When the going gets tough, what kit do the pros rely on?
Paris-Roubaix is one of the few WorldTour races that still requires riders and teams to bring out rarely seen specialist equipment, so it’s one marked on every bike nerd’s calendar.
With 55.7km of cobbled roads over 260km of racing, the unique parcours pose significant challenges for bikes designed to be as light and aerodynamic as possible.
While the tech that defined past editions of the race has largely disappeared, no rider or team takes for granted how hard this race is on equipment.
We sent our beady-eyed photographer, Matt Grayson, to scour the pre-race team pits of both the men’s and women’s races for the most interesting pro bikes, and – as always – he delivered.
In this mega gallery, we’ve got Lotte Kopecky’s race-winning Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, Alison Jackson’s custom-painted Cannondale SuperSix EVO Lab71, Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Dogma F, Mads Pedersen’s Trek Madone SLR, and much, much more.
Before we get to those bikes, though, if you’ve come looking for Mathieu van der Poel’s Paris-Roubaix-winning Canyon Aeroad CFR, fear not – we’ve got a full gallery of images delving into that bike in greater detail in a separate article.
Lotte Kopecky’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8
The winner of the 2024 Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Lotte Kopecky, rode an all-black version of Specialized’s flagship all-rounder road bike, the S-Works Tarmac SL8.
It was a choice echoed by the other riders on Specialized-sponsored teams, with the S-Works Roubaix SL8 nowhere to be seen at this year’s race.
Eschewing the brand’s Roval Rapide integrated cockpit, Kopecky opted for a separate bar and stem, with a round handlebar.
The stem comes from the previous-generation Tarmac SL7, but the bar may have been non-sponsor-correct because the team wrapped it with handlebar tape all the way to the stem clamp.
Kopecky’s saddle appeared to be a Syncros Belcarra – from the component brand owned by Scott. Naturally, any offending logos were covered up carefully.
Elsewhere, the current world road race champion had a SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset set up 1x with a K-Edge chain guide for added security.
Contrary to many riders, Kopecky opted for a relatively small 50t chainring paired to a 10-33t cassette. It’s worth bearing in mind her 50x10t top gear is – in terms of gear ratio – equivalent to a 55x11t, though.
Like most of her teammates, Kopecky opted for Specialized’s S-Works Mondo endurance tyres set up tubeless on a set of Roval Rapide CLX II wheels.
Kopecky used a set of custom world-champion themed Time XPro 12 pedals – another option from the SRAM stable of brands.
Marianne Vos’ Cervélo Soloist
Although Cervélo said it was targeting amateur racers with the recently revamped Soloist, that hasn’t stopped the brand’s elite sponsored riders selecting it for cobbled classics.
We suspect this is because the riders feel it strikes a better balance of low weight, comfort and aerodynamic efficiency than either the more aero-focused S5 or climbing-friendly R5.
That aside, wider tyres, a non-integrated cockpit and a 1x drivetrain mark out Marianne Vos’ Soloist as a Paris-Roubaix bike.
Like Kopekcy, Vos used a SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset in 1x form with a K-Edge chain guide. Vos, however, opted for a slightly bigger, 52t chainring, paired with what looked like a wide-ranging cassette.
The three-time world road race champion used a set of as-yet-unreleased Reserve 42|49 wheels. Based on Reserve’s previous naming conventions, these almost certainly have a 42mm-deep front rim paired with a 49mm-deep rear.
These were paired with a set of Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres, set up tubeless, in a size 700x32c.
Vos used Wahoo Speedplay Zero pedals and a Fizik Vento Argo 00 saddle.
Her cockpit came courtesy of team sponsor FSA, with an SL-K alloy stem (adorned with notes about each cobbled sector) paired with a round FSA carbon handlebar.
Alison Jackson’s custom-painted Cannondale SuperSix EVO Lab71
Last year’s winner of the women’s race, Alison Jackson, is also the reigning Canadian national road race champion. As such, she took to the start of this year’s edition aboard a beautifully painted custom bike.
The frameset features a striking red and white paintjob, complete with maple leaf motifs and a “Don’t think, just dance” note on the top tube (referring to Jackon’s famously sharp moves off the bike).
Perhaps due to the fact it can accommodate slightly larger tyres and makes more concessions to comfort, Jackson opts for Cannondale’s all-rounder SuperSix Evo (with the flagship Lab71 carbon layup) rather than its aero road bike, the SystemSix.
Expecting a fast race, though, Jackson’s Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset was set up with 54/40t FSA chainrings, mounted to an FSA PowerBox power meter spider, with FSA carbon cranks.
Jackson used Vision’s Metron SL 45 wheelset paired with Vittoria Corsa Pro Control TLR tyres (a heavier, grippier variant of the standard Corsa Pro), in a size 700x32c.
Unlike Kopecky and Vos, Jackson stuck with an integrated cockpit, opting for Cannodale’s own R-One SystemBar.
It was wrapped with Prologo’s new handlebar tape featuring its CPC (Connect – Power – Control) technology.
This uses what Prologo says is a “3D-printed polymer nanostructure” to enhance its grip, meaning riders don’t need to hold the bars as tightly (thus, it claims, reducing fatigue).
Jackson’s saddle also comes from the Prologo stable, with the Canadian champion picking the Nago R4 PAS 147.
Jackson used Wahoo Speedplay Aero pedals.
Daniek Hengeveld’s Scott Foil RC
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL all took to the cobbles aboard the recently updated Scott Foil RC.
A full-fat aero road bike if ever there was one, the only concession Daniek Hengeveld made for the rigours of Roubaix was the inclusion of Scott’s comfort-enhancing seatpost and wider tyres.
Like her teammate, Pfeiffer Georgi (who finished third in this year’s race), Hengeveld raced with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset with a set of 54/40t chainrings.
Shimano also supplies wheels to Hengeveld’s team, with the Dutch rider opting for a set of mid-depth Dura-Ace C50 carbon wheels.
These were paired with Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres, set up tubeless, in a size 700x32c (can you see a trend emerging here?).
Like Jackson, Hengeveld opted to stick with her bike’s stock front end, using the Syncros Creston IC SL Aero integrated cockpit (with the stem slammed for an aggressive riding position).
In a nod to the Roubaix of old, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL used Elite’s classic Ciussi Gel alloy bottle cages (in place of their standard Elite Leggero Carbon cages) to reduce the chance of losing drinks over the rough cobbled sectors.
The Dutch rider used Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals.
Elisa Balsamo’s Trek Domane SLR
One of the few riders still choosing an endurance road bike, Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek finished second in this year’s race on board a Trek Domane SLR.
With an eye-catching paintjob and deep aero tubes, the bike hides its comfort-enhancing IsoSpeed system on the top tube, just in front of the seatpost.
Like many other SRAM-sponsored riders, Balsamo opted for a Red AXS eTap groupset set up 1x (again with a K-Edge chain guide).
Like Vos, Balsamo used a 52t chainring, although this was paired with a tight 10-28t cassette out back.
Wheels come from Trek’s in-house component brand, Bontrager, with the Italian rider opting for its Aeolus Pro 49V wheelset.
These wheels feature 49mm-deep rims with a broad, 25mm-wide internal rim width optimised for the larger tyres.
These use OCLV NEXT thermoplastic carbon construction. Bontrager claims this makes the rims stronger and more durable compared to other standard carbon rims.
Balsamo and her teammates rolled out on prototype Pirelli tubeless tyres (we know this because Pirelli helpfully printed –PROTOTYPE#– on the tyre sidewalls), in a size 700x32c.
Balsamo’s bike was completed with a set of Time XPro 10 pedals, a Bontrager Aeolus Pro saddle and a two-piece carbon cockpit from Trek’s RSL range.
Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Dogma F
The star rider in Team Ineos Grenadiers’ roster, Tom Pidcock took to the start line of this year’s men’s race aboard a fairly standard, team issue Pinarello Dogma F.
Of course, by ‘standard’ we simply mean it features few concessions to the cobbles – it was still an incredibly bling build by any standard.
Pidcock’s bike featured a complete Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, with 54/40t chainrings up front and an 11-30t cassette out back.
The wheels also came from Shimano, with Dura-Ace C50s making another appearance.
These were wrapped with Continental’s highly rated GP5000 S TR tyres, set up tubeless.
Perhaps because the Dogma F is only officially rated for 28mm-wide tyres, Pidcock opted for slightly smaller, 700x30c tyres (which clearly fit in the frame and fork, perhaps just with less room to spare than Pinarello would recommend).
The Yorkshireman stuck with Pinarello’s one-piece Most Talon aero cockpit, with his stem featuring a printed list of each cobbled sector, its difficulty rating and where it appears in the race.
Contrary to recent trends for pro riders getting forward on the saddle, it seems Pidcock prefers plenty of setback. His Prologo Scratch M5 saddle was slammed right back on a setback seatpost.
Pidcock used Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals.
Anthony Turgis’ ENVE Melee
The TotalEnergies team gave the ENVE Melee its debut at the Queen of the Classics.
Save for a blue stripe on the inside of the down tube and some white graphics, Turgis’ bike features an all-back gloss paintjob, matched with a similarly stealthy Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 drivetrain.
Like the race winner, Mathieu van der Poel, Turgis opted for standard 54/40t chainrings.
Beyond the drivetrain, though, the rest of the build was almost exclusively from ENVE.
Turgis opted for ENVE’s SES 6.7 wheelset, which features a 60mm-deep front rim paired with a 67mm-deep rear one.
Despite the super-deep rims, this wheelset comes in at an impressively low weight of 1,510g.
The cockpit is also from ENVE, in the form of the as-yet-unreleased SES Pro Team One-Piece aero cockpit developed in collaboration with Tadej Pogaçar.
Concessions to the cobbles on Turgis’ bike stretched only to a set of larger-than-usual 700x32c Continental GP5000 S TR tyres, set up tubeless, and some handlebar tape wrapped all the way to the stem.
Turgis uses a Selle Italia SLR Boost Kit Carbonio saddle and Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals.
Nils Politt’s Colnago V4Rs
Finishing just off the podium in the men’s race, German rouleur Nils Politt rode Colnago’s all-rounder road racing bike, the V4Rs.
As we’ve come to expect of UAE Team Emirates bikes (given what we saw on Tadej Pogaçar’s bike at last year’s Tour de France), it featured a no-expense-spared build with plenty of posh aftermarket upgrades.
The only notable change from Politt’s standard racing setup was the move to a set of wider, 700x32c tyres.
Beyond that, the bike featured a team-issue Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 drivetrain, upgraded with a set of 55/40t CarbonTi chainrings and CarbonTi disc brake rotors. Politt used an 11-30t cassette out back.
Both the wheels and cockpit were supplied by ENVE, with Politt opting for the same SES Pro Team One-Piece aero cockpit as Turgis of TotalEnergies.
Politt’s bar is slammed right to the head tube, giving the rangy German (Politt stands at 192cm) an extremely aggressive riding position with a huge amount of saddle-to-handlebar drop.
For the relatively flat parcours of Paris-Roubaix, Politt chose ENVE’s SES 4.5 wheelset. These wheels feature a deeper, 55mm rear rim paired with a shallower 49mm-deep rim at the front, which ENVE says helps balance aerodynamic efficiency and handling.
Spurning the modern trend for short-nose saddles with pressure-relieving cut-outs, Politt uses a relatively old-school Prologo Nago C3.
Like Pidcock, Politt prefers Shimano Dura-Ace pedals and plenty of saddle setback, with his perch fully slammed back on his seatpost.
Stefan Küng’s Wilier Filante SLR
After 22 years of using Lapierre bikes, Stefan Küng’s Groupama-FDJ team switched to Wilier this year.
Rather than opting for Wilier’s latest endurance bike, the Granturismo SLR, though, Küng and his teammates chose the Filante SLR, Wilier’s all-rounder race bike.
Another tall rider (in fact, at 193cm, Küng is among the tallest pro cyclists in the world), Küng’s bike features plenty of saddle-to-handlebar drop and a decent amount of saddle setback, in order to achieve his preferred riding position.
It’s not quite as aggressive as Politt’s position, however – Küng has a few spacers left under his stem.
Küng’s bike is built with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, complete with 56/44t chainrings.
Küng raced with Shimano’s deepest Dura-Ace C60 wheelset. As the name suggests, these wheels feature 60mm-deep rims for an increased aerodynamic advantage compared to its C50 wheelset.
Küng used 700x32c Continental GP5000 S TR tyres, set up tubeless (of course).
The Swiss rider opted for Prologo’s Zero II Pas saddle with added CPC grip, though he used standard cork bar tape up front – in white, despite Paris-Roubaix’s reputation as a mud-fest.
He also stuck with Wilier’s stock Zero Carbon integrated handlebar, with a modern, compact drop shape rather than the traditional bend drops we saw on Mark Cavendish’s custom Wilier Filante SLR at the 2023 Tour de France.
Like many other Shimano-sponsored riders, Küng also uses Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals.
Mads Pedersen’s Trek Madone SLR
While Elisa Balsamo secured a podium spot in the women’s race aboard the Domane SLR endurance bike, the men’s Lidl-Trek squad all opted for the Madone SLR aero bike.
One of a new generation of hyper-aero road bikes, the Madone SLR’s most distinctive feature is its IsoFlow hole in its seat tube and cantilevered seatpost.
Like many other bikes at this year’s race, Pedersen’s featured a mostly stock build, save for a set of chunky tyres.
Notably, Pedersen had used tubular wheels and tyres at the 2024 Tour of Flanders, but switched to tubeless ones for the harsher cobbles of Northern France.
As on Balsamo’s bike, Pedersen’s Pirelli tyres were simply marked as prototypes, so we’re not sure exactly what model they are.
Could they be an update to the already impressive P Zero Race TLR? The tread pattern and construction certainly looks similar, but Pirelli hasn’t offered any official details yet, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Like Balsamo, Pedersen used Bontrager’s Aeolus Pro 49V wheelset and Time XPro 10 pedals.
Finishing in third place, Pedersen’s drivetrain consisted of a SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset with a large 56t 1x chainring and a 10-33t cassette.
This offered the Danish powerhouse a slightly larger top gear than a 61x11t.
Did Pedersen ever use that top gear during the race? We don’t know, of course, though it’s certainly possible – at an average speed of 47.802kph, this year’s men’s race was the fastest ever edition.
More likely, though, we suspect Pedersen and other riders who use massive chainrings are looking mostly for marginal efficiency gains – bigger chainrings, cogs and even pulley wheels are (all else being equal) more efficient than smaller ones, due to a reduction in drivetrain friction.
While Balsamo opted for a two-piece front end, Pedersen used the Madone SLR’s stock integrated handlebar with a single layer of thin bar tape covering only half of the tops.
A long stem also provided plenty of room for information about each cobbled sector.
Pedersen uses Bontrager’s Verse Pro saddle, which the brand says is an all-rounder option for all types of riding and any gender.
