It has been a fairly resplendent week for Remco Evenepoel, claiming two gold medals on the street first within the Olympic Time Trial, and subsequently the Olympic Street Race.
Nonetheless the latter title very almost got here unstuck; the Belgian tremendous star suffered a puncture contained in the final 10 kilometres of the race with just a little over a minute of time to play with.
Evenepoel was within the minority throughout the peloton, in that he was nonetheless utilizing inside tubes, forgoing the change over to tubeless tyres, usually thought of to be extra dependable within the struggle in opposition to punctures.
Fortunately for Evenepoel, mechanics had been readily available with a speedy bike change. However the occasion begs the query – why is Evenepoel nonetheless utilizing inside tubes in any respect?
The Belgian rode 260km on a fiftieth anniversary particular version Specialised earlier than altering bike
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
The tyres in query are the Specialised Turbo Cotton race tyre; Remco rides for a Specialised sponsored commerce group – Soudal Fast-Step and athletes use commerce group set-ups for the Olympic street occasions. Out there solely in a 24 and 26mm widths, the tyres have been in circulation for few years now. Actually, we first reviewed them again in 2018, the place we praised the tyres for strong grip and supple trip high quality.
Nonetheless, these tyres are designed to be used with inside tubes solely – they don’t seem to be tubeless-ready. Specialised does have the Turbo 2Bliss in its vary, which is the same stage tyre, although a look throughout the peloton will inform you that Specialised sponsored riders usually appear to go for the Turbo Cotton.
Look carefully and you’ll see the tape across the inside tube, and the Turbo Cotton branding on the tyre
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Sticking with tubes is hardly a novel strategy among the many normal public, in actual fact, many tyres in the marketplace are nonetheless solely designed to be used with inside tubes, even with the rise of tubeless expertise. However, Specialised sponsored commerce groups have nonetheless been seen using the Turbo Cotton tyre as not too long ago because the Tour de France, when the overwhelming majority of the peloton has converted.
The rise of tubeless techniques within the WorldTour comes right down to primarily two issues. Firstly, tubeless tyres are normally thought of to be quicker than their tubed equivalents resulting from fewer parts within the wheel tyre system. Each time you introduce one other floor, resembling an inside tube, or completely different layers of an old style tubular tyre, you introduce extra friction. Much less contact surfaces with only a wheel rim and a tyre is due to this fact quicker.
The latter is puncture resistance. It is true that any tyre can puncture: if solely I had a pound for each time I mentioned “here is no such factor as a puncture-proof tyre” again after I was working in a motorbike store, I might have a fleet of £10,000 bikes by now.
That mentioned, tubeless techniques usually enhance your possibilities of avoiding a motorbike change by sealing smaller nicks, and even slowing a puncture down within the remaining levels of a race.
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
So why does Remco, and others sponsored by Specialised nonetheless trip inside tubes? Effectively, again within the Tour Down Below, Soudal Fast-Step mechanic Guido Scheeren advised Biking Weekly: “It is nonetheless required from Specialised,” including, “I do not need to say we had bother, however they went backwards. We nonetheless have a quick tyre, the [Turbo] Cotton, the riders like them. Additionally Specialised nonetheless produces them and promote them, so it is also a motive that we’re racing on them.”
Since then, Kevin Grove, Mechanic at Bora-Hansgrohe advised Biking Weekly that of the tyres obtainable to the group, the Turbo Cotton with latex inside tubes is “the quickest we have now.”
Biking Weekly did attain out to Specialised in regards to the matter, the US model advised us: “Riders have the flexibility to decide on the tools they like that they really feel is quickest on the day and fits the course.”
A mixture, then, of velocity, rider choice, and a easy matter of the alternatives obtainable appear to be the explanation behind the tyre choice for Specialised riders – and we will solely assume the identical reasoning extends for the double Olympic Champion.
Whether or not or not Specialised will proceed to help the Turbo Cotton over more and more commonplace tubeless choices stays to be seen, however till then, it is as much as the group mechanics to maintain checking these tyres for nicks and particles.
