{"id":406120,"date":"2026-02-03T19:25:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/406120\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T19:25:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:25:18","slug":"2026-team-bikes-ranked-from-the-cheapest-to-pogacars-15k-superbike-we-attempt-to-rate-every-bike-on-the-worldtour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/406120\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 team bikes ranked \u2014 from the ‘cheapest’ to Pogacar’s \u00a315k superbike, we attempt to rate every bike on the WorldTour"},"content":{"rendered":"

January is finally behind us, which I think is easily the worst month… so as a treat, I think we should take another look at all the fresh\u00a0WorldTour pro bikes for 2026. We’ve already given you the facts and figures on the men’s WorldTour bikes here<\/a> (a women’s round-up will follow soon), but how about ranking them purely based on the opinion of road.cc’s video editor? It’s the cycling tech video and feature\u00a0that no one was asking for, but hopefully you’ll all find it entertaining anyway.<\/p>\n

Like my recent ranking of some of the top road tyres <\/a>around at the moment, we’re using the YouTube-friendly Japanese ranking system here: that means the top ranking is called\u00a0the ‘S’ tier, followed by A, B, C, and so on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The quoted prices are mostly based off RRPs, for the team replica\u00a0if it’s possible to buy one, or a similar top-of-the-range version. The price of our first bike is a calculated figure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Without further ado, let’s rank\u00a0some bikes…\u00a0<\/p>\n

XDS Astana: XDS X-LAB AD9 (\u00a36,300)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 XDS Astana Team riding shot (credit: XDS Astana Team Facebook)<\/p>\n

I’ll be honest, no complete build of the XDS X-LAB AD9 exists in the UK, but I have done my best to calculate the price of Astana\u2019s build. If my sums are correct,\u00a0we have a relatively affordable WorldTour race bike in 2026 here.<\/p>\n

I actually also quite like the way this bike looks. The paint is interesting and everything here is stuff that I\u2019d happily have on my own bike. Like Continental GP5000 tyres, Vision wheels and Dura-Ace. This is all really solid stuff.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been trying for a while now to get the AD9 in for review, so as soon as we do you can bet I\u2019ll be making a video.\u00a0It seems like bloody good value to me, especially when you think that you can get two and a bit of these bikes for the price of this year\u2019s most expensive WorldTour bike.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think this bike is S tier, because we don\u2019t know how it rides, but it\u2019s certainly going in A.<\/p>\n

Team Picnic\u2013PostNL: Lapierre Xelius DRS (\u00a37,099)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Team Picnic PostNL La Pierre team bike (credit: Marijn Sourbron)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the second year on Lapierre for the men and women of Picnic PostNL, and the riders have a choice of one bike since the Xelius gained a load of the old Aircode\u2019s aero features.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oscar Onley\u2019s 2025 Tour de France bike was actually a special extra light version featuring\u00a0a revised carbon layup, and he had early access to Ursus\u2019 carbon spoke\u00a0wheels.\u00a0But I\u2019ll be honest, the way the seat stays ignore the seat tube before joining the top tube, along with the grey and white colours, just doesn\u2019t do it for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Added to that, the bike that you can buy doesn\u2019t come with the cool team wheels, so this one is going into C for me.<\/p>\n

Alpecin-Premier Tech \/ Fenix-Premier Tech, Movistar and Canyon SRAM Zondacrypto: Canyon Aeroad CFR (\u00a38,349)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Alpecin-Premier Tech Canyon Aeroad (credit: Alpecin-Premier Tech)<\/p>\n

Next we have the Canyon Aeroad\u00a0of Alpecin, Movistar and Canyon, and there is\u00a0something of a divide. The Alpecin bikes of Van der Poel and Pieterse use Dura-Ace and Shimano wheels, while Movistar and Canyon SRAM use Red AXS and Zipp wheels.<\/p>\n

I have to say that I find the Canyon SRAM bikes most interesting, because the riders do some pretty cool things with their gearing setups. Also, the paint jobs on these things are just fantastic and have been for years.<\/p>\n

\"CanyonCanyon SRAM Canyon Aeroad CFR 2026 (credit: Canyon SRAM)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s give some ratings, then. The standard Alpecin team design is a little dull, but the Aeroad is a brilliant bike and third-cheapest on this list, so I\u2019m putting it in B. Movistar\u2019s design is just a bit too dark for my taste, so I\u2019ll go for C, but the Canyon SRAM bike is lovely. That\u2019s going in A.<\/p>\n

Team Jayco AlUla \/ Liv AlUla Jayco: Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 (\u00a39,249)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Team Jayco AlUla Giant Propel Advanced SL (credit: GreenEdge Cycling)<\/p>\n

The Giant Propels and Liv EnviLiv bikes of the Greenedge setup were my favourite bikes of last year, and they\u2019re bloody nice again. Not only is the MAAP kit my favourite in the WorldTour, but the Propel is, I think, a perfect road racing bike.<\/p>\n

It is super fast,\u00a0comfy for long days,\u00a0handles really well and it’s\u00a0light too. Add in a great paint job, Dura-Ace and those super cool Cadex wheels, and you\u2019ve got a brilliant package. Oh and Giant\u2019s pricing is far better than a lot of the rivals too.<\/p>\n

I think you can see where this is going. We\u2019re going top row. S tier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Decathlon CMA CGM: Van Rysel RCR-F (\u00a310,000)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Van Rysel RCR-F \u00a9P.Ballet-A.Broadway (credit: P.Ballet\/A.Broadway)<\/p>\n

We\u2019re stepping over the ten grand mark and entering silly money territory.<\/p>\n

The Decathlon team have changed their name a bit, but the bikes are the same and this is their aero one, the RCR-F from Van Rysel. I\u2019ve actually ridden both this and the lighter RCR, and honestly, I prefer the ride on the standard RCR. The RCR-F is just a bit too stiff at the front for me, but this is a race bike, and I love that Van Rysel have designed a proper aero machine.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a change to Sram, but the wheels are still from SwissSide. Tyres are the GP5000, but you get the Aero 111 on the front, which I understand for the team, but for choppers like me buying the bike? The 26mm size is probably a bit too focussed.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the paint is nicely done, though I don\u2019t love the green and blue mix. I\u2019m going C.<\/p>\n

Lidl-Trek: Trek Madone SLR 9 (\u00a310,500)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Lidl-Trek Trek Madone \u00a9 Ross Bell (credit: Ross Bell www.rossbellphoto.com)<\/p>\n

When I go to the Classics, the first bikes I look for are Pedersen\u2019s and Norsgaard\u2019s. These two get very creative with their Madone SLRs, and I love to see that these riders pay a lot of attention to their setups.<\/p>\n

Trek has done a lovely job with the team colours this year, but I have a bone to pick with the Madone. This should be the Emonda, because I want a properly aero Madone. Now, Trek said that the new design is just as fast as the old aero bike, but if you get into the details, that\u2019s mostly down to the aero bottles and cages.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019d quite like to have an aero bike with the aero bottles, because as we know with aero, weight doesn\u2019t really matter that much. I still like the look of this and the team setups are really interesting, so I\u2019m going B.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lotto\u2013Intermarch\u00e9: Orbea Orca Aero (\u00a310,999)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Lotto Intermarche Orbea Orca Aero riding driveside (credit: Lotto Intermarche)<\/p>\n

Next up we have the Orbea Orca Aero of the Lotto team who have merged with Imtermarche. Sadly that means that there\u2019s no more Cube in the WorldTour, but the Orca is a lovely bike, and I think Orbea\u2019s designers have done a lovely job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That metallic red fades nicely into the black, and the team has a big choice of wheels from Oquo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The team uses my favourite tyres – Vittoria’s Corsa Pro – and there\u2019s nothing I\u2019d change here. It\u2019s an A.<\/p>\n

Uno-X Mobility: Ridley Noah Fast (\u00a311,299)<\/p>\n

\"RidleyRidley Noah Fast Uno-X 2026 (credit: Uno X)<\/p>\n

A bit of a change for Uno-X. They\u2019ve moved from Shimano to Sram\u00a0groupsets, so I\u2019d bet we\u2019ll see some very cool 1x setups because this lot love to get aero. Their bikes help with that because they\u2019re on the Ridley Noah Fast, which is a proper aero racer and I quite like it. It looks purposeful.<\/p>\n

That said, I think the paint job is a bit boring, so I\u2019m going to put this in B. Still, I\u2019m very excited to see their setups for the cobbles and fast TDF days.<\/p>\n

Groupama FDJ United: Wilier Filante SLR ID2 (\u00a311,450)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Groupama-FDJ United riding non-driveside (credit: Groupama-FDJ United)<\/p>\n

No one does bike paint better than Wilier. Well, that\u2019s what I would have said last year. This year, my heart has been a little broken by this monstrosity of a colour clash, which is annoying because I love the Filante SLR, and the new ID2 is meant to be proper fast.<\/p>\n

Wilier now owns Miche wheels, so they make an appearance, but honestly, I can\u2019t get over the colour clash. It should have been better: D.<\/p>\n

FDJ United – SUEZ and\u00a0Soudal Quick-Step \/ AG Insurance – Soudal Team and Team SD Worx – Protime: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 (\u00a311,499)<\/p>\n

\"FDJFDJ Suez 2026 (credit: road.cc)<\/p>\n

Now, the women\u2019s FDJ team is a separate thing to the men\u2019s team, and they use the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8. In fact, they\u2019re one of four teams here using the SL8 before we get to a more expensive version of the same bike later on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The standard FDJ team colours look dull from afar, but get up close and you\u2019ll see a beautiful smokey marble effect. We have full Dura-Ace, Roval Rapide wheels and GP5000 tyres. Lovely package.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Soudal Quick Step Specialized Tarmac SL8 (credit: Soudal Quick-Step Facebook)<\/p>\n

The Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance bikes use pretty much the same build, but sub in Specialized tyres. That paint job is really not my favourite, but they are running the unreleased Turbo Cotton tyres which I\u2019m very keen to ride.<\/p>\n

\"SDSD Worx 2026 (credit: road.cc)<\/p>\n

And finally SD Worx, who have a much more interesting and colourful paint job which I really like. They\u2019re also running Sram, so expect to see some interesting gearing changes through the season.<\/p>\n

For rankings, I\u2019m going A for the FDJ United – SUEZ and Soudal Quick-Step version, C for the one used by\u00a0Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance bikes, and A for the\u00a0SD Worx one.<\/p>\n

Ineos Grenadiers: Pinarello Dogma F (\u00a311,660)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Ineos Grenadiers Pinarello Dogma F (credit: Chris Auld https:\/\/chrisauldphotography.com\/)<\/p>\n

For the last few years, the Dogmas of Ineos have been a bit dull, but this year someone in the design team was given an extra coffee, more crayons and some free will. The white shorts are dividing opinions<\/a>, but I think they\u2019re a fresh change.<\/p>\n

I really like that orange and the team have moved from Shimano to Scope for their wheels, which is an interesting partnership given the team has previously turned to Lightweight and Princeton wheels for key races.<\/p>\n

I like this. It\u2019s an A for me.<\/p>\n

Human Powered Health: Factor Ostro VAM (\u00a311,674)<\/p>\n

\"HumanHuman Powered Health Factor Ostro VAM 2026 (credit: road.cc)<\/p>\n

Factor\u2019s ONE superbike was easily the coolest release we saw last year, but it looks like Human Powered Health will primarily be on the Ostro VAM. This is actually one of my favourite race bikes and I really like the team\u2019s build. They get Black Inc wheels, Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres and Sram Red AXS groupsets. It\u2019s a lovely package.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going for B, because I\u2019m not sure about the purple and orange combo.<\/p>\n

Bahrain Victorious: Bianchi Oltre RC (\u00a312,450)<\/p>\n

\"BahrainBahrain Victorious Bianchi full bike (credit: Bahrain Victorious)<\/p>\n

I have to say I didn\u2019t expect Merida to be gone from the WorldTour, and it hurts a little because they always sat at the sensibly-priced end. But in comes Bianchi to the Bahrain team, and the Oltre RC is their aero bike. I think Bianchi were quite brave with this design, but nothing works for me.<\/p>\n

The tube shapes are very strange, the bar looks awful, the colours don\u2019t work. I can\u2019t find much to like, really. It\u2019s a D for me.<\/p>\n

EF Education EasyPost \/ EF Education-Oatly: Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71 (\u00a312,500)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Cannondale SuperSix Evo Lab71 EF Education EasyPost (credit: EF Pro Cycling Facebook)<\/p>\n

The EF team\u2019s one race bike this year is the SuperSix. As a former owner of the rim brake version, this holds a special place in my heart. With this in mind,\u00a0it\u2019s extra exciting to see what looks like a new SuperSix <\/a>in use at the Tour Down Under.<\/p>\n

Specifics about what Cannondale has\u00a0changed on the bike remain unclear, though I\u2019d bet you they say its faster. There seems to be a fair few changes to the front end with what looks like a new bar, new fork design and headtube shape. I\u2019d also suspect we\u2019ll see UDH at the back end, but the big thing that is yet to be revealed is the price.<\/p>\n

Cannondale\u2019s very top-end SuperX LAB71 was released last year at an eye watering price, so I hope the new road bike is a bit more sensibly priced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyway, a rating. I love these things. Great paint, the frame looks super sleek. Shall we put it on the top shelf? Why not?\u00a0S tier.<\/p>\n

Team Visma Lease a Bike: Cervelo S5 (\u00a312,750)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Visma Lease a bike Cervelo S5 (credit: Visma-Lease a Bike)<\/p>\n

Another brand I have a soft spot for is Cervelo. They like innovation and having ridden the S5, I have to say I\u2019m tempted to get one. It\u2019s a really nice bike to ride.<\/p>\n

Visma use Sram,\u00a0and we often see the likes of Vingegaard and Ferrand Prevot using some cool setups, like tiny cranks and 1x. The team is also on Reserve wheels with Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres, and while the designers haven\u2019t gone crazy with the colours, I think it\u2019s a nice enough effort.<\/p>\n

This is a great bike to ride with a cool build. It\u2019s just not the most exciting, so I\u2019ll go for B.<\/p>\n

NSN Cycling Team: Scott Foil RC Pro (\u00a312,799)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Scott Addict RC Pro NSN Cycling (credit: NSN Cycling Facebook)<\/p>\n

Out goes the Israel name (and with it a lot of sponsors) and for 2026, the team has become NSN after entertainment company Never Say Never took over. With the changes, Scott is back in the WorldTour after a year out, and the team will use the brand\u2019s Foil and Addict race bikes.<\/p>\n

While the frames are painted in the slightly cheaper RC Pro colours, Scott tells me that the frames underneath the paint are actually the lighter and stiffer HMX model. That means top of the line stuff for NSN.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a solid design with nice kit, but I\u2019m sticking it into D, because the Foil is pretty old now and I\u2019d really like to see an updated aero bike from Scott. Hopefully it can match the Addict, because that is a fantastic bike.<\/p>\n

Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 (\u00a313,499)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Red Bull Bora hansgrohe Specialized SL8 Remco Evenepoel (credit: Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe)<\/p>\n

Quite why the Red Bull SL8 is a whopping two\u00a0grand more than the other SL8 team bikes is beyond me, but I like non-cycling brands coming into pro racing, so I\u2019ll let it slide a bit.<\/p>\n

2026 sees men\u2019s Olympic champ Remco Evenepoel joining the team, and everyone wants to paint something gold, so his bike is very shiny in places. But I like that it doesn\u2019t differ too much from the standard team paint, which I like very much.<\/p>\n

I still have issues with Specialized calling the headtube a ‘speed sniffer’, and I don\u2019t love the price hike, so I\u2019m going for C.<\/p>\n

UAE Team Emirates XRG \/ UAE Team ADQ: Colnago Y1RS (\u00a315,693)<\/p>\n

\"20262026 UAE Team Emirates Colnago Y1RS (credit: UAE TEAM EMIRATES)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one bike over fifteen grand this year, which disappoints me in a way… but if you want Pogacar\u2019s bike, you\u2019ll still need very\u00a0deep pockets. I actually prefer the women\u2019s design, which is a lot cleaner, But the Y1RS isn\u2019t a bike for me.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s cool, don\u2019t get me wrong, but the angular back end is just a mess. I do love the team\u2019s build though, in particular, the latest Enve Pro wheels are just lovely, and Continental’s\u00a0Archetype tyres are meant to be excellent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, should it cost over fifteen and half grand? Nope. I think this goes in C for me, but I would bump the women\u2019s bike up to B, because they have a nicer kit and their bikes look better.<\/p>\n

Those are my choices… but do you agree? I\u2019d love to know (in great detail) why I\u2019m wrong in the comments, so don’t be shy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"January is finally behind us, which I think is easily the worst month… so as a treat, I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-406120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}