The best pro bikes of Paris-Roubaix - with all of the best hacks

With Dylan Van Baarle crowned men's Paris-Roubaix champion for 2022, we've taken a look at the best of the bike tech from what is always an interesting race. Our own Liam Cahill was at the start in the morning snapping a few of the bikes belonging to riders expected to fight for that coveted cobble and nameplate in the showers.

Here are Liam’s pics of the bikes being ridden by Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, along with loads more interesting tech changes. For the full set of photos, check out the full gallery above, including the bikes of 2017 winner Greg van Avermaet of AG2R-Citroen, plus debutant Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers.

Van der Poel

This is only the second time that Mathieu van der Poel has ridden Paris-Roubaix – the Alpecin-Fenix rider was third last year, when Sonny Colbrelli of Bahrain Victorious took an emotional triumph on a rain-soaked and mud-splattered day in Northern France.

For years now, riders in Paris-Roubaix have carried an aide-memoire on their top tube or stem so they know exactly when the key seconds of pavé are coming up – here, the Alpecin-Fenix rider has highlighted the most difficult ones, which so often prove crucial to the result.

His nutrition plan for what many consider the toughest one-day race on the calendar is also outlined so he knows when to refuel. What’s the emoji after the exit from the Arenberg?

We’re wondering whether, on a day when due to the narrow roads making it near-impossible for team cars to get through, meaning they rope in as many staff and friends as possible to stand at the roadside holding up spare wheels or bidons, it’s where dad Adri – himself winner of two Monuments, the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège and third at Paris-Roubaix in 1986 – may be waiting to hand over a bottle?

Stock 54/40T chainrings for MvdP. It's also the latest Dura-Ace with the new power meter. That's not a choice that all of his competitors made. 

30mm tyres were the order of the day and Van der Poel goes for the tubeless Vittoria Corsa Contol on his Shimano wheels. He's long been a fan of tubular, so what has changed his mind?

Wout Van Aert

Van Aert's Cervelo was set up with some surprising component choices.

Given the pounding the hands take from the pavé,  many riders choose extra padding on the bars with two or even three layers of tape, as can clearly be seen on van Aert’s Cervélo here.  

That 30mm Vittoria/Dugast tubular tyre was developed specifically to withstand the rigours of Paris-Roubaix and many teams choose to switch out their normal supplier for this one huge day of the year.

In the end, the tyres were a let down as Van Aert suffered a puncture. Then again, it's a lottery in this race.

In the past, Ambrosio rims were also favoured, though here van Aert has stuck to a pair of deep-section Dura-Ace wheels. We're just mentioning them for old time's sake.

Jumbo Visma have plenty of the latest Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 12-speed groupsets. But they switched back to their old 11-speed stuff for Roubaix. The reason? Some riders feel that they are having more mechanicals with the latest kit. But then they were probably switching back to their 10-speed groupsets when 11-speed came out.

And our other highlights...

Terrible Sharpie application. Must try harder next time.

The neatest application of sandpaper we saw.

These levers and allen keys were a common sight if you glanced at a seatpost.

Greg Van Avermaet chose this design from the kitchen worktop catalogue. 

Nils Politt used his Tarmac SL7 rather than the Roubaix. The Roval bar is fully wrapped and note the sprinter shifters glued on.

These wheels and tyres have been kicking around all classics season. We know that it's going to be some sort of new tubeless setup, we just wish Roval and Specialized would hurry up and let us get our hands on it.

Extensive tape wrapping was a common sight.

A much better job with the sharpie, but we know it's a Vittoria Corsa Control TLR.

Note the '23' on this Michelin Power tubular.

It really isn't. Looked more like a 30mm tyre.

If you're not covering up tyre logos, you're writing initials on them.

And finally, with so many bike changes potentially set to take place, teams will often roll out last year's bikes as spares. Here is an 'old' but still very lovely Pinarello Dogma F12.