Love Valley Roubaix 2015: Bike & Clothing Setups of the Gravel Cyclist Crew

This is the second of our series of articles, in which we detail bike setups for the various races the Gravel Cyclist crew will attend in 2015 and beyond. Article #1 related to the 2015 Southern Cross race.

Weather during Love Valley Roubaix 2015 was a mix of cold early on, but with clear skies and abundant sunshine. Temperatures ranged from a low of 27F, to a high of mid 50’s F.

JOM (finished 13th in 40+)

Bike Setup:

• Standard carbon frame cyclocross bike.
• Chainrings – 50 / 34.
• Cassette – Shimano / Miche / Cycle Dynamics modified 12-29, with 2 cog jumps at the low end.
• Brakes – Avid Shorty Ultimates, stock pads. Excellent braking power!
• Tires (tyres) – Hutchinson Sector 28mm road tubeless, inflated to 75psi front, 80psi rear.

Clothing:

• Standard Gravel Cyclist team kit jersey and bib shorts.
• Knee and arm warmers.
• Standard long sleeve base layer.
• Early winter weight short sleeve base layer worn atop the long sleeve layer.
• Early winter weight gloves.
• Skull cap.
• Shoe covers.
• Clear lens glasses.

Issues:

• No tyre punctures, bike was flawless. However, post race, the rear tubeless tyre deflated and the seal broke. Upon inspection, a .5cm sidewall cut was found, but the latex sealant did its job perfectly. The tyre was patched internally for future use, but because of the size of the cut / lack of stiffness in the patch, a lump formed externally when the tyre was inflated. Consequently, the tyre’s tubeless life is over, but can probably be used with a tube.
• Not a good climber!

JOM’s race report is HERE.

K-Dogg (finished 10th in 50+)

Bike Setup:

• Standard carbon frame road bike.
• Chainrings – 50 / 34.
• Cassette – Shimano Ultegra 12-28 10 speed.
• Brakes – Shimano Dura-Ace 7900.
• Tires (tyres) – Continental GatorSkin 25mm, wire bead, inflated to approximately 90psi front and rear. Standard rubber butyl tubes inside.

Clothing:

• Standard Gravel Cyclist team kit jersey and bib shorts.
• Knee and arm warmers.
• Baa Baa wool short sleeve undershirt.
• Lightweight wind jacket.
• Lightweight vest beneath jacket.
• Midweight gloves.
• Toe shoe covers.
• Cycling cap (K-Dogg left the skull cap at home).
• Clear lens glasses.

Issues:

• Two front wheel punctures, likely the result of pinch flats.
  
• Comment by JOM… not a good descender 🙂

K-Dogg’s race report is HERE.