The Paris-Roubaix bike formula for most riders on most teams has, for a great many years now, been run your normal aero bike with as wide a tyre as you dare. Occasionally, things go off-script, though, and we see teams using totally non-standard bikes for the most brutal one-day race of the year.
Last year the Visma – Lease a Bike men raced on the Cervélo Soloist rather than their standard aero machines, despite doing a recon on the aero S5, and in 2024 Israel – Premier Tech made big waves by opting to run their bike sponsor’s gravel bike, the Factor OSTRO Gravel rather than the OSTRO VAM aero bike, despite only being able to fit 32c tyres in it due to the front derailleur clearance.
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Greater durability, or just more publicity?
According to a press release from Factor, the reason behind the team riding the Monza, which Factor still classifies as a race bike, is that it is a more durable frame:
“Our rationale for this decision lies in the concept that while the ~2.5-watt aero penalty moving from the OSTRO VAM to the MONZA doesn’t put the rider into a non-competitive position, a mishap leading to a broken frame 100% will put them out of contention…The Monza’s general durability when contrasted with the ultra-light, optimised layups of the ONE and the OSTRO VAM give it an innate “toughness.”
To the surprise of nobody, though perhaps to the disappointment of some, this means the hyper-aero Factor ONE won’t be smashed over the cobbles; it’s just too stiff, it seems:
“That’s because the ONE has much deeper tube sections, a wider/deeper fork situated more directly under the rider’s hands, and it lacks the deflection from the bar/frame interface since the steerer is removed in this configuration.” The statement explained.
The Monza does, on paper, seem like a decent Roubaix option. The 34mm tyre clearance, coupled with the team’s SRAM sponsorship and near-certain 1x configuration means Modern Adventure could probably run a 35c tyre on the day if they so wished, though as they are Michelin sponsored…
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