Lidl-Trek will be using an inflatable Odyssey Optis tyre liner system at Paris-Roubaix to boost protection and to enable the team's riders to keep riding a little bit further in the event of a puncture.
Paris-Roubaix always causes flats and even destroys wheels entirely. We have seen teams use foam tyre inserts and even tubular glue to help provide extra insurance to the tubeless setups that are now used, to ensure the tyres stay on the rim in the event of an untimely puncture.
Lidl-Trek, however, has found another neat solution in this quest.
While visiting teams and scoping out bikes and tech in the run-up to the race, we spotted some unusual-looking double-headed valves on Mads Pederson's spare bike that had us stumped until we saw the 'Odyssey' brand name on one side.
Odyssey, a brand that's perhaps more well-known in the BMX world, is behind the Optis system, which it offers in 27.5 / 29 and 700c road sizes. The 700c long-valve Optis tubes retail at $89.99 each, making it a fairly expensive upgrade.
Optis stand for Odyssey Pneumatic tyre insert system. It's a tuneable nylon reinforced TPU insert, which resists expanding when inflated, meaning it can be inflated to a higher pressure than the tyre it sits inside, while allowing that tyre to still be inflated to its own optimal (read: lower) pressure.
It is said to help prevent tyre burping and to protect against impacts and pinch flats, as well as acting as a bead lock whilst giving the rider more of a chance of riding on a punctured tyre, which sounds like a perfect fit for a lot of the challenges that the Roubaix cobblestones create.
Whilst we haven't seen a WorldTour road squad use this tech before, we saw a hacked equivalent being used by gravel star Keegan Swenson last year at Unbound Gravel, but rather than this solution, he simply used a flat inner tube inside a tubeless tyre to allow fast reinflation in the event of a catastrophic puncture, and he drilled a second hole in his rims to accommodate it.
Riders suffering mechanical issues - punctures in particular - at Roubaix may often have a longer wait for assistance, depending on where they are, due to the narrow and often spread out nature of the race, particularly in its later stages. A system that gives a rider an increased chance of riding on a flat for a little longer must be helpful, and may help prevent catastrophic rim damage, something that we saw at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The team explained that the liners will be inflated to 6 bar or 87 PSI, the 32mm Pirelli P Zero Race TLR RS tubeless tyres will, in turn, be inflated to a lot less than this, and we assume will still have tubeless sealant added for good measure. An added benefit of the liner itself, aside from it being lighter than a foam insert, is that if punctured, it will also release its air into the tubeless tyre itself, acting as a fast release of air similar to a Co2 or charger, which would give a welcome boost of air while the sealant plugs the hole.
The team were happy to chat and explained that the team had been testing the system all winter, on recons and was happy with it, describing it as a 'double bubble' or best of both worlds system. They believe Lidl-Trek are the only team using the system currently, but didn't know for sure.
Lidl-Trek have been using new and as yet unreleased Bontrager wheels this year, and we got a good look at them during Opening Weekend. For Paris-Roubaix, the team will use Bontrager's stronger gravel wheelset on the Roubaix stones. The team will also use the gravel-specific SRAM Red XPLR 1x groupset, which has been adopted by nearly every SRAM-sponsored team for the classics this year.
