Taco van der Hoorn’s Cube Litening Aero C:68X must be the most custom bike of the 2025 men's Paris-Roubaix.
The Cube Litening Aero C:68X is the aero bike used by the Intermarché–Wanty WorldTour team.
However, the mechanics have been tinkering with van der Hoorn's race bike, which we were able to take a good look at before the race got underway in Compiègne.
A Shimano GRX Di2 RX825 rear derailleur has been paired with a Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 drivetrain. This mix is unique in the pro peloton at this year's Paris-Roubaix. The team mechanic said the gravel-specific rear derailleur “totally eliminates ghost shifting”, whereby the chain can shift a sprocket without being called to do so. Felix Smith / Our MediaIn other words, the GRX derailleur is said to do a better job at keeping the chain on the selected gear. This can be a common problem when the bike is being smashed around over the cobbles. This bike has also got one of the widest tyres of any bike at this year's race, stretching tyre clearance to the limit. The bike's tyre clearance is rated to 31mm (assuming 4mm space left between the tyre and frame), so the 35mm tyre leaves precious little left under the fork crown. The bike has a pair of prototype Hutchinson Racing Lab tyres in a size 35mm. The prototype tyre seems to has a subtle tread pattern, perhaps designed to better bite down into the cobbles. The chainring is also one of the biggest in the peloton at a whopping 58 teeth – a reminder of how flat the course is and how powerful van der Hoorn is too. The one piece aero cockpit has been fully wrapped for more comfort... ...but the position of the shifters looks anything but comfortable. They've been fastened very low down in order to maximise Taco's aero position. One piece aero cockpits can provide a practical place for pace notes, and van der Hoorn's look detailed. Newmen Streem A.49/A.54 wheels feature bladed carbon spokes – apparently, there are no concerns about tackling Paris-Roubaix's cobbles with these. The Cube Litening Aero C:68X has a very distinctive silhouette, and van der Hoorn's is surely the most striking of them all.
Felix is BikeRadar's road video lead, working predominantly on our YouTube channel. Felix spent much of his youth riding mountain bikes and documenting it through photography and video. After completing a degree in natural history Photography, he picked up a contract to produce video content for the UK’s enduro mountain biking series, alongside a role as a production engineer for ICE Trikes.
In 2017, prior to joining BikeRadar, Felix quit his job to go bikepacking from one end of Japan to the other. After returning a year later with a few tales to tell, he began working at BikeRadar with more cycling adventures in mind.
He has since been swept up in the self-supported, ultra-endurance cycling world, taking part in the TransAtlantic Way race in 2019. As a result, Felix loves to find the limits of endurance bikes and bikepacking gear for BikeRadar, while he also lets his competitive side loose during gravel races and hill climbs.
Felix is an experienced videographer, but the keen-eyed might spot him taking a presenting role in our long-standing BikeRadar Diaries series. Away from work, Felix can be found zenning out with his collection of exotic houseplants, as well as getting lost on his bike.
