What's The Fastest Bike For Riding The Cobbles Of Paris-Roubaix ?

[@JasonJanelle]

That smile when Matt clips in at the end, solid gold.

[@ilikewasabe]

so happy they did this test.. the squad has been debating on this for a month now. Though it was a gravelbike,CX and road

[@smalerider1727]

It would be gravel > CX > road then. Tires is what does the trick and the gravel potentially can run the largest.

[@michaelb1761]

Tires and suspension.

[@natruperrecords6686]

CX = Gravel, with a shlightly longer wheelbase. Its a marketing scheme, CX and gravel are almost the same. Both have huge tire clearances anyway

[@smalerider1727]

By that logic a road race bike is the same as a endurance road bike...

[@brandonkimes9927]

Linkluk Nah m8. Gravel bikes are more upright, with a longer wheelbase, while a true Cross racing bike has almost identical geometry to a performance road bike, with a slightly longer wheel base. Cross bikes are rather aggresive.

[@rhiadmarhes9291]

So there's a discarded well-specced MTB somewhere in France?

[@davidb224]

Next time someone on a MTB blows past me, I won't suffer quite as much

[@GOTHICforLIFE1]

Hehe, hope that's on gravel or worse xD

[@alantaylorfarnes]

Man you guys look funny riding mountain bikes. Your elbows are so spread out. Great video.

[@ShermanSitter]

Great observation! Interestingly, I think Simon started off in mountain bicycling if i'm not mistaken. perhaps it was just a bad shot? Matt, however, that may be another story. Not sure.

[@zachhowe4816]

DFTA (Don't Feed The Animals) Simon before gmbn was created he did all the mtb things for the channel

[@ShermanSitter]

Zach Howe - Thanks for the clarification. I knew he had that background. It's funny though because like Alan Taylor Farnes says, he seems like such a roadie now! I guess he's just that good that he can fool us and play the part! :)

[@jordanpearson4824]

Ummmm you do realise that's how youre supposed to ride... look at any pro mountainbiker

[@alantaylorfarnes]

Yeah I get it. I'm sure they're both great mountain bikers. I'm just saying we're not used to seeing them riding mountain bikes so it looks funny at first.

[@cubeblah]

"MTB! That's mountain bike for short!"

[@kofikeelson2493]

Kk.

[@dosentmatterdoesit]

"I'm in!!"

[@federicospada1703]

Those endless seconds before the statement everyone was waiting for...

[@bernardjukema508]

already liked the video after 15 seconds due to Matt's undeniable catchy laugh

[@pokerchannel6991]

Bernard Jukema Ok. If u lok at the start where the bike brushes near. It really wasn’t the chemistry btw the two that made it work. That was just coincidental. The real reason they pulled it off was that the rider was going slow and wold have been able to avoid the hit even if si hadn’t adjusted. I am looking at it for the umpteenth time and I now understand that I cold have done it just as well. The secret is to slow down, concentrate and b ready for what ever the reaction. At no time was si in danger of being slammed. Trust me.

[@kubagajda7347]

Probably the only time in your lifetime when you got to see a MTB with road specific pedals :D

[@itarry4]

Szaman Szymon a lot of cross-country MTB rides use them actually for the weight saving.

[@AleksandarRoman]

where did you see that, on races noone does uses them...

[@WildOutdoorLiving]

A) They aren't any lighter B) I have never ever seen anyone do that at a race, even world cup riders use mtb pedals.

[@chadchenoweth1961]

Haha! I did my very first mountain bike race with old-school Look pedals and road shoes because I didn't have mountain shoes or pedals at the time. Someone took me out in the first corner and the pedal broke. 500ft and race over for me!

[@Vanadium]

Ian Nick Tarry that actual is bs. the eag beater from crank brothers is the lightest pedal and it is a XC mtb pedal. road bike pedals weight more.

[@mrdavecee7248]

Whoever picks the music for GCN videos makes some exquisite choices!

[@mariusbajas3969]

You did not mention tyre pressure, which is crucial! A slightly softer tyre can offer a TON of comfort while sacrificing little speed. Always a worthy trade

[@AverageReviewsYT]

On this not so much.. it offers more grip.. so faster..

[@dmitryhetman1509]

​@@AverageReviewsYTLower pressure is faster on cobbles

[@AverageReviewsYT]

@@dmitryhetman1509 yeah lower pressure means more grip so faster.

[@milesroe5082]

Not a surprise to me. Back in '97 I bought a Specialized Rockhopper FS Comp. Over 2 years I changed almost everything. XT groupset except for SLX sifters. Mavic Ceramic Rims with 26r 18f spokes. 1.9" Panracer SS/SK tires. KORE 420mm bar/160mm stem/ski bar ends. 10-28 cassette and 50/42/36 chairing. Carbon seat post and Selle Italia Flute saddle. Weighed just under 19kg and went like stink over broken pavement, and down gravel tracks. 😀

[@mashed9603]

Interesting. Really good test. I was expecting the bike that was designed for the Paris rubaix race to win.... However, I have a light weight full suspension mountain bike and can understand how it won on this surface. A good full susser mountain bike will smooth out those bumps leaving the rider able to pedal in comfort. Great video lads

[@tablatom]

Not surprised at all. This is my experience too. I am selling my CX bike and keeping my hard tail which now has 4 kinds of tyres. I have bar ends on the hard tail, its very fast on the road with slicks.

[@MattDion]

Cool test. Clearly no pro will be riding a CX or MTB, but I think what this says is the active suspension of the Specialized Roubaix may have a fairly large advantage here.

[@tychoMX]

Pros have ridden CX bikes often. There's always 1-2 riders on them, mostly on the not-so-wealthy teams. Out of the top of my head recently there have been AG2R using a Focus Mares, there's a picture of Chavanel on a cantilever bike riding for IAM, Lars Boom rode on a Colnago 'Cross, Lotto-Belisol used some Ridle X-Night model, etc. They used to be more numerous when rain and mud was expected, we haven't had a very rainy version in a while.

[@TaylorMonnig]

Yeah some riders due use cross bikes, but sky and some other team develop bikes inbetween cross and road with suspension built in the rear chanstay or now the stem. Intersting times

[@dmitryhetman1509]

You need wider deeper tires and lower pressure, suspention wont help at all.

[@bensydski5946]

I'm glad to see Mat finally received his former Uk champion strips.

[@iimmolarious7636]

did the paris roubaix cyclo sportive on my cyclocross bike today, felt great on the cobbles but it was hard to keep up with the road bikes on the normal roads

[@joehopfield]

Fascinating! I once came in 2nd in a beginners cyclocross race on my hard-tail MTB.

[@graemehirstwood670]

What is stopping a competitor from changing bikes? That is ride XC MTB on the cobbles and then jump on a road bike when back on the tarmac. Is there any rules against this?

[@ralph1269]

Interesting idea. I'd imagine the logistics of swapping bikes, though, would nullify the time gained.

[@jonowee]

UCI commissaires don't even need to break out the tape measure for this one. Since Paris-Roubaix a UCI road event, road race technical rules apply. As B.Ryder mentioned, the logistics would be impossible in race conditions. 10 second saving for 4 minute run of a 2 km and 5 star section, versus the wait for the peloton to pass before your team car in order to reach you.

[@natruperrecords6686]

Even if it would be allowed for by UCI rules, it would make no sense: 1) The loss if time by stopping, changing and going back up to speed is far greater than the time saved. In a timetrail you usually lose about 30sec - 1min by a mechincal/bike change. Wont save that on the cobbles. 2) The test is not done the the speed the pros do on the cobbles. With aerodynamics becoming more and more important with increasing speed, the roadbike or crossbike could be faster 3) When racing, there is usually a full speed leadout to the pave sectors, just like in a sprint. The leader has to be in front, just to avoid crashes, pileups and being able to react to attacks. Changing bikes would mean a loss of that hard fought position.

[@TaylorMonnig]

Graeme the time gap would be to much, plus dropping off the back of the peleton to switch bikes could cost you the race if a split or attack happens. good theory but they cant make It happen

[@graemehirstwood670]

What if you had a breakaway and had someone waiting with alternative bikes enroute? I don't think the whole peleton could do it, but as a surprise attack, it could mean a win.

[@JeffWalshyTube]

GCN vs GMBN race. First on trails and then on the road

[@nikolapocrnja6044]

Great job recording those runs. Two guys on BMW bike? And guys behind cameras, great videos. Ty!

[@briansmith2125]

Greg LeMond did this experiment in the 80's. He rode a hybrid road with shocks and fatter tires back in the day with both GAN and Z IIRC.

[@dingane]

This is great, I've always wondered about this myself!

[@diviscadilek1764]

I love how the only mountain bike that GCN will ever let near the scope of their cameras is the ultra light XC hardtail and nothing more.

[@hadrienkermarrec6730]

Love that sort of bike type data-supported battle!

[@Ade2bee]

Love the effort you guys put in...

[@nedster63]

So true. When i did Paris Roubaix there were quite a lot of dudes on MTBs giving it big beans on the pave.....

[@petinka721]

Had been interresting see a test between hard tail and full suspension bikes. Most fun in the clip was when Matt pass Simon in beginning. It sounded as they had give Simon Matt's laugh :)

[@vancel35]

I have to admit that I expected the CX bike to be the fastest. When Matt said the MTB top gear was only 38x11, I thought it was going to have a gearing disadvantage at a minimum, but I don't know what ratio you were running on the road and CX bikes, so it makes sense. The race I did today was the Boulder Roubaix on my Specialized Venge. I made it into my first breakaway and took 4th overall in the SW3 field. The breakaway was lollygagging, so I spent a lot of time on the front trying to make sure we weren't caught. I've watched too many road races where the breakaway is caught within sight of the finish. Turns out they were on our heels and we were almost caught. I think the chase group was only a few seconds back, and at one point earlier in the race I couldn't even see them behind us.

[@DurianriderCyclingTips]

These are the best vids GCN as they are not overtly corporate based.

[@andrewfaust8743]

GCN v GMBN - Pave Edition. Let's see it!

[@vinn1mao257]

No problems clipping in for Matt on that exit 😂

[@CyclingCharan]

Oh bloody hell... Matt's laugh is enough to get him in a breakaway 😅😂😂😜

[@crisd.4510]

Matt clipping in is everything xD

[@MikeMacDonaldVSG]

Very Interesting, what a great Table setting for Paris-Roubaix. Thanks

[@bjudjola]

Which is faster? 200k on MTB on road or Matt clips in?

[@BloodySpyBR]

Every video that features Matt laughing is automaticaly a good video

[@umaxi96]

I just bought a stiff fork mtb as my daily commuter (with street Big Apple tyres). It is super comfortable and feels much faster than my roadbike on the not perfect streets of the city.

[@normadicn5700]

Thinking of getting same or a gravel bike.

[@crulich1]

The race is predominantly tarmac, so road bikes fitted with 28mm tires make the most sense. We have mixed terrain races/rides here in lovely Illinois and that is what I ride because most of the time is spent on tarmac. If you are on pave all the time a 29er hardtail with file tread 2.1 inch tires would be great, probably likewise for soft gravel.

[@Cj-nd3nv]

Amazing results, also considering their perceived speed on the MTB

[@tjd171717]

Watching the blushing new groom trying to clip in as he rode away at the end gives me unspeakable joy. #NotaCritRacer

[@skv1991]

Nice video GCN! 😊 What music name on 3:26 please? 😀

[@dazzle52k52]

Brilliant!!! I thought you may have included rear suspension (full-sus) MTB and a fat bike too. It would have been an interesting comparison also. Excellent work Si and Matt. Bring on #ParisRoubaix today.

[@trickyricky5324]

Very interesting! Thanks for the test results!!

[@MichaelMachado2]

I'd be interested in knowing the tire pressure you ran on all the bikes front and rear

[@Florimondable]

I think it is du to the wideness of the tire and its low pressure so the tire touch more the road and you use power more effectively to push the ground instead of the air.

[@echtnietjaifi]

-10 secs later- "I'm in!" thats gold

[@mattnugy]

Really neat one guys, great job.

[@FatBikerVaibhav]

dude fatbike......huh

[@tusharaggarwal3997]

Hey nice channel, let me subscribe you

[@sattvavasavadasengupta711]

india!!

[@smalerider1727]

Just say no to fatbikes.

[@AdityaAcharyzestroyer]

Jharmarl Richardson damn you

[@stupidasso77]

Smale Rider They are rapidly becoming the new mid life crisis mobile where I live.

[@philb8311]

In celebration of Matt's big day I rode a whole section of pave on Saturday whilst trying to clip in.

[@abedfo88]

the song at 4:00 is pure euphoric loved it.

[@franta5832]

Big tyres FTW! Would be inetersting to try the MTB with the fork locked out or, even better, a gravel bike with slick 2" tyres. I think it would be faster given aereo and road gearing.

[@QuickQuips]

Francesco Nardone Or maybe outfit one of the bikes with a Thudbuster ST. I don't know if it's allowed by UCI. Not just ergonomics, but the shorter gearing also seems really important.

[@cerberus1981]

Francesco Nardone Also, with a set of "dirt drop" bars on the MTB

[@smalerider1727]

The bike we're all thinking for would be a Salsa Cutthoat

[@vinnieg3364]

Francesco Nardone cannondale slate!

[@Bonky-wonky]

A carbon mtb with short suspension fork like the rs1 with flared drop bars and 2.3 schwalbe big ones would be the ultimate cobble eater..

[@ivarbrouwer197]

I rode the cyclosportive of Paris-Roubaix today(!) and i did it on a cyclocross bike - great fun! with the adjusted tire pressure there is a slight penalty on the tarmac. The advantage over roadbikes is very clear. (plus i don`t want to use my carbon racer on the cobbles) - in the second half i did see a lot of mountainbikers and even on the cyclocrossbike they are hard to keep up with on the Cobbles: my overall impression confirms the GCN findings.(but MTB`s feel like cheating to me...) - the Paris Roubaix cyclo is only 172 km with 52 km of Cobbles - almost (1/3 for Cobbles/road) the advantage of MTB`s is much clearer. - With the power output of the Pro`s, other ride characteristics come to the fore: the faster you go, the smoother it seems, so there the MTB advantage might be negligible.(maybe do a segment wit Lars Boom, who raced Paris-Roubaix with a cyclocross bike in the past)

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

Is using the right tool for the job cheating? Or simply being smart? ;)

[@MrBoggins1234]

Cool. Just goes to show, the huge amount spent on marketing the fastest road bikes, in the real world, on UK roads, looks like we all need suspension, disc brakes and wider tyres. Good to hear Matts laugh again :)

[@jasonsimpson4805]

Loved this comparison!

[@dyzoly]

Sound editing at 2:24! Perfect!

[@Deuteross]

Great video, lads!

[@UgaitzEtxebarria]

Interesting video. Feeling faster and being faster are two very different things, when a bike feels very fast (with tires pumped up to the max) is often because it transmits more roadbuzz, making you actually slower, as YOU are "absorbing" those road irregularities. You should have tried running the cross bike with 26"x2.35 superlight tires and lowering the bars with a negative angle stem to get as aero as possible, it would have literally destroyed the rest of the bikes.

[@brunospasta]

A video with Mat laughing out loud is a good video! ;)

[@alfonsolizarazo9806]

not surprised with the results, never underestimate the powers of a hardtail

[@panzerveps]

That was a nice imitation of Matt's laugh, Si!

[@the-happy-RC-flyer]

Really great video. Seeing you chaps riding a MTB was like a Polar Bear in Antarctica.

[@DilbertMuc]

Could you make a comparison between the old front suspension road bike (Rockshox Roubaix) of the 90's and the brand new Specialized Roubaix with front suspension and how it compares to current Roubaix bikes without front suspension? Thanks.

[@chrisjames1924]

That Canyon Exceed MTB is a beautifully understated MTB

[@weissjoel82]

A bit surprised by the result, good video

[@joelaustin5602]

thanks GCN for another great video.

[@MrCyphermonkey]

Got two 29ers mtb's in my garage and will gladly sacrifice the minimal handling differences over 650b for the out and out speed and extra grip over the ruff stuff. Always fancied going to ride some of the cobbles but then actually spoke to someone who has and think ill leave it.

[@motomehanicar459]

I have always asked myself how fast would be mtb over this crappy road when watching Paris Roubaix! :D Guys you made my dream come true. :D

[@koalatouring2754]

I wondered if you guys could make a review about the "Koga Colmaro Allroad Race Disc" I saw this bike on the internet and I think it can be a really great bike to test. Greetings from bill nwangwu, Holland

[@cyclejockey4397]

This year's Roubaix is going to be epic !

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

Would be interesting new twist to P-R if they all switched to MTBs for cobbled sections! 😁

[@AirgunTV]

Gaina Agree... like the climbers do sometimes in the hiily stages of the Tour

[@paulflory3532]

Would the time saved be more than the time lost switching bikes? Also, would the rules permit using a MTB in a road race?

[@thenerdycanadian7172]

as long as it met all UCI regs i don't see why not?

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

Paul Flory UCI? Probably not, though they're often a law unto themselves! 😁

[@TaylorMonnig]

double advertising for the companys, road and mtb

[@DjMarroc6450]

Every time that I watch you .. you make me laugh =D ... thanks for the enjoy =D .. Words from Valdivia, Chile!

[@pokerchannel6991]

Ok. If u lok at the start where the bike brushes near. It really wasn’t the chemistry btw the two that made it work. That was just coincidental. The real reason they pulled it off was that the rider was going slow and wold have been able to avoid the hit even if si hadn’t adjusted. I am looking at it for the umpteenth time and I now understand that I cold have done it just as well. The secret is to slow down, concentrate and b ready for what ever the reaction. At no time was si in danger of being slammed. Trust me.

[@MrSkroid101]

This is the perfect event for a Cannondale Slate!

[@zombisoldier]

Matt was so happy getting clipped in :).

[@jeffbrunton3291]

Interesting and surprising. I think it more likely shows that suspension, tyres and tyre pressure are more important than frames. I would like to see the specialized PR with head shock, using the biggest tyres possible, to see if that then matches the MTB winning time. Or better tyres on the cross bike, some Cross tubulars at very low pressure. When Zipp tested the 303s they found that 60psi was fastest but the wheels would fail, so cancellera used 70psi, still lower than others, and won PR. With say FMB or Dugast cross tyres, you can go much lower which gives more 'suspension'. I think the pros do use FMB for PR.

[@rafaelpaz3252]

I found also surprising the fact, that Matt has even troubles clipping in the first foot!

[@mckalec]

Cool experiment! You think if Matt had bikes fitted better to him (I.e stem length, etc.) his times would've been spaced farther apart? Also, you should get a cyclist like Marianne Vos to do the same tests. She's great at all three cycling disciplines, so that would help isolate which bike is fastest on cobble.

[@Fidasaind]

Si. That was a great impression of Matt's laugh!

[@TheMerckxProject]

Any consideration given to different chainring sizes? Do you think the smaller rings help keep your pedalstroke more fluid?

[@Zzyyxx22]

Most of my fastest strava times on cobbles are on a rigid '94 Lava Dome with 2.1 racing ralphs.

[@mrbluejohn9]

Though theres more than just pave in the roubaix, thus I would say best bike to race PR... cyclocross bike!

[@Scrib3d]

I think Specialized's Roubaix and Trek's Domane is the best of both worlds really. Fully adapted to a rough road course.

[@smalerider1727]

Yeah Roubaix can run 32's and the Domane can run 30's. The Roubaix runs pretty close to CX sized tires and seems like a natural winner on paper.

[@paulflory3532]

Domane SLR 6 Disc and SL 6 Disc come with 32's, so they fit in the frame.

[@tychoMX]

The future would be the past. Take a look at the many galleries with the weirdness attempted for this race - shocks and lockouts already tried! Apparently at the time the biggest dislike was the lack of steering precision. Sky was testing a "smart" rear shock on their Pinarello in place of the normal rubber damper. Who knows.

[@robferguson9387]

We are seeing the opposite with some exceptions, more and more riders are using their normal road bikes with different wheels and wider tires. Modern carbon bikes are just more compliant, last year Matt Hayman used an aero bike and won!

[@Film_Fog]

Thanks for making this video, I've been saying for years that a MTB would be fastest over the cobblestone sections.

[@ItsHuntex]

The perfect bike for this is the specialized roubaix

[@ralph1269]

I think the advantage the MTB has is the suspension/tire width that, I would guess, allows for more grip and getting more power to the ground. I imagine you lose a lot of power pedaling the cx and road while your thin tires are bouncing all over the place.

[@michaelwrigley5438]

I would say the 29 inch wheel had more to do with the mtb winning than the suspension. 29ers have more mass and a better attack angle , so once you get them rolling they will role over things much more easily. It is the same reason 29ers are faster rolling than 27.5 or 26 inch wheels. If you aren't stopping and going allot 29 inch wheels will practically keep themselves spinning, especially when things get a little bit rough.

[@conorverbruggen5133]

Would have been interestig to see how a "non-optimized" road bike got on. Like a Tarmac or Aeroad with 23mm tyres at 120psi

[@lltany]

I wish you guys had tested a full suspension XC bike. I wonder if the rear suspension would have had further efficiency gains and been even faster than the hard tail. Otherwise a really cool test!

[@chefarmstrong]

very interesting. but what psi/bar were you running for each bike?

[@TheFinancialScout]

Is it possible to make a video comparing a time trial bike vs road bike vs cyclocross vs mountain bike on a smooth surface for a 3 mile ride with Si and Matt? I would love to see concrete numbers presented on your channel ending the debate on which bike is fastest. It would also provide good data to compare and contrast your results with bikeradar.com

[@Poolside_Chat]

I would've loved to see something like a Salsa Warbird that's designed for rough gravel on the cobbles.

[@derekclaussen2268]

What was the pressure on the three bikes? Would that make any more difference being harder or softer on the CX and road?

[@AlexCheng42]

the joke of Matt trying to get clipped in never gets old

[@philipplampert6521]

you should have tried the new Specialized Roubaix :-) :-)

[@Normally_aspirated]

Actually, yeah I would be curious to see how the future shock performed

[@ChrisCapoccia]

would have been good as a gcn + gmbn co-op video. maybe neil as a guest presenter?

[@gnidaerd]

Drop bars on the MTB and reverse the levers on the drops so you can brake. Sorted!!! oh and put 28mm tyres on it and have another go, might be good for the 200 kms of road too because you could gear it up to suit as you were topped out on the Pave

[@BOys85]

That Canyon exceed is a pure beauty

[@xavcarmic0686]

Great vid. one of your best.

[@Realisy]

Contact time of rubber to cobble might played a role too. Even if you have 900hp, if you can’t put the power down. Similar to Wheel hop in drag strip only makes you slower. Mix of efficient suspension and suppleness of big tire both played a role. Nice hair cut both of you haha

[@ugoilgabbiano6882]

mtb on gcn, Si back to his healthy roots, I like it!