Maxime Vantomme can slam that stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At least 150mm by our measurement on this negative-rise stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A magnet was taped onto a Team Sky backup bike for ostensible use with a Shimano meter, but the full team is racing on Stages meters - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team Sky has meters provided by Shimano and Stages, but the team is all racing on Stages meters - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At Scheldeprijs, riders used a mix of bikes, from aero to endurance. Ian Stannard has a Dogma K-10 with suspension - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The electronic controller for the suspension resides inside the down tube - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
It isn't Paris-Roubiax quite yet... but it's coming - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Pinarello's MOST stem has teardrop spacers to match - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Elite cages are good, but Elite cages with griptape are better - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
1x for professional racing? Aqua Blue Sport is making the case - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Most riders had an 11-36 cassette for the pan-flat Scheldeprijs paired with a 54t ring - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
3T also makes its own cassette, which goes way down to a 9t cog - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Changing chainrings means swapping out the chain and often the cassette, too - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Wanty-Group Gobert's Timothy Dupont races a 52cm bike with a 130mm stem - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Wanty is also racing with Stages this year - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
CCC has Superleggera stems with hard angles on the top - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The hard angles of CCC's frames match the stems, at least on the down tube - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
32cm-wide handlebars for Jan-Willem van Schip - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
United Health Care raced on 60mm Dura-Ace wheels, which wasn't surprising, but also on 28mm Maxxis tubulars, which was - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The riders like the speed in corners and the grip in the wet of the unannounced 28mm tubulars, said UHC mechanic David Sagat - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A closer look at the 28mm Maxxis tubular - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Did you know Shimano makes bikes? - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Shimano does not make bikes. But the Japanese company does provide neutral support for some pro races, with its mechanical and Di2 groups labeled on the neutral bikes - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Specialized Power is a popular saddle, in and outside of Specialized-sponsored teams - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Power saddle is so popular that several companies have released similar models - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
WIllems riders get their own bottles - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
No need to label bottles for each rider when their faces are on there - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
EF Drapac is racing Cannondale's unannounced aero disc bike - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A few EF-Drapac riders had Vision integrated bars - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Other EF-Drapac riders use separate stems and bars to dial in their fit - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Is the aero benefit of an aero bar negated by mounting a Garmin on the stem? Potentially - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Cannondale has clearly put its aero disc bike out there, but is still refusing to talk about it - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Team Sunweb is riding nearly exclusively Giant products - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sometimes simple is best - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sunweb has a mix of Shimano and Pioneer meters - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Giant supplies Sunweb with frames, saddles, stems, bars, wheels and more. But the computer is not Giant - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
One Giant Propel — in rim-brake dressing — snuck into Scheldeprijs - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Quick-Step had four of its seven riders on disc brakes - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Configurable sprint shifters are one of the perks of Shimano Di2 - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Quick Step riders are using Specialized's 4iiii-made power meter - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Adam Blythe has become known for his custom Nike branded cycling shoes - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Ian Stannard's Pinarello was equipped with handmade, 27mm FMB Paris-Roubaix tubular tyres - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Stannard also runs satellite shifters on his handlebar drops - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Aqua Blue Sport uses Catlike helmets - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Mixed braking systems in the peloton had raised some concerns from riders in regard to safety - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Another look at Ian Stannard's Pinarello Dogma K10 suspension system - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Jakobsen was one of several riders to wear overshoes for the wet race - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Quick-Step Floors has been using Bang and Olufsen headphones in conjunction with its radio system this season - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Fabio Jakobsen won the race on a rim brake S-Works Tarmac SL6 - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Stybar's Roubaix features the 'Future Shock' handlebar suspension system from Specialized - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Shimano's neutral service staff was also prepared for the disc brake equipped bikes in the race - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
The MOST Talon is Team Sky's integrated cockpit system option from the Italian brand - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Cofidis uses Michelin Power tubular tyres - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
EF-Drapac had a mix of rim and disc brake bikes, meaning both options were needed as spares on the team car - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
The entire LottoNL-Jumbo team raced on identically specced Bianchi Oltre XR4 - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Some riders use the Specialized Power saddle and mask the Specialized 'S' to keep sponsors happy - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Edvald Boasson Hagen raced on a Cervelo R3, as he did last weekend at the Tour of Flanders - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Interestingly, Boasson Hagen's bike is still running Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 series components, despite R9100 series components being available for nearly two years - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
French Pro Continental outfit Vital Concept Cycling Club used the aerodynamic Orbea Orca Aero frameset for the race - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Lotto Soudal riders mixed it up at the race with some of the team on Ridley Noah SL and others on Helium SLX framesets - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Zdenek Stybar had additional brake levers on the tops of his handlebars, branded as Specialized - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Quick-Step Floors raced on a mix of rim brake and disc brake equipped Tarmac, Venge and Roubaix framesets - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
The Specialized Roubaix Stybar was equipped with direct mount brakes, a model not yet available to consumers - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Stybar's bike was also equipped with Tacx Tao bottle cages, a more secure cage for the brutal cobbles of Paris-Roubaix - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Handlebars just 32cm wide, negative stems at least 150mm long, single-ring bikes and Power or power-look-alike saddles were among the tech highlights of the 2018 Scheldeprijs — the windswept, midweek sprinters' classic that falls between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Put on by the organizers of the Tour of Flanders, the Wednesday race has historically showcased a bizarre blend of bike gear as some teams go all aero for the sprint win, while others use the event for last-minute race testing of cobbles gear ahead of Paris-Roubaix.
It isn't Paris-Roubiax quite, yet... but it's coming - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
This year, the race began in Holland, and featured an extra helping of crosswinds across the ocean-facing dykes, but only one cobbled section on the finishing circuits near Schoten, Belgium.
BikeRadar visited each team at the start to see who was riding what. You'll have to click through the gallery for the full picture, but let us give you a few highlights here.
Team Sky was on Stages power meters. The British super squad was provided meters by both Shimano and Stages at the beginning of the season, but all the riders at Scheldeprijs were on Stages LR meters.
Aqua Blue Sport rolled up to the start as the one squad on 1x drivetrains. Most riders used a 54t big ring with an 11-36 cassette, but some had a 44t ring and 3T's cassette that features a 9t small cog.
Mixed braking systems in the peloton had raised some concerns from riders in regard to safety - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
EF Education First-Drapac riders raced on Cannondale's unannounced aero disc bikes, rumoured to be called the SystemSix. The SystemSix features internal cable routing through the head tube, a disc brake-only design and all the expected features of an aero road frame, including truncated tubing and lowered seatstays.
At last weekend's Tour of Flanders, notably not a single rider competed in the race with disc brakes, to our knowledge. For Scheldeprijs, alongside Aqua Blue Sport who raced aboard its disc-only 3T Strada and EF-Drapac's new Cannondales, Quick-Step Floors had a mix of disc-equipped Specialized Tarmac and Venge framesets.
Zdenek Stybar had additional brake levers on the tops of his handlebars, branded as Specialized - Josh Evans/Immediate Media
Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors) and Ian Stannard (Team Sky) were among several riders to race on what appeared to be their final, or close-to, Paris-Roubaix specced bikes.
Adaptations included additional brake levers on the handlebar tops, electronic rear suspension and a rim brake S-Works Roubaix, which is not available as a consumer model.
At Scheldeprijs, riders used a mix of bikes, from aero to endurance. Ian Stannard has a Dogma K-10 with suspension - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
