{"id":685627,"date":"2026-07-11T07:13:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T07:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/685627\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T07:13:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T07:13:34","slug":"5-new-bikes-at-the-2026-tour-de-france-weighed-and-measured","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/685627\/","title":{"rendered":"5 new bikes at the 2026 Tour de France weighed and measured"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tour de France is when many new bikes make their first official appearance, so we hunted down five top new bikes at the Grand Depart in Barcelona \u2013 including an unlaunched Ridley lightweight bike, the latest Specialized Tarmac SL9 and Look\u2019s new 795 Blade RS 3 lightweight all-rounder.<\/p>\n

We got up close with the bikes, so we\u2019ve got all the details of crank length, gearing, cockpit dimensions and tyre width, as well as the all-important weight numbers.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the lowdown on the bikes the pros are riding at the Tour de France<\/a>, along with some great shots of the bikes from our team on the ground.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Remco Evenepoel\u2019s Specialized Tarmac SL9
\n\"RemcoRemco Evenepoel has a special gold paintjob for his new Tarmac SL9. Our Media<\/p>\n

Remco Evenepoel may have swapped teams from Soudal-QuickStep to Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe this year, but he continues to ride a Specialized Tarmac<\/a> with the gold-paint treatment \u2013 he\u2019s 2024 Olympic champion, so he has a couple of years to go still.<\/p>\n

The differences between last year\u2019s SL8 and the new SL9 are subtle, with deeper, reshaped fork legs, a more aero rear to the seat tube that shields the rear wheel, a skinnier seatpost profile and a 687g claimed frame weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RemcoEvenepoel even gets a gold chain and cassette for the Tour. Our Media<\/p>\n

The one-piece Roval Rapide cockpit on Evenepoel’s bike is 36cm wide and is carried over from the SL8. He is riding the matching Roval Rapide CLX III wheelset with 30mm Specialized Cotton TLR tyres, which measure around 29mm.<\/p>\n

One thing that has changed with Evenepoel’s team switch is the groupset. Rather than Shimano, he’s now riding SRAM, so there\u2019s a SRAM Red AXS 54\/41t power meter crankset with 165mm cranks, complete with waxed gold chain and gold 10-36t cassette.<\/p>\n

We weighed the 1.71cm-tall Evenepoel\u2019s bike at 7.02kg.<\/p>\n

Luke Plapp\u2019s Giant Propel Advanced SL
\n\"LukeWe weighed Luke Plapp’s Giant Propel Advanced SL at 7.11kg – impressive for an aero bike in a larger size. Our Media<\/p>\n

Jayco AlUla rider Luke Plapp\u2019s aero road bike is the latest-generation Giant Propel Advanced SL<\/a>. Again, there are small changes between the old and new bike \u2013 are we reaching peak aero?<\/p>\n

The seatstays have been dropped relative to the old model for additional seatpost flex and saddle compliance. Plapp is running a Cadex Amp 3D-printed saddle atop the Advanced SL spec’s integrated seatmast.<\/p>\n

\"LukePlapp has an aero Garmin mount on his one-piece cockpit. Our Media<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new one-piece cockpit in place of the separate bar and stem of the previous model Propel and an aero mount for his Garmin cycling computer. Plapp\u2019s bars are 36cm wide at the hoods, with a 13cm equivalent stem length.<\/p>\n

The team uses Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and Plapp\u2019s bike is fitted with a 54\/40t Shimano power meter crankset and 11-34t cassette.<\/p>\n

\"LukeThe Cadex Max 50 wheels have their carbon spokes fused to the hubs, but conventional nipples. Our Media<\/p>\n

The wheels are 50mm-deep Cadex Max 50<\/a> with a hookless rim and carbon spokes that are fused to the carbon hub shells. The Cadex Aero 30C tyres are wider than the team\u2019s older tyres and measure 31mm rear and 30.4mm front.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plapp is using Elite Leggero Carbon bottle cages, possibly to keep his sponsors happy, although the Propel has its own, potentially more aero cages that come with the bike. They’re fixed to the frame with custom Cadex bolts.<\/p>\n

At 7.11kg, the bike is light for an aero bike<\/a> in a larger size.<\/p>\n

Matej Mohori\u010d\u2019s Bianchi Specialissima RC
\n\"MatejWe reckon the Bahrain Victorious Specialissima is perhaps the nicest-looking bike at the Tour. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Fresh out of Bianchi\u2019s factory, the latest Specialissima<\/a> is around 40g lighter than the previous model, as well as more aero, plus unlike the older model RC, there\u2019s Countervail vibration-damping tech.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new bar\/stem with a slight upward and forward shape that\u2019s not as aggressive as the Colnago Y1Rs or Canyon\u2019s Race bars. The effective stem length is around 14cm and the width 37cm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bars are wrapped with white Prologo bar tape, with sprint shifters on the inside edge of the drops.<\/p>\n

\"MatejThe Elilee power meter is one of the few not supplied to teams by either Shimano or SRAM. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Bahrain Victorious is another Shimano team, but has subbed out the Dura-Ace crankset for an Elilee carbon power meter crankset, with Dura-Ace 54\/40t chainrings and 11-34t cassette.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Vision Metron 45 wheels have carbon spokes and are completed by 30mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR tyres. With the wide rims, the rear tyre measures 33.7mm and the front 33.2mm.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a Prologo Nago Carbon saddle on Mohori\u010d\u2019s bike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MatejThe Specialissima’s gullwing cockpit isn’t as extreme as the one on the Colnago Y1Rs, but is claimed to contribute to an aero gain. Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Bahrain Victorious hasn\u2019t bothered too much about the weight of the sparkly green paint, which we\u2019re told is a little heavier than stock colours. We weighed Mohori\u010d\u2019s size-55 Specialissima<\/a> at 6.97kg \u2013 pretty good for a larger-size bike and undercutting Evenepoel\u2019s much smaller gold bike.<\/p>\n

Tobias Johannessen\u2019s Ridley Prototype lightweight all-rounder
\n\"TobiasJohannessen\u2019s bike looks to be a replacement for the Falcn RS. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Although Ridley has yet to announce details of the new bike, we think this is a replacement for the Falcn RS<\/a>. It has the classic mix of truncated aerofoil tube shapes and thin aero-shaped seatstays, plus a weight of 6.9kg with pedals and bottle cages.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s minimal paint applied, helping keep the weight down, and the seatpost clamp includes a carbon fibre lower clamp to reduce weight. The Deda\/Forza one-piece Nimbus Pro cockpit is 36cm across the tops.<\/p>\n

\"TobiasEven the saddle clamp has been designed to reduce the bike’s weight. Ashley Quinlan \/ Our Media<\/p>\n

Uno X Mobility are SRAM sponsored and Johannessen is running 165mm cranks, a 54-tooth outer chainring with SRAM\u2019s 10-36t cassette and a waxed chain, along with Dura-Ace pedals.<\/p>\n

The bike has DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut wheels in 38mm depth, although the steel-spoked rather than the carbon-spoked version, which DT claims would save around 95g in weight. They come with 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR tyres, which we measured at 29.3mm rear, 29.4mm front.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Milan Fretin\u2018s Look 795 Blade RS 3\u00a0
\n\"MilanFretin’s bike with Iconic Prism paint weighed 200g more than the black 795 Blade RS 3 we also weighed. Our Media<\/p>\n

Belgian sprinter Milan Fretin is riding the just-launched third-generation Look 795 Blade RS<\/a> in Look\u2019s special-edition Iconic Prism paintjob. The team also rides a black version with less paint applied. While the fully painted bike has a 7.45kg weight, we weighed the black bike at 7.26kg. The extra 200g probably isn\u2019t all paint though, because the black bike looks to be a smaller frame size.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 50km\/h, the new bike saves 15 watts over its predecessor across a range of yaw angles, is 160g lighter and offers more tyre clearance at 34mm versus 32mm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MilanLook claims the shape of its new cockpit helps the rider maintain an aero position more comfortably. Our Media<\/p>\n

The new integrated cockpit is designed to help riders keep an aero position more comfortably for longer. Fretin\u2019s is 14cm by 37cm and he has a Selle Italia SLR saddle fitted.<\/p>\n

Cofidis is the only team at the Tour de France running Campagnolo, with a Super Record 13<\/a> groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45mm-deep wheels. The 170mm cranks and 56\/44t chainrings are paired with a 10-33t cassette. Rather than the usual power meter crankset, Fretin has a set of Look Keo\u00a0 Power pedals.<\/p>\n

Fretin\u2019s tyres are Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR, but run with inner tubes and 28.4mm front and rear.<\/p>\n

More from the Tour de France<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Tour de France is when many new bikes make their first official appearance, so we hunted down…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":685628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-685627","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\/685627","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=685627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/685628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}