I've been hunting for information on this and found a little in the archives, but I'd like to pose a question to the list.
It seems that modern riders have tried all sort of things to combat the Pave of the P-R, from suspension forks, to special geometry, to steel forks on carbon frames.
My question is, when did this all start- the idea of using a "special" bike for this race? I know the SSC was developed for the Paris Roubaix and I would assume that Clement and other tires that bear the same name were made with the rough course in mind. But what about frames? Can anyone clue me into specific, on topic examples where riders have had special frames and builds developed for the P-R and how far back does this go?
Sorry if this seems a bit naive, but was chatting about some friends about this and I was hard pressed to find specific examples other than the ones mentioned above.
Thanks.
Sean Flores
San Francisco, CA