Writing about tech at the classics fifteen years ago must have been an absolute doddle. Classics-specific Dugast tyres abounded, and bikes were replete with all manner of cobbled mods. Box section rims in place of carbon, round bars and alloy stems, and the ever-looming threat of a brand bringing out yet another road bike with a modicum of suspension.
Now, it’s harder to find any standout tech strategies. Disc brakes and ever-widening tyre clearances have left modern bikes so alarmingly capable over rough ground that teams no longer really mod their setups at all for the classics. Sure, the odd rider here and there insists on using something wacky, but generally speaking, riders use their standard setup for the Classics.
