Geraint Thomas talks Paris-Roubaix bike setup with Team Sky mechanic + video

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas reveals some of the bike setup secrets that Team Sky made to their Pinarello Dogma K bikes ahead of last weekend's Paris-Roubaix in this video just uploaded to his personal Youtube page. 

The team ride Pinarello's Dogma K, the bike designed for the rougher roads with a longer wheelbase and increased tyre clearance compared to the regular Dogma. The team have also fitted Shimano Di2 satellite shifters to the centre of the bars, so they can more easily change gear when riding in the tops, the favoured position for tackling the cobbled roads.

Gearing gets changed for the race, switching to a 46t inner chainring. Because there is virtually no climbing on the course they don't need a 39t, so the larger inner chainring gives a better option to the larger 53t chainring when the going gets tough. They use an 11-25 cassette.

The team run 27mm FMB Paris-Roubaix tubular tyres. As with most teams, tyre pressure is a closely guarded secret, but team mechanic Gary Blem does let on that it is less than 5 bar. That's about 72psi. The tyre pressure will vary from rider to rider though depending on preference. Choosing tyre pressure is one of the biggest concerns for the race. Although the cobbles demand a softer tyre, there is far more smooth road in the race where a softer tyre could be a compromise.