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris\u2013Roubaix 2026 tech gallery: 1x drivetrains take over as teams move to MTB groupsets and 35mm tyres"},"content":{"rendered":"

The dust has settled on another edition of Paris-Roubaix and, as ever, it delivered a smorgasbord of tech for we bike nerds to feast on.<\/p>\n

The big talking points were the near-universal move to 1x, ever-growing tyre widths and a wave of bold experimental tech. <\/p>\n

While some teams will be left wondering if they got it quite right \u2013 not least Mathieu van der Poel\u2019s squad after its pedal faux pas \u2013 there are key trends across many teams that offer a glimpse of where Roubaix race tech is heading.<\/p>\n

Scroll on for a closer look at the weird and wonderful tech, hacks and innovations that make Roubaix so special.<\/p>\n

Team Total Energies and Ineos Grenadiers go (almost) all-in on MTB and gravel groupsets
\n\"TeamTeam TotalEnergies Pro Cycling turned up on its usual Cube bikes\u2026
\n\"Team…but switched to a Shimano XTR mountain bike rear derailleur on some bikes\u2026 Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"Team\u2026and Shimano GRX on others. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"TeamThe team largely ran a Carbon Ti single-chainring setup. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"TeamBut some spare bikes had the standard Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset installed. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"ShimanoIneos-Grenadiers turned heads with its widespread use of Shimano XTR wireless rear derailleurs. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"BlankedIt appears Ineos-Grenadiers’ use of Carbon Ti chainrings is frowned upon by its sponsors. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"Paris-RoubaixIneos-Grenadiers riders were using a 3D-printed mount for the official race transponder. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"FilippoFilippo Ganna ran satellite shifters on his handlebar tops, for easy access when traversing the cobbles. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nGravel components go beyond groupsets
\n\"\"Outside of groupsets, there was the odd smattering of gravel components elsewhere. This Uno-X Mobility rider had a pair of DT Swiss GRC 1100 gravel wheels. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The team also used a Red XPLR rear derailleur paired with an almost comically mismatched small cassette. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"A neat chain catcher to boost retention. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nTwo-piece cockpits and zillions of shifters for Team SD Worx-Protime
\n\"\"Team SD Worx\u2013Protime made a very rare switch for 2026\u2026 Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"\u2026the whole team switched to two-piece cockpits for Roubaix instead of the usual one-piece Roval cockpits. A team mechanic told us this is because the aero tops are harder for riders to hold with smaller hands on the rough cobbles. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"Satellite shifters are another classic Roubaix hack. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"How many shifters would you like on your bike? Yes. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"Lorena Wiebes was a pre-race favourite, finishing sixth on the day.
\n\"\"The team ran Specialized Turbo Cotton tyres across the board but, unlike the men’s team, didn’t coat the sidewalls. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"What a terrific paintjob. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nLidl-Trek’s boldly experimental bikes
\n\"OdysseyBefore the race, Lidl-Trek caused a stir with its use of the Odyssey Optis inflatable tyre liner, which is inflated using the second Presta valve seen here (while the other valve served the tubeless inflation).
\n\"\"We were uncertain if they’d use them come race day, but all of the team’s main bikes had it at the start line. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"OdysseyThe liner is much like an inner tube. Here you can see how the main valve serves the liner, and the auxiliary valve inflates the tyre itself. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The team ran 32mm-wide tyres across the board. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"SRSAMWe also spotted the team trialling SRAM’s HS2 mountain bike rotor for the cobbles of Roubaix. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"DepositedPictured on Jonathan Milan’s Madone SLR during a much-needed service, remnants of chain wax were clearly visible on the jockey wheels. Wax was the lube of choice in this year’s dry race. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"ManMechanics were also pre-prepping their road bike tyres by lightly sanding away the releasing agent, which (if left in place) compromises grip before it wears away with normal use. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The whole team was on 1x. Mads Pedersen’s Project One Madone looks resplendent in its handsome grey and gold finish. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"This Leap Components computer mount takes integration to the next level. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n35mm is the new hot thing
\n\"35mmIt’s official, 35mm tyres \u2013 used by Continental-sponsored teams with the Grand Prix 5000 S TR \u2013 are here, and probably here to stay. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"35mmMechanics had taken to marking up Continental’s 35mm-wide Grand Prix 5000 S TR tyres. A number of teams told us this makes distinguishing between them and the 32mm variants (which were used by most teams for the rear tyres) much easier. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"FrenchWe interrupt this important tech gallery to bring you coverage of this very happy doggo. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nUAE Team ADQ goes big with the Colnago V5Rs
\n\"\"The V5Rs had a rare outing with UAE Team ADQ. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"This gave the team the option of running 35mm tyres front and rear. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"Megan Jastrab, who finished fifth, had a lofty cockpit with lots of stack. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"That long stem leaves plenty of space for race notes. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

The UCI introduces new tyre-checking tool
\n\"\"Related to the above points, the UCI has a new tool to check tyre-size compliance in response to ever-growing tyre widths. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"It slots over the top of a tyre and checks sidewall height. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"Van der Poel’s tyres were compliant \u2013 but that wasn’t enough for the Dutchman to nab a fourth win. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"He opted for 32mm tyres on the day. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nOld hacks stand the test of time
\n\"FilippoFilippo Ganna’s bike sported a tried-and-tested trick of grip tape in the bottle cage to help hold it in place. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"TapeTo help keep bike computers secure, teams sometimes use tape to make the interface tighter. This also helps reduce rattling. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"RubberJonathan Milan was using this low-tech hack to help keep his bottles in place over the cobbles, with some foam just visible on the extreme left of shot to mute the inevitable rattling. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n1x and off-sponsor tyres for Team Jayco\u2013AlUla
\n\"\"Team Jayco\u2013AlUla switched to 1x for Roubaix. We didn’t catch who makes this aftermarket chainring, but we love the concentric machined rings. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The team usually rides Cadex tyres, but Giant’s sister brand doesn’t produce a 32mm-wide tyre, so the team switched to Vittoria for Roubaix. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nTwo unmissable bikes from wildcard teams doing something different
\n\"SRAMParis-Roubaix plays host to a number of alternative drivetrain setups \u2013 here, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling opted to run a SRAM Force XPLR AXS 1x groupset on its Factor Monza team bikes. Also note the guest appearance.
\n\"SRAMThe bikes were also running the native SRAM Force chain in this fetching purple colour.
\n\"TyreA common sight in the service park at the start: team mechanics adjusting tyre pressures.
\n\"RobinAmerican Robin Carpenter’s Factor Monza had one of the fun custom designs of the day.
\n\"RobinThis is a face many riders make when attacking the cobbles.
\n\"UnibetElsewhere, the Rose Shave FFX of the Unibet Rose Rockets team is a looker year-round. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"UnibetSRAM Red XPLR AXS 1x was the drivetrain of choice. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nAlison Jackson’s incredible Canadian national champs Cannondale SuperSix
\n\"\"Alison Jackson’s Cannondale SuperSix had, without doubt, the coolest paintjob of the whole event. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The Canadian national champion opted for a conventional 2x setup with a fairly tight-spread Force cassette.
\n\"\"Wise words. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The silver hubs on her Mavic wheels unleashed the inner magpie in the whole BikeRadar team. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"The whole squad was on 32mm tyres from fellow French brand, Mavic. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"Plenty of space to spare. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nWide variety of tyres
\n\"CorsaNot every team was on the fastest tyres available. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"G-OneThis Canyon\u2013SRAM zondacrypto bike went as far as running the Schwalbe G-One Speed \u2013 the brand’s go-fast gravel tyre. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"There was variation elsewhere, with some using 32mm tyres. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"\"Others were running 34mm-wide tyres. Ash Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"MakitaPortable air compressors make tyre inflations en masse much easier to action. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9 opted to run Vittoria Corsa Pro Control tyres, the all-season variant of the brand’s racy tyre line. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\nA rare outing for Campagnolo
\n\"CofidisCampagnolo was represented by Team Cofidis, running the brand’s Super Record 13 drivetrain. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media
\n\"CofidisA rare image of Super Record 13’s direct-mount interface in the pro peloton. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The dust has settled on another edition of Paris-Roubaix and, as ever, it delivered a smorgasbord of tech…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-604171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}