Governing body backs down on lever width rules but doubles down on new helmet rules
The UCI has confirmed its controversial new limits on handlebar and brake lever width, finalising regulations that will take effect from 1 January 2026 for road and cyclo-cross, and from 2027 on the track.
For road and cyclo-cross mass-start events, the now adopted rules state that handlebars must measure at least 400 mm outside-to-outside. Bars can flare by no more than 65 mm per side, and brake hoods must be at least 280 mm apart.
This 280 mm lever width represents somewhat of a reversal from the UCI, which had previously announced its intent to adopt a 320 mm spacing. That plan was met with widespread resistance from within the sport. It was practically untenable once a damning audit by the AIGCP (the international association of pro cycling teams), seen by Escape Collective, found that 84% of some 509 women’s and men’s WorldTour bikes are currently non-compliant under the then proposed regulations and CPA president Adam Hansen had admitted a mistake in his understanding of the measurement. We also couldn’t find a single compliant bike at this year’s Tour de France.
The new 280 mm width should now see many of those bikes pass without adapting the rider’s position, but it will still disproportionately penalise smaller riders, forcing them onto wider setups. A rider height category-based approach, similar to that used in time trials, may have proved fairer, but the UCI has not chosen to take such a path.
All that said, the UCI has now left itself room to adjust that measurement, requesting its technical commission to re-evaluate the 280 mm number with industry and team input during 2026 “with a view to potentially increasing it for future seasons.”
For track, the bar limits are less restrictive with a 350 mm minimum width, 80 mm maximum flare, and a 65 mm maximum cross-section, applicable from 2027.
The decision caps months of tension since the rule was first floated in June. Narrow-bar positions have become widespread in the peloton, first among riders seeking aerodynamic gains. However, as more options became available, these narrower bars are now a critical component of a better bike fit for smaller riders.
The UCI believes that enforcing a minimum width creates a safety buffer by imposing a certain level of aerodynamic drag, slowing speeds fractionally while also curbing extreme positions that can compromise bike control. Critics counter that there is no data to support these assumptions, and the rule changes are a blunt instrument that risks outlawing common equipment without addressing the real causes of high-speed crashes.
Bye-bye some aero helmets?
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