# Crashed my new Roubaix within 24 hours - need advice



## Pokey (Apr 15, 2006)

So I picked up my 09 Roubaix on Friday night. Spent a good part of Saturday cleaning it up for pics. 

Saturday afternoon, I took it out and was very impressed at how well it cornered with the OEM All-condition Pro II tires (Stated size is 23c, but my calipers say 25.48). ZIt did not come with the roubaix tires. I mean it RAILED corners! We have a nice round-about in the neighborhood so I kept going around faster and faster and it just stuck. Sweet!

Hmmm... Maybe I'll try those Michelin Pro Race 3's that I could not resist at the LBS. I had heard so much about those tires and how well they cornered I could not wait to try them. So I went home a put those on.

Well, call me a dumb-a$$, but with all they hype I have heard, I thought they would corner better than the Specialized OEM tires. I could not have been more wrong. I went around the round-about a few times to get a feel for them and then the first time I pushed it - even a little, the front tire washed out and slammed me to the concrete HARD in about 0.025 milliseconds. Luckily, I was only going about 15 MPH, but I am now covered in road-rash on the left-hand side of my body. I'll heal, but I scratched the heck out of my fancy D/A 7900 shifters  . They were tweaked to the sides and the front and rear wheels were locked and would not move. 

I said my profanities, picked up myself and my bike and brushed off my briused ego. I figured the rims were toast sonce the wheels would not move so I opened the brake calipers with the little levem and hobbled home on the bike. I felt like balling, but I was so happy that this happened at a relatively low-speed and so close to home and not on some steep twisty descent where I could possible have skidded into oncoming traffic!!!

When I got home, I repositioned the levers on the bars and they seemed to still be in good working order - just a little scratched up. I spun the Roval 332x wheels and to my surprise, they are both still true. The force of the crash must have tweaked the wheels for a split second, in turn tweaking the positioning of the brake calipers. I moved the calipers back into position and closed the little levers on them. No problems there. Aside from the scratched shifters, a scratched rear wheel skewer and a scuffed saddle the bike came out relatively unscatherd.

So now I need your help to analyze the situation so I can learn something.

1. What causes the front wheel to wash out before the back? I can recover from the back wheel washing out first, but once the front goes, it's quick and you're screwed. Should I put more weight on the front or less weight on the front to prevent wash-out? I was down in the drops when it happened and had already tilted the stem down instead of up where it was from the factory. In mountain biking, we weight the front tire for better grip up front. Not sure if that holds true for road biking. Where can I leard about bike handling at the limit? Maybe I should wear my mtn bike body armor next time I try cornering tests 

2. What's up with the hype around the pro Race 3 tire? My speed through the corner when I crashed was NOWHERE near what it was on the OEM tires with nowhere near the level of grip of the OEM tires. What's up with that? Is there some mold-release agent on the pro race 3's? That must be used before you get to the grip? It does it just "grip well for a _race _tire" meaning it jut rolls easy and doesn't really grip worth a crap?

3. I put the EOM tires back on and it feels great again. I may go with the Sworks Mondo clincher that I have on the old roubaix - those things feel a bit uneasy in the corners, but they actually produce some serious g-forces and really hook up when railing corners.

4. Does shimao sell any shifter parts? THe cerbon level is scratched and the chrome plastic by the hood is all scratched up.

Thanks and I hope no one does what I did. Road rash and scratched shifters hurts :cryin: 

You know I was back out on that bike once I switched the tires back to OEM, washed my wounds, and took some bike glam shots which I'll post later - much to the dismay and disbelief of my wife. I am taking pics of my bike while my wounds bleed - hey, they gotta flush out the germs, right?

Road rash and unsettled nerves won't keep me down


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## loudog (Jul 22, 2008)

dont worry about the scratches. just ride and dont worry about how it looks as long as it functions well. in my experience specialized makes a good product. i hate that they cover everything with their logo - but if the tires grip and ride well then keep them.


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## porterhouse (Jan 27, 2009)

The Pro Race 3s seem to corner pretty well IMO but I am always really careful to put some miles on any slick road bike tires before pushing them in the corners. Over the years I have seen too many sportbikes (motorcycles) dropped after tire changes and have always been very cautious with new slicks on the road bike.

It's Memorial weekend, at least you can drink all weekend to kill the pain and no one will hold it against you...


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## Bluechip (Feb 19, 2004)

Some tires (Michelin is one of them) come new with a coating that needs to be worn away before serious cornerning should be done. I am not sure if it's there to make the tire come out of the mold easier or some sort of coating to keep the tires like new during shipping and storage. But what ever it is it is slippery and needs to be ridden carefully the first few miles. Sorry you had to learn this the hard way. Hope you heal quickly.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

+1...I've found the wax/preservative Michelin uses to be very slick until it wears off...


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## darkest_fugue (Mar 14, 2009)

i'm happy with the all condition pros on my roubaix, when they wear out i'll buy them again


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## tonytourist (Jan 21, 2009)

That sucks about your accident, at least it wasn't at a higher speed! I like my Specialized Armadillos, they seem to be a good tire. I wasn't a big fan of the Mondos that came on my bike, Specialized tires do have a slick coating on them as well, so I made sure to take it easy for the first few miles too. I just crashed on my Stump Jumper last week and my left side too the beating too :mad2:


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

> 4. Does shimao sell any shifter parts? THe cerbon level is scratched and the chrome plastic by the hood is all scratched up.


Sorry to hear about your crash. I don't think 7900 parts are readily available yet. You may be able to special order from Shimano, though it may not be cost effective. Those chrome plastic bits are called "name plates", and can be bought for $20-25 each for DA 7800 but I couldn't find any on-line for DA 7900. The levers would be even more expensive I would think.


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## El Caballito (Oct 31, 2004)

it's now... officially your bike!


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## The Squeaky Wheel (Jul 5, 2008)

Seriously consider Schwalbe Ultremo R tires. Light, super grippy, faster rolling and much better puncture protection than the stock Roubaix tires IMO


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