Tour de France winning bikes: Pinarello is the top dog

We look back at the last 15 bikes to be ridden to victory and Italian brands dominate

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Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma pictured in action during stage 21, the final stage of the Tour de France on his custom yellow Cervelo

It goes without saying that the Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, which means it's the perfect proving ground for brands to test their range-topping superbikes, with many companies timing new releases with the Tour each year.

The bike brands are fighting nearly as hard for the top step of the podium as the riders and teams themselves - so which brands have come out on top over the years?

Well, the last decade has been an almost totally Italian affair. Eight of the last ten editions have been shared between Pinarello (Team Ineos) and Colnago (UAE Emirates), with the only upsets coming from Specialized (Astana in 2014) and Cervélo (Jumbo-Visma in 2022).

Looking back a little further and 2011 saw the first ever Australian victor of the Tour de France in Cadel Evans (Team BMC), who rode a BMC Team Machine. Before that Specialized also secured a bike win in 2010 with Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank). 

Schleck was awarded the title after though only after Alberto Contador's disqualification. That didn't actually change the winning bike brand as Contador's Team Astana were also on Specialized.

El Pistolero did win the year before, though, but in 2009 he was on board a Trek Madone. The year before that, and rather neatly topping and tailing our ever-so-slightly arbitrary 15 year timeline, Carlos Sastre won the 2008 race on a Cervélo!

Here's a look at the machines that took their riders to victory from 2008 to 2022 - but first, a few commonly asked questions...

What kind of bikes do Tour de France riders use?

The vast majority of stages are road stages, requiring road bikes. In 2022, there are two time trial stages (stage one and stage 20), where riders will be aboard time trial bikes. But you wanted more detail than that, right?! Most brands supply teams with two road models: a lightweight climbing bike, and an aero bike - the latter being more suited to fast, flat stages. Exceptions include Pinarello, where the Italian marquee says its Dogma F can do both.

How much do Tour de France bikes cost?

The Pinarello Dogma is perhaps the best example to give. Relaunched in August 2021 as the ' Pinarello Dogma F ', the top-end SRAM Red eTap model will set you back £12,000 / $14,500. 

Can you buy a Tour de France bike?

WorldTour bikes ridden by the pros are commercially available. Brands across the board will tell you that the bike you can buy in the shops is exactly the same as that ridden by the pros. However, some skepticism surrounds this assertion. If pro bikes are treated with a slightly different carbon layup and geometry, as is often suggested, the changes will be minimal and likely take into account the lesser requirement of longevity and greater strength/flexibility of professional riders. 

Which bike brand has had the most Tour de France wins?

Pinarello hasn't just dominated the past decade or so - bikes bearing the Italian brand's name are the most successful in Tour de France history. The first of its 16 wins came in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Team Reynolds, with further successes coming with Miguel Induráin, Bjarne Riis and Jan Ulrich and then Team Sky/Ineos Grenadiers.  The next most successful brand is Peugeot. Now better know for cars, the French brand first won in 1905, with its last victory in 1977. Trek can only claim two official Tour de France wins, with Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009. The US brand would be equal with Gitane on nine wins but, of course, Lance Armstrong's seven 'wins' aboard a Trek have been struck from the record books.

Tour de France bikes

2022: Jonas Vingegaard's (Jumbo-Visma) Cervélo R5 and S5

The 2022 Tour de France was a display of dominance from the squad we have seen at the forefront of racing for so long now, Jumbo-Visma. Last year, the team swept up the overall victory and KOM jersey with Jonas Vingegaard , as well as the points classification with Wout Van Aert . Six stage victories to top things off made this a pretty memorable run for the Dutch cycling team.

Vingegaard used a combination of Cervélo's S5 aero bike, and R5 climbing bike throughout the Tour, but he ultimately rolled into Paris aboard his custom-painted S5.

Both bikes were fully clad in the latest 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 and featured matching wheels. The Dura-Ace wheelsets varied from the C35 offering for mountain days, while the C60s saw use on the flatter stages.

Interestingly too, 2022 is the first year in history to be won strictly on disc brakes . Though Tadej Pogacar did roll into Paris one year earlier on discs, he also used rim brakes in time trials and for a select few mountain stages - Jumbo-Visma on the other hand, ran exclusively disc setups during the 2022 Tour. If ever there was a sign that rim brakes are on their way to extinction, surely this is it.

2020 & 2021: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) Colnago V3Rs

Pogačar's winning machine from stage nine of 2021

Pogačar's 2020 win made him the first ever Slovenian rider to win the Tour de France, the youngest ever rider at 21-years-old, and he achieved that feat riding a Colnago V3Rs , with Colnago having never won cycling's most prestigious race before either.

Though he rode the same bike model each year, his setups differed. In 2020 he opted for a more 'traditional' feel, with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset, Bora One tubular wheels and a set of Campagnolo’s Super Record rim brakes. 

In 2021, though, he used Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels with Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tubeless tyres. He switched to disc brakes too for most stages, helping his stability in the often tumultuous French weather.

For two stages he did revert to rim brakes though, one of which came during his stage five time-trial win while using his Colnago K.one time trial bike. He used the same setup that helped during 2020's decisive La Planche des Belle Filles time trial, before he ditched the TT bike in favour of a road bike . 

Pogačar's 'traditional' bike without a power meter or computer on stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France

Pogačar proceeded on a bike without a power meter or computer, riding on feel alone in one of cycling's most pure rides.

In 2021, his bike featured yellow accents as early as stage nine, when he first wore the maillot jaune, so dominant was his performance. 

2019: Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) Pinarello Dogma F12

While the team may have undergone a name change and re-brand, there was no shock at the top of the Tour de France standings as Team Sky, now Team Ineos, took another title.

The 2019 Tour was a historic moment, however, as Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to ever win the yellow jersey and the youngest rider - at the time - in the modern era, at 22-years-old.

It took  Pinarello  another two years to bring out the Dogma F12 after the launch of the Dogma F10, on which Thomas won last year’s Tour de France. In that time, Pinarello said it had improved the aerodynamics, saving eight watts at 40kp/h, and made the frameset stiffer and lighter too.

Bernal stuck with rim brakes in 2019, twinned with Lightweight wheels for the climbing days and Shimano Dura-Ace wheels on the fast and flat days.

The Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 made up the rest of the components.

2018: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F10 X-Light

Thomas won the 2018 Tour d France aboard a Pinarello F10 X-Light - which uses a slightly different carbon fibre compared to previous iterations, resulting in a weight drop of around a kilogram.

The geometry remains fixed, as does the use of an asymmetric bottom bracket, plus the wind cheating concave down tube is designed to incorporate bottles in optimal position.

The Tour's first Welsh winner opted for an integrated 40mm Talon handlebar and 130mm stem, with a  Fizik Arione  saddle that carries his optimum position marked in pen. The saddle height was around 78.5cm and Thomas rode with 175mm cranks - which are longer than most opt for.

The groupset is  Shimano Dura-Ace,  with a 53/39 crankset and 11-30 at the back, alongside a Stages power meter. The wheels fitted when we saw the bike were carbon tubular Dura-Ace hoops, wearing Continental Competition tyres and the paint job carries a speed line for every Team Sky victory.

Read more and see the bike via video

2017: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma F10

Froome's third consecutive Dogma win. By this point, the employees at  Pinarello 's painting factory in Treviso were probably quite used to applying (apparently) last minute yellow paint jobs  before the roll into Paris.

The  F10 had some minor tweaks from the F8 , but no major overhauls - quite simply, Pinarello and Team Sky felt it was a pretty good bike. Pinarello made the F10 a little bit more aero, a little bit stiffer, and very slightly lighter.

The diet the frame had been on meant that Froome didn't need the X-light model he used when the F8 was in production, so his frame is as per an off-the-peg creation in terms of weight.

When we saw it, Froome had opted for a 53/39 standard set up with an 11-28 cassette, though the chainrings themselves are  osymetric - a preference which can help improve pedalling efficiency.

On flatter stages, Froome used deeper wheels, but when  we had the chance to video it , the bike was shod with shallow Shimano Dura-Ace C40 wheels and pro-only Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

The bars, stem, and bar tape are all Shimano's own brand, Pro, fitted with a K-Edge out from computer mount and Fizik saddle.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2017 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma

Like Bradley Wiggins before him, Froome rode the Bolide  time trial bike  during the ITT stages of the race.

Froome opted for 175mm cranks, used a chain catcher to guard against necessary trauma. The saddle height was 79.6cm - 1mm lower than that 79.7cm on his road bike. There was grip tape on his saddle, which helped him maintain the ideal position and he opted for a 58/48T chainring set up with 11-28 cassette.

In a touch of perfectionism, the 3D printed handlebar was made from titanium and moulded perfectly to fit its rider.

Read more:   Chris Froome's Tour de France Pinarello Bolide

2016 & 2015 : Chris Froome (Team Sky) Pinarello Dogma F8

To represent his Kenyan upbringing and passion for wildlife as an ambassador for the charity United for Wildlife, Froome's 2015 and 2016 winning bikes featured unique rhino decals. 

The  osymetric  chainrings are present, with a chainguard to guard against unfortunate chain-drop moments. The rest of the drivetrain was Shimano Dura Ace, with an 11-28 cassette and Stages power meter.

Froome's preference for having two shifting buttons close together meant the satellite shifters were stripped down, also saving him weight in the meantime too. 

The wheels we shot the bike with were Shimano's Dura-Ace C50s, bottle cages were 15g Leggero's from Elite and the bars were Pro.

The winning machine was polished off with a 121mm stem, Fizik Antares 00 saddle with carbon rails and  Continental Competition Pro Ltd tubular tyres.

See more:   Chris Froome's 2016 Tour de France winning Pinarello Dogma F8

2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Specialized S-Works Tarmac

Vincenzo Nibali managed to break up the Pinarello domination in the Tour in the early 2010s, as he rode to victory in 2014 aboard an S-Works Tarmac painted with decals that hark to his nickname - Lo Squalo - or 'the Shark'.

This Tarmac became the first edition to feature a size specific carbon-layup, improving ride quality by better catering for the individual's needs and desires. Nibali added an FSA stem to his machine too, with Corima Viva wheels and a Campagnolo Super Record groupset also included. 

Specialized even customised the Italian's bike for the final day, adding yellow stickered wheels from Corima and a custom FSA stem with yellow decals to the already painted yellow frame. 

During time trial stages, Nibali rode the brand's slippery Shiv TT bike. He finished fourth on the 54 kilometre stage 20 solo event to comfortably maintain his place on the top step of the podium, finishing seven minutes 52 seconds ahead of second-placed Christophe Peraud overall. 

Read more: Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Specialized S-Works Tarmac

2013: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

The Dogma model before the F8 was the  Dogma 65.1 Think 2 , and it's that iteration which Froome rode to his first Tour de France victory in 2013.

Its standout features were the asymmetric design and wavy forks, seatstays and chainstays. The 65.1 gained its name from the use of a new carbon fibre material: Torayca high-modulus 65 as opposed to the 60 ton carbon of previous years’ models. According to Pinarello, this helped the bike become lighter, and therefore more reactive, which Froome managed to showcase expertly throughout his stellar ride.

Froome's model was of course fitted with osymetric chainrings, Fizik saddle, and the old-faithful looking SRM data-box of days gone by.

2012: Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Pinarello Dogma

Wiggins rode onto the Champs-Élysées in 2012 on Pinarello's Dogma 65.1, the brand's newest machine, as he secured his maiden Tour de France title. Despite flaunting the sleek bike in Paris that day, Team Sky actually opted for their main rider to stick to the Pinarello Dogma 2 for the rest of the race.

Similarly, Sky ensured Wiggins felt comfortable throughout the three weeks, keeping him on a Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical 10-speed groupset (q for the majority of the time. 

Across both the bike he used in Paris and what he used throughout the rest of the Tour, Wiggins also added a Fizik Arione saddle and yet more osymetric chainrings to complete his machine. 

2011: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), BMC Team Machine

Cadel Evans Tour winning machine

Cadel Evans was the first ever Australian to take the Tour victory 'down under', and he did so aboard his BMC Team Machine. The 2011 Tour de France winning machine was the first bike in history to win the biggest bike race in the world with electronic shifting.

Evans' Team Machine featured a relatively chunky carbon lugged design, that even featured an aero seatpost - something more rarely seen back in the early 2010s. The bike was clad with Shimano's first iteration of Dura-Ace Di2, 7970, and featured an SRM power meter too. 

Evans also rode 50mm deep Easton carbon tubular wheels which put together an aero package, that we think, wouldn't look overly out of place today - bar the rim brakes of course!

2010: Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3

Andy Schleck battling the alpine gradients

Andy Schleck was only officially crowned the 2010 Tour de France champion in early 2012, after the original winner, Alberto Contador, received a doping ban that led to the revoking of his title.

Schleck rode a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3, which can be seen above in a dazzling chrome colourway. The eventual winning bike featured mechanical shifting in the form of SRAM Red 10-speed, along with rim brakes.

Carbon wheels were still the order of the day in the form of Zipp's 202 lightweight wheels. Interestingly too, there was no power meter to be seen on the 2010 Tour winner's bike, making Schleck the last winner before power data became more mainstream.

2009: Alberto Contador (Astana) Trek Madone 6.9 Pro

The Spanish climbing legend did retain his 2009 title, this time with a dominant 4m11s winning margin over Andy Schleck. Alberto Contador rolled down the Champs-Élysées on his Trek Madone 6.9 Pro, fully equipped with yellow flashes.

The Madone of 2009 sits in a different postcode to the aero-optimized Trek Madone we know today. The Madone sat as Trek's all-round race bike, with oversized OCLV carbon construction that was influenced by a design ethos based on stiffness and light weight.

'El Pistolero' didn't use a power meter, and used SRAM's 10 speed Red mechanical shifting. Bontrager, Trek's in-house component manufacturer, provided the deep-section carbon wheels and finishing kit to the Spaniard's bike.

2008: Carlos Sastre (Team CSC) Cervelo R5

Carlos Sastre post stage 21

We end our dive into the history books with a nice Cervelo-bookend here, with Carlos Sastre winning the Tour 14 years ago aboard the same line of bikes that Jonas Vingegaard used in last year's race.

The two iterations bare more slightly resemblance than the previously discussed Trek Madones, but 14 years of research and development has certainly seen some changes. 

Sastro's 2008 winning machine featured Zipp 202 lightweight carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 ten-speed shifting. 3T, who worked closely with Cervelo through this time provided the finishing kit.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.

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best tour de france bike brands

Tour de France Winning Bikes by Year (1903 to 2023)

36 different bike brands won the Tour de France in 110 editions. In this article, cycling fan Alex Lee breaks down the top 12 bike brands that have won at least 3 times.

Jonas Vingegaard Cervelo S5 at Tour de France 2023

Jonas Vingegaard rode a Cervélo bike to his second Tour de France overall win in 2023 with SRAM Red eTap AXS electronic groupset and Reserve Wheels.

Depending on the stage profile, Jonas Vingegaard’s bike can be a Cervelo R5, S5, or P3.

  • Cervélo R5 is an all-rounder, lightweight road race bike for the mountains.
  • Cervélo S5 is an aero bike for the flat stages.
  • Cervélo P5 is a time trial bike that Jonas rode to win the Stage 16 ITT.

Full specifications and setup of Jonas Vingegaard’s bike.

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Pinarello – 15 wins

L’auto – 10 wins, peugeot – 10 wins, gitane – 9 wins, trek – 10 wins, alcyon – 7 wins, eddy merckx – 5 wins, automoto – 4 wins, bianchi – 3 wins, colnago – 3 wins, helyett – 3 wins, la sportive – 3 wins, tour de france winning bikes by year.

Throughout 110 editions (up to 2023), the Tour de France has been won by 36 different bike brands . Many of these brands are unknown to cycling fans today. Few bike brands, such as Colnago, Pinarello , Specialized , and Trek , are synonymous with cycling fans today.

The road bike industry has undergone massive change and innovation in the past 20 years by introducing new technologies such as electronic shifting , carbon fiber frames, disc brakes, and tubeless tires .

This article will go back in history and explore all the Tour de France winning bikes .

best tour de france bike brands

Pinarello has a long history in cycling, dating back to 19534, when it was founded by Giovanni Pinarello in Treviso, Italy. With 15 Tour de France wins, Pinarello is the most successful bike brand at the Tour de France.

Pinarello’s dominance at the Tour de France can be summed up in two eras.

  • Mid-1990s. Miguel Indurain won four consecutive Tour de France from 1992 to 1995, followed by Bjarne Riis (1996) and Jan Ullrich (1997).
  • Mid-2010s. Team Sky (Ineos-Grenadiers) won seven Tour de France with Bradley Wiggins (2012), Chris Froome (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017), Geraint Thomas (2018), and Egan Bernal (2019).

Today, Pinarello’s top-of-the-line bike is the Pinarello Dogma F .

best tour de france bike brands

L’Auto (now L’Equipe) is not a bike brand but the French newspaper that started the Tour de France in 1903.

From 1930 to 1939, Henri Desgrange, the newspaper’s owner, required all riders to paint their bikes’ downtube with L’Auto as part of the marketing campaign and publicity stunt to increase the race profile.

During that period, riders competed based on national teams, so there wasn’t any commercial conflict of interest.

best tour de france bike brands

Today, most of us know Peugeot as the French automotive brand. Peugeot started making bicycles way back in 1882 and won their first Tour de France with Louis Trousselier in 1905 and their last win came in 1977 with Bernard Thévenet.

In the past 50 years, the bicycle arm of Peugeot has gone through various ownership. Today it’s part of Cycleuope, which owns bike brands such as Bianchi and Gitane.

Here’s an interesting fact; Peugeot has a complete bike lineup from road to mountain, city, kids, and electric bikes.

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best tour de france bike brands

Gitane is a French bike brand synonymous with racing from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. All nine of Gitane’s Tour de France wins occurred during this period with legendary French riders such as Bernard Hinault (4), Jacques Anquetil (2), Laurent Fignon (2), and Belgian Lucien Van Impe (1).

Today, Gitane is part of Cycleuope, which owns the Bianchi and Peugeot bike brands. Gitane produces mostly city and mountain bikes today. They don’t have much presence outside of France.

best tour de france bike brands

Founded in 1976, Trek is one of the leading bike brands today with its men’s and women’s World Tour teams.

Trek’s first Tour de France win was in 1999 by Lance Armstrong. For the next seven years until 2005, Lance Armstrong dominated the Tour de France, helping to raise Trek’s profile in the United States and worldwide. In 2012, all seven of Lance’s Tour de France wins were nulled.

Trek’s other three Tour de France wins were with Alberto Contador in 2007, 2009, and 2010 although the 2010 win was later nulled.

Trek offers the riders three types of road bikes; Trek Emonda (lightweight), Trek Madone (aero) and Trek Domane (endurance), and the Trek Speed Concept (TT).

best tour de france bike brands

Alcyon was a French bicycle, motorcycle, and automotive brand active from 1903 to 1954. They sponsored their own cycling team from 1905 to 1959 under different names such as Alcyon-Dunlop, Alcyon-Soly, Alcyon-Armor, and Alcyon-Leroux

Their first Tour de France win was in 1909 with François Faber, a Luxembourgian rider. Their last win was in 1929 with Belgian Maurice De Waele. From 1930 onwards, the Tour de France organizers required the teams to paint their bikes’ downtube with L’Auto, the newspaper that started the Tour de France.

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best tour de france bike brands

Eddy Merckx is no stranger to cycling fans. He’s widely known as the most successful cyclist of all time , winning the Tour de France (5 times), Giro d’ Italia (5 times), and 34 Tour de France stages .

The Eddy Merckx bike brand was only started in 1980 after he retired. Eddy Merckx was riding bikes built by Masi and Kessels with his name painted on the downtube for his five Tour de France wins.

In 2008, Eddy Merckx sold all his shares in the company to Sobradis, a Belgian holding company. In 2017, another Belgian company, Race Productions, which owns Ridley Bikes, took over Eddy Merckx after struggling with sales for the past decade.

best tour de france bike brands

Automoto was a French bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer that started in 1902. It was the dominant bike brand in the mid-1920s, with four consecutive Tour de France wins from 1923 to 1923 with three different riders.

In 1930, it was bought by Peugeot and sadly discontinued in 1962.

best tour de france bike brands

Bianchi is the oldest bicycle manufacturing company today. It was founded in Italy back in 1885 by Edoardo Bianchi who was a 21-year-old medical instrument maker.

All of Bianchi’s three Tour de France wins were achieved by Italian riders. Fausto Coppi won in 1949 and 1952 and Marco Pantini won in 1998. Bianchi was present at the World Tour with Team Jumbo-Visma (2014 to 2020) and Team BikeExchange (2021.

Team Arkea-Samsic will ride the Bianchi Oltre (aero) and Bianchi Specialissima (lightweight) at the 2023 Tour de France.

Today, Bianchi bikes are known for their Celeste color, also known as Bianchi Green.

best tour de france bike brands

Colnago has a long history, dating back to 1952. It was founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milan, Italy. In May 2020, Chimera Investments LLC, based in the UAE, acquired a majority stake in Colnago.

Colnago’s first Tour de France win was in 1960 by Italian rider, Gastone Nencini. It was a long 60-year wait for their second win until Tadej Pogačar won two consecutive Tour de France in 2020 and 2021. He also won the Best Young Rider and Climber Classification in these two years riding the Colnago V3Rs .

In 2023, Tadej Pogačar will be riding the Colnago V4Rs in an attempt to win his third Tour de France General Classification .

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best tour de france bike brands

Helyett is a little-known French bicycle manufacturer started by the Picard brothers in 1926. It took its name from a lead character from a late 19th-century play, Miss Helyett, which is why the Helyett logo has a young women’s face on it.

Frenchman, Jacques Anquetil won three of his five Tour de France onboard a Helyett bike in 1957, 1961, and 1962.

La Sportive’s three Tour de France wins occurred right after World War 1, from 1919 to 1921. Right after the war, Europe was in bad shape and many bicycle manufacturers were either out of business or didn’t have the manufacturing capabilities.

The remaining brands include Alcyon, Armor, Automoto, Clément, La Française, Gladiator, Griffon, Hurtu, Labor, Liberator, Peugeot, and Thomann came together. They provided more than half the peloton with various bicycles and components so that the Tour de France can take place.

Once each brand recovered from the aftermath of World War 1, La Sportive disbanded in 1922.

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Alex Lee at Mr.Mamil

Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.

He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.

Mr. Mamil's content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content is not a substitute for official or professional advice. Please do your own due diligence.

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Our 8 favourite Tour de France bikes | The coolest Tour bikes, according to BikeRadar

The BikeRadar team makes its nominations for the best bikes in Tour de France history

Tim de Waele/Getty Images

George Scott

The Tour de France is the pinnacle of the sport, not just for riders vying for the yellow jersey but manufacturers putting their wares in front of an audience of millions.

In fact, we love the Tour almost as much for its tech as we do for the exploits of riders on the road.

Here, the BikeRadar team shares its favourite Tour de France bikes from years gone by – machines that paved the way for future Tour tech or, quite simply, looked damn cool.

Our choices focus on the modern-ish era because that's where we've seen many of the innovations that characterise today's bikes (or they're bikes we have first-hand memories of).

What's your favourite Tour de France bike? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article.

Greg LeMond’s 1989 Bottecchia with aero bars

George scott | editor-in-chief.

Greg LeMond at the 1989 Tour de France

To describe a tech moment as game-changing is perhaps a cliché but Greg Lemond’s equipment choices at the 1989 race undoubtedly started a new era for Tour de France tech.

LeMond’s decision to use aero bars – a first at the Tour de France – in the race’s two time trials not only brought aerodynamics to the fore in professional cycling, but effectively won him the race.

Having won the first time trial in the race, the American famously overturned Laurent Fignon’s 50-second advantage on the final stage – another race against the clock – to take the title by eight seconds.

LeMond rode a steel Bottecchia on the Champs-Élysées course, hunkered down on its U-shaped bar (except when sprinting out of the saddle) to cheat the wind and secure the second of three Tour de France wins.

While today's time trial bikes are a far cry from LeMond's Bottecchia, aerodynamics now influence almost every equipment choice in the pro peloton, from frames and components to clothing and helmets.

Chris Boardman’s 1994 Lotus 110

Simon bromley | technical writer.

Chris Boardman's 1996 Lotus Sport 110

Perhaps the most iconic time trial bike in the history of road cycling, Chris Boardman’s Lotus 110 still has the power to wow.

A road version of Boardman’s famous Lotus 108 track bike, the 110’s carbon monocoque frameset was so advanced that you could drop it into today’s Tour and it would still look like something wild from the future.

The only issue would be that today’s chunky wheels and tyres wouldn’t fit in it.

Of course, part of what makes it so iconic – especially to us Brits – is that Boardman used it to take the yellow jersey by annihilating the field in the prologue time trial at the 1994 Tour de France.

Covering the 7.2km distance at a record average speed of 55.152kph (which stood until 2015), Boardman even caught his minute man, Luc Leblanc – who, deliciously, had previously belittled Boardman’s 1993 hour record.

A plethora of bold designs spawned in response to the efforts of Lotus, Boardman, Graeme Obree and the like, until the UCI introduced the Lugano Charter in 2000 and spoiled the party.

But, in this writer’s opinion, the Lotus 110 remains the most elegant and iconic bike of that era.

Miguel Indurain's 1995 Pinarello

Stan portus | digital writer.

1994: Miguel Indurain of Spain and team Banesto is pursued by Luc Leblanc on Stage 16 of the Tour de France between Valreas and LAlpe d''Huez in France. Mandatory Credit: Pascal Rondeau/Allsport

Many bikes that are considered cool can be classified as exceptions to a particular rule. They are often machines that break the status quo and mark the beginning of a new period of cycling tech, regardless of whether the bike itself actually sticks around.

Miguel Indurain’s 1995 Pinarello doesn’t follow this pattern. In fact, its coolness comes from the fact that it was the last of its kind: the final steel road bike to win the Tour de France.

Indurain dominated the world of professional cycling in the first half of the nineties, winning every edition of the Tour from 1991 to 1995.

While his style of riding – winning the time trials and defending the yellow jersey in the mountains – feels like a prelude to modern Grand Tour racing, his bike feels like the perfect coda to a period of cycling that we’ll never see again.

(GERMANY OUT) 1964Sportler, Radrennen E- Porträt im Trikot derBanesto-Mannschaft- 1996 (Photo by Kachel/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

His Pinarello is claimed to have been custom-built by the legendary Dario Pegoretti in Italy, with a TIG-welded frame that matched Indurain’s tall stature.

Kitted out with a full Campagnolo groupset , Indurain typically ran 53-39 chainrings paired with an 11-23 cassette on the back – a gear ratio that, today, might inspire dread and admiration in equal measure.

When it comes to looks, Indurain’s bike had the Team Banesto colours running across the tubing in that classic '90s effect, a gradient.

The decade might be associated with garish colourways and louder than loud patterns, but Indurain’s bike is a fine example of how nineties styling could be playful yet refined.

There might be little carryover from Indurain’s bike to the pro bikes we see today (except maybe the integrated shifters), but if one thing could persist, in this writer’s eyes, it’s what we can learn from that paintwork.

Mario Cipollini’s 1999 Cannondale CAAD4

Warren rossiter | senior technical editor.

Mario Cipollini at the 1999 Tour de France

The Saeco-era Cannondales, with their bright tomato red livery and yellow graphics, were iconic in their own right, but for the '99 Tour Mario Cipollini had a custom white and gold edition, on which he set records with four back-to-back stage wins.

In anticipation of Cipo’s success, Cannondale even provided mitts with the company's logo emblazoned on the palm, so no one would forget what bike he was riding when Cipollini held his arms aloft.

The reason for the new colour? To celebrate Julius Caesar’s birthday (12 July) – Cipollini even dressed as the Roman emperor, replete with toga and a golden laurel wreath on his head, during the race and the team wore a limited-edition white and gold kit on stage nine.

The bike was Cannondale’s own blend of aluminium (based on 6061 T6) for the CAAD4 and it ran on Campagnolo’s 9-speed Record titanium groupset.

The Magic Motorcycle cranks (branded CODA) are the precursor to Cannondale’s superlight SiSL2 cranks of today, and Cipollini ran Stronglight chainrings in a big 53/42t pairing.

Upfront, there was a Cinelli Integralter one-piece bar and stem.

Mario Cipollini dressed as Julius Caesar

The Cannondale Saeco team used wheels from both Spinergy and Mavic at the time and, for this bike, Cipollini chose first-generation Mavic Cosmic Carbone tubulars.

Super Mario rode this bike for the first seven stages, winning four in the process (and posting the then-fastest ever Tour stage in the process) ahead of the individual time trial. Cipollini quit the race and headed for the beach when the mountains arrived on stage nine.

Aside from what was a stunning bike, I think this CAAD4 shows what the modern Tour has been missing: proper personalities, theatre to match the drama of racing and proper special-edition bikes for publicity and grabbing headlines.

Cipollini wasn’t just a masterful sprinter, he was the ultimate showman and this bike matched his showmanship.

Lance Armstrong’s original Trek Madone

Matthew loveridge | senior writer.

Lance Armstrong's Trek at the 2004 Criterium du Dauphine

Following on from the Trek 5000-series that Lance Armstrong took his (heavily-asterisked) first Tour victories on, the Madone is arguably the most famous bike of the last two decades.

It'd be a stretch to call it my favourite Tour bike, but I don’t think there’s a machine that epitomises mid-2000s pro cycling better than a Trek in U.S. Postal Service colours.

The original Madone 5.9 debuted at the 2003 Tour and it was more of a refinement of its predecessor, the 5900, than an all-new bike.

It was named for the Col de la Madone in France – not a climb used in races, but rather one that Armstrong favoured to test his form.

Compared to today’s bikes, and even the more curvaceous second-gen Madone that followed, the OG bike is relatively traditional looking, with a horizontal top tube and external headset.

Trek with Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 chainset

At the same time, it sported Bontrager carbon tubular wheels (albeit super-skinny, low-profile ones) and then brand-new Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 components.

The eagle-eyed will note that this isn’t actually Armstrong’s Tour bike, it’s one set up for a mountain time trial in the 2004 Critérium du Dauphiné, hence the aero bars.

If you look really closely, there’s also a weight-shaving down tube shifter for the front derailleur – a favourite Armstrong mod if you believe the lore.

For such a lightweight bike, it’s one with a lot of baggage…

Frank Schleck’s 2006 Cervélo Soloist SL-C SL

Frank Schleck's Cervelo Soloist at the 2006 Tour de France

Okay, I'm cheating here with two entries but Cervélo basically invented the aero-road bike so, as well as Mario Cipollini's Cannondale CAAD4, I'm nominating Frank Schleck's 2006 Soloist SL-C SL.

Sure, brands like Cinelli had the Laser much earlier but that was aero-styled rather than scientifically engineered to be aerodynamic.

In the aluminium era, aero tubes were more like round tubes ‘squashed’ into an aero shape. Cervélo, with the original Soloist, used NACA profiles to define the shape, and when it came to carbon, the Canadian brand adapted the Soloist design brilliantly.

By the time Team CSC and Frank Schleck got to ride the SL-C SL, Cervélo had managed to extract more than 200g from the standard SL-C (when we tested the frame back in 2007 it weighed a still-impressive 994g in a 58cm).

That made it not only the most aerodynamic bike in the 2006 Tour, but also one of the lightest (it tipped the scales at 6.9kg complete, just 100g over the UCI limit).

On stage 15, Schleck and his Soloist went head-to-head with Danielo Cunego through the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez. When Schleck attacked 3km from the finish I’d like to think that the added aero of the Soloist gave him the edge, especially when he could have chosen the lighter Cervélo R3 for the mountain stages.

The Team CSC bikes used Shimano Dura-Ace with FSA K-Force chainsets, along with FSA bars and stems, Zipp aero wheels and True Temper’s Alpha Q fork. Remember when bikes used forks that weren’t specific to the frame?

Vincenzo Nibali’s 2016 S-Works Tarmac

Jack luke | deputy editor.

Vincenzo Nibali's Specialized Tarmac SL5 from the 2016 Tour de France

In a time dominated by dropped seatstays, aero-formed everything and total integration, I find myself bored senseless by the homogeneity of modern road bike design.

That last point is probably the key culprit for the remarkable sameness of pro bikes these days – in-house brands and proprietary components tie riders and teams to a very narrow selection of components, leaving little room for quirky customisation (though that seems to be changing , particularly in regards to wheels).

Seemingly hodge-podge builds largely died off with the end of the traditional triple triangle era and, as a professional bicycle tech nerd, I mourn the loss of this time.

For me, the Specialized Tarmac SL5 defines the latter part of that era and, in particular, I fondly remember Vincenzo Nibali’s 2016 Tour de France bike .

A full gallery of this bike was published just before I started working at BikeRadar – a time when I was studiously reading everything published on the site, earning it a special place in my heart.

With a mad kinda-naff-kinda-cool paint job, a full Campagnolo Super Record (mechanical!) 11-speed groupset, Corima S wheels and dreadful custom-painted FSA finishing kit, the bike is totally unlike anything we would see today, and just a few years later.

RIP, weird bikes of the Tour de France.

Marianne Vos’s 2019 Liv Langma Advanced SL

Helen cousins | operations manager.

PAU, FRANCE - JULY 19: Annemiek van Vleuten of The Netherlands and Team Mitchelton-Scott UCI Leader Jersey / Marianne Vos of The Netherlands and Team CCC-Liv / Lucinda Brand of The Netherlands and Team Sunweb Women / during the 6th La Course 2019, by Le Tour de France a 121km stage from Pau to Pau / TDF / #LaCourse / @LaCoursebyTDF / on July 19, 2019 in Pau, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

As a two-time winner of La Course, in 2014 and 2019, and undeniable GOAT of the sport, my pick would be Marianne Vos’s 2019 winning Liv Langma Advanced SL. At the time, it was Giant and Liv’s lightest frameset, making it a good option for the rather hilly La Course route that year, rather than the team’s aero EnviLiv Advanced option.

Starting and finishing in Pau, the five-lap 121km course featured four climbs of la Côte de Gelos and then finished on a steep 17 per cent ramp inside the final 500m.

Vos's Team CCC-Liv bike was built around SRAM’s RED AXS 12-speed wireless rim brake groupset, and this was the last season Vos raced on rim brakes, switching to discs for the 2020 season onwards.

Her bike also featured some lightweight Cadex wheels, which looked to be a Vos-only spec choice for the race, with the rest of the team riding Giant branded wheelsets.

A classic looking bike and one that's still impressing us; now with disc brakes, we recently scored the Liv Langma Advanced SL Disc 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Bike Finder

Results have arrived, tour de france bikes 2023: 7 used tour de france road bikes for sale you can buy.

If you have the money and desire, you can ride the same bikes that the pros ride. To celebrate this year’s Tour de France, we take a look at some of the best grand tour-worthy road bikes in our inventory.

best tour de france bike brands

Written by: Bruce Lin

Published on: Jun 30, 2022

Posted in: Road

Regular fans have no hope of ever piloting, let alone buying an F1 car or MotoGP bike. But among racing sports, cycling is unique. Just about anyone can walk into a bike shop and buy a  road bike  with the exact same specs as what the pros ride.

To celebrate this year’s Tour de France , let’s take a look at some of the finest bikes in our inventory being ridden by current Tour teams. Here are seven Tour-worthy bikes that you can buy right now.

Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7

Specialized Tarmac SL7

Teams:  Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Bora-Hansgrohe, TotalEnergies

[product-block handle="2021-specialized-tarmac-sl7-pro-m-2"/]

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Bora-Hansgrohe, and TotalEnergies are bringing some of cycling’s biggest stars to the Tour. TotalEnergies will have three-time world champion and seven-time green jersey winner, Peter Sagan. The hot pick to win the green jersey this year though is Quick-Step’s sprinter Fabio Jakobsen. They will all ride the S-Works version of the Tarmac SL7, Specialized’s latest all-rounder race bike, which combines the aerodynamic efficiency of the outgoing Venge with the Tarmac’s legendary light weight and stiffness.

[button] SHOP SPECIALIZED ROAD BIKES [/button]

Cervelo S5

Team:  Jumbo-Visma

[product-block handle="2019-cervelo-s5-disc-m"/]

Jumbo-Visma is led by Primož Roglič, one of the top contenders for the yellow jersey, and Jonas Vingegaard, who was last year’s runner-up. In the high mountains, Roglič and Vingegaard will likely ride Cervélo’s lightweight R5. But on flat and fast stages where aerodynamics matter more, the wind-cheating S5 will be the choice. It has a sculpted aero frame, integrated aero cockpit, and an aggressive, low riding position. Expect Jumbo’s star all-rounder, Wout van Aert, to use the S5 in his hunt for sprint stage wins.

[button] SHOP CERVELO ROAD BIKES [/button]

Colnago V3Rs

Colnago V3Rs

Team:  UAE-Team Emirates

[product-block handle="colnago-v3rs-road-bike-2019-56s"/]

Two-time Tour winner, Tadej Pogačar, is cycling's biggest young talent and he’s the hands-down favorite to win the Tour for a third consecutive time. He gave Colnago its first official Tour win in 2020, and this year, he’ll continue riding the V3Rs aero race bike. Colnago better known for its beautiful lugged-carbon bikes, but went all in to design the ultimate race bike. The V3Rs uses a monocoque design that has been shaped in the wind tunnel with help from the aero experts at Ferrari.

[button] SHOP COLNAGO ROAD BIKES [/button]

Trek Emonda SLR

Trek Emonda SLR

Team:  Trek-Segafredo

[product-block handle="2021-trek-emonda-slr-7-xl"/]

Seasoned stage hunter Bauke Mollema and rising star Mads Pedersen will have a choice between the Madone SLR and the Emonda SLR. For flat stages the aero Madone will give Trek riders the aerodynamic advantage they need to push the pace. It’s just been updated for 2023, so unfortunately you can’t buy one just yet. Instead, look for the climb-conquering Emonda SLR. The Emonda has alway been the lightweight option for mountain stage, but with some new aero shaping it’s become a versatile all-rounder.

[button] SHOP TREK ROAD BIKES [/button]

[newsletter]

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

Teams:  Alpecin-Deceuninck, Movistar, Arkéa-Samsic

[product-block handle="2020-canyon-aeroad-cf-slx-disc-9-0-m"/]

Along with Specialized, Canyon is one of the most represented brand at the Tour with three teams. Multi-discipline phenom Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Deceuninck will be starting his second Tour de France, and hopefully this time he’ll ride the Aeroad all the way to the finish. Expect to see a battle for stage wins against his longtime rival, Wout van Aert. His weapons of choice will be the lightweight Canyon Ultimate for hilly stages and the aerodynamic Canyon Aeroad for flat stages.

[button] SHOP CANYON ROAD BIKES [/button]

BMC Teammachine SLR01

BMC Teammachine SLR01

Team:  AG2R Citroën

[product-block handle="2019-bmc-teammachine-slr01-disc-three-m-1"/]

BMC has designed the Teammachine to blur the lines between aero and lightweight climbing bikes. It even has a special bottle cage system designed to integrate with and enhance the frame’s aero shape. The French AG2R Citroën team will be relying on this all-rounder to bring the fight to bigger teams. The dream would be to have one of its French riders take a stage win on Bastille day. We’ll also be looking at Ben O’Connor to see if he can use the Teammachine to match his breakthrough fourth place finish at last year’s Tour.

[button] SHOP BMC ROAD BIKES [/button]

Cannondale SuperSix Evo

Cannondale SuperSix Evo

Teams: EF Education–TIBCO–SVB, EF Education-EasyPost

[product-block handle="2022-cannondale-supersix-evo-hi-mod-l"/]

This year will feature the first edition of Tour de France Femmes. The women’s race will last 8 days and take place after the Tour, with the first stage taking place on the Champs-Élysées. EF Education–TIBCO–SVB will be vying for glory aboard the latest Cannondale SuperSix Evo, which has been revamped to be both more aerodynamic and comfortable. It’s essentially the same bike used by the men’s EF Education-EasyPost team.

[button] SHOP CANNONDALE ROAD BIKES [/button]

Other Tour de France bike brands

This year’s Tour will feature 22 teams riding 18 different bike brands. We put the spotlight on seven brands here, but you’ll be able to find plenty of others as our inventory is constantly changing.

Shop other Tour de France brands in our inventory:

[button] Pinarello [/button] - Ineo Grenadiers

[button] Giant [/button] - Team BikeExchange-Jayco

[button] Wilier Triestina [/button] - Astana-Qazaqstan

[button] Ridley [/button] - Lotto-Soudal

[button] Factor [/button] - Israel Start-Up Nation

[button] Scott [/button] - Team DSM

[button] SHOP ALL ROAD BIKES [/button]

best tour de france bike brands

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best tour de france bike brands

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best tour de france bike brands

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Swiss Cycles

Tour de France winning bikes: Which brand has won the most Tours in history?

  • Cycling Expert
  • Cycling News

Tour de France winning bikes: Which brand has won the most Tours in history?

With 21 stages covering thousands of kilometres of flat, rolling and mountainous terrain, accompanied by the staccato efforts of the puncheurs, the enormously high power efforts of the sprinters, and the high-speed cornering that accompanies the descents, the Tour de France is one of the biggest tests a bike can face. 

While no bike could win the race alone without a deserving rider, the same can be said the other way round; any Tour de France winning bike has earned its place on the top step of the podium. 

2. Peugeot – 10 wins

Peugeot has been making bicycles since the early 1800s, and while today it is best known for its cars, the French brand still produces a range of road, commuter, and mountain bikes, and even sponsor an eMTB team.

Originally from Sochaux, France, the French brand earned its first Tour de France victory in 1905 with French rider Louis Trousselier and most recently in 1977 with Bernard Thévenet riding a Peugeot PY-10.

While Peugeot’s official Tour de France count is 10, they were also part of the collective of French automotive manufacturers that banded together after World War I under the moniker La Sportive to provide bikes for the race between 1919 and 1921. La Sportive has won in all three of these editions, which in part can be attributed to Peugeot.

3. L’Auto – 10 wins

In 1903, Henri Desgrange, the editor of the newspaper L’Auto founded the Tour de France as a publicity stunt for his waining publication — spoiler alert, it worked.

As Desgrange was running the race and setting the rules, in 1930, he banned trade teams and only allowed national teams to participate, stipulating that each rider had to use a generic bicycle. For those years, every rider from the yellow jersey winner to the lantern rouge competed on a yellow road bike with L’Auto painted on the downtube. 

 4. Gitane – 9 wins

With nine Tour de France victories, French outfit Gitane made the bikes which Laurent Fignon and Bernard Hinault rode to Tour de France wins. The brand was widespread through the professional peloton from the 1960s through to the 1980s, and was also well known for producing motorcycles, also supporting moto racing teams during this period as well. 

In 1972, Gitane produced the “Tour de France”, which was a lightweight (for the time) frame, made from Reynolds 531 tubing and served as the brand’s race bike, until it went on hiatus from the WorldTour. 

After a few name changes and transfers of ownership, Gitane ended up as part of the same brand portfolio as Peugeot and B.H, under the umbrella of Cyclegroup — which later was purchased by a Swedish firm that now also owns Bianchi. 

5. Alcyon – 7 wins

With seven wins to its name, Alcyon, like so many of the brands that provided bikes to early Tour teams, made bikes, cars, and motorcycles. The brand’s first-ever win in the Tour de France came from the Luxembourgian François Faber, who also clinched five stage victories in that edition. 

Alcyon sponsored a team through the 1920s and was becoming a force in the peloton winning the 1927, 1928 and 1929 editions, but was stopped short due to Desgrange’s ban on trade teams in 1930.

6. Merckx – 5 wins

If we are going by what was written on the down tube, Merckx would be the next on our list though by all accounts, the Cannibal was riding bikes built by Masi and Kessels. With the brand now being produced by the Belgian Bike Factory (who also make Ridley), and sponsor the AG2R La Mondial team, Romain Bardet and Pierre Latour have the chance to add to this tally in 2020. 

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Cycling Today

The top 3 most dominant bike brands at the Tour de France

pinarello

Cycling, in its modern form, has its roots in the late 19 th century. Originating in western Europe, the sport most likely began in France, Spain, and Italy, where the most prominent cycling races are held today. The Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta a España, and most famous of all, the Tour de France, collectively called the Grand Tours, are the most popular, and biggest cycling events being held today.

The Grand Tours, especially the Tour de France, are some of the most famous sporting events in the world. They also hold the distinction of being the only stage races which are allowed to last more than 14 days. All three of the Grand Tours are men’s events, and women’s alternative to these events do not exist.

The popularity of the Grand Tours has attracted numerous bettors from all over the world. Cycling is, overall, not a very popular betting sport, however, the Grand Tours attract a lot more bettors than other cycling events. Most cycling bets are what is called a fixed bet, meaning that bettors put money on a rider, or a team who they think will cross the finish line first.

Recently, online betting has supplemented land-based betting shops, and the best new betting sites at Helpbet have been becoming more and more popular, not just among Grand Tour bettors, but also among bettors of other sports, such as football, tennis, cricket, etc.

The Tour de France has seen several riders, bikes, and bike brands pass through their stages, and in this article, we are going to take a look at the bike brands which have stood atop as the best of the best.

Peugeot is known today for its cars, however, few people know that the company produces some of the best quality mountain, road, and commuter bikes, and has been doing so since the early 19 th century. Peugeot bikes have a Tour de France count of 10, with some of the best cyclists, like Lucien Georges Mazan and Louis Trousselier riding for the company. While Peugeot’s official count is 10, the company technically has 13 wins, as they were a part of the group La Sportive, which was formed after the First World War, and has won three races in the Tour de France.

Pinarello is the most successful bike brand on the Tour de France, with a total of 15 victories. The first Pinarello win was in 1988, piloted by Pedro Delgado. All throughout the nineties, the company would see many victories on the Grant Tours, and their bikes would be ridden by some of the best cyclists to ever compete in the Tour de France.

The founding of the Tour de France is a fascinating and hilarious story. The founder, Henri Desgrange, founded the tournament as a publicity stunt for his failing newspaper, L’Auto. As he was the sole rule-maker for the races, Desgrange, in 1930, decided he would ban trade teams, and all riders would have to ride generic bikes. For the following years, all riders rode yellow bikes, with the word “L’Auto” painted on them. This results in L’Auto being, officially, the third best performing bike brand on the Tour de France, with 10 victories overall.

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Are the bikes the pros ride at the Tour de France the same as you can buy in the bike shop?

Are the bikes the pros ride at the Tour de France the same as you can buy in the bike shop?

You may have heard that professional cyclists use extra-special bikes, and you may be wondering if they are in any way similar to the very best ones you can actually buy in your local bike shop. Let's have a look at just how similar pro bikes are to the real deal, and what makes them so eye-wateringly expensive. 

2023 Wout Van Aert Green cervelo S5

> Check out Wout Van Aert’s super-fast Cervelo S5 aero road bike

An appealing part of professional cycling is that you can walk into a bike shop and ride away on a road bike very similar to the ones ridden by the likes of Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar.

Broadly speaking, the answer to the question of whether pro bikes are the same as the ones that you or I can buy in the shops is: yes. All you have to do is spend in excess of £10,000 and you'll be presented with something very similar to the ones being raced towards Paris. 

But, let's take a look at what makes these bikes different to the ones ridden by the pros. It's not a case of saying that these bikes will be identical. There may be similarities in terms of the brand and model, but the pros often have custom-built or specifically modified bikes that cater to their needs and preferences. 

Some parts that the pros add to their bikes you can buy, but some could be worse for you and your riding than the stuff you'll get as stock components. 

Nothing is as simple as yes or no, so let’s dive a little bit deeper and look at the individual parts that make up a pro bike. There are plenty of tips we can take away. 

2023 Dauphine Canyon Aeroad - 1

> 2023 Tour de France bikes — your definitive guide to what the top pro cycling teams are riding this year

The main component of any bike is the frameset, and the top-end models you'll see in bike shops are the same as the ones that the pros are riding.

Pro bikes have the lightest, stiffest versions of those frames, and they often have them well ahead of general sale, with the Tour de France being a showground for many prototype bikes. 

One thing we know for certain is that you should be able to get your hands on a frame that's the same as your favourite rider's, as anything used in the Tour de France must be released to the public sooner or later. 

2023 Dauphine Scott Foil Team DSM - 1

> Affordable* pro race bikes from Specialized, Canyon, Trek, Pinarello, Cannondale and more

However, there have been some instances where riders have requested their sponsors make one-off bikes with special geometries just for them. That list includes names like Fabian Cancellara and Peter Sagan, who both previously had custom-made versions of their team’s race bike because they didn’t like the geometry (the frame’s measurements) of the standard-issue bike.

When you're one of the biggest names in the men's professional peloton, you can request things like that. But on the whole, pro riders generally ride the same frames that you can buy. 

2023 Paris Roubaix Mathieu van der Poel © Zac Williams-SWpix.com - 1

However, if you're looking for exact team replicas, they aren't as much of a thing as in the late 90s. Many team paint jobs aren't quite as distinctive either.

This means that although you can buy the same Cervelo S5 aero road bike as Van Aert, you may have to leave the Jumbo-Visma paint job behind - unless you get your hands on one at an end-of-season auction for a sizeable fee.

As with bike frames, there's rarely any groupset component on display that you won’t find on high-end bikes in your local bike shop. Although, pro riders often have access to the latest and most advanced versions of these groupsets, before they are made available to us. 

2023 Dauphine Jumbo chainset - 1.jpeg

> Your complete guide to SRAM road bike groupsets

The choice of groupset depends primarily on team sponsorship, and of the 18 WorldTour men's teams, 12 use Shimano groupsets, only one runs Campagnolo and the rest are on SRAM. 

You might find the odd pro bike sporting a power meter that isn't sponsor-correct, but the electronic shifting provided by the main three groupset manufacturers is so good that we rarely see anyone stray from their sponsor products.

Riders may also opt for swapping out the standard outer ring for one with more teeth, particularly if a stage is set to end in a fast sprint or in a flat time trial stage.

More recently we've seen Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert ditch this outer ring altogether, switching to a single chainring setup for the opening stages of the 2023 Tour de France. 

2023 Tour de France Stage 1 Vingegaared © Zac WiLLIAMS SWpix.com (t-a Photography Hub Ltd) - 1 (1)

Pic © Zac Williams SWpix.com 

> Jonas Vingegaard uses 1x gearing for Tour de France opening stages

The shifters are an area where pro bikes may differ from one you can get off the shelf, but it doesn't mean you can't make the same modifications too. Back in 2019, we did see some of the SRAM-sponsored Trek-Segafredo riders using Shimano’s Di2 sprint shifters instead of the SRAM Blips. 

These modified satellite shifter buttons allow riders to shift gears when resting their hands on the tops of the bars, and you can certainly buy these special shifters with your new bike. We'd recommend asking the mechanic if they could fit them for you, though. 

Wheels and tyres

2022 wheel group test: Campag, HED, Roval

> Are expensive carbon road bike wheels worth the money?

Many of the bikes in your local bike shop are likely to come with cheaper aluminium wheels, but you won't find stock aluminium wheelsets anywhere near a pro bike. 

Carbon fibre wheels are the only options for the pros, because they offer superior performance as they can be lighter, more aerodynamic and stiffer, which all add up to being faster. 

While the wheel choice of the teams comes largely down to the sponsors, it's not uncommon to see non-sponsor wheels used. Ineos have used wheels from boutique German brand Lightweight in the mountains, and Aerocoach wheels often featuring in time trials.

In the Dauphine, about half of Astana Qazaqstan were spotted using HED wheels, while others remained on Corima. Astana didn't seem to be trying to hide the fact they were using them with the rather huge blue decals. 

2023 Astana HED wheels corima wheels on team car

> New bikes, wheels and components break cover ahead of Tour de France – here's 8 things we learnt at the Dauphiné

Riders have a variety of depths to choose from depending on the race conditions, terrain and personal preference. There has been a shift towards tubeless tyres - although tubular is still used, where the tyre is glued to the wheel rim. 

Why? The main reason for sticking with 'tubs' is that if you puncture, the tyres usually remain somewhat rideable for longer than clinchers or tubeless clinchers. You can keep on riding in relative safety until your team car comes up to you, giving you a shorter chase back onto the peloton. A clincher or tubeless tyre isn’t glued onto the rim and once deflated, there isn’t much holding it onto the rim.

Generally, a tubular tyre and wheel system is still lighter than tubeless, but bikes that you'll see in a shop will always come with clincher or tubeless tyres nowadays. Tubular tyres are specialist equipment designed for racing, and while it's easy to get hold of tubular tyres, you'll need to fit the right wheels in order to use them.

Bike position 

2023 Dauphine Colnago V4Rs Yates - 5.jpeg

This isn’t strictly a difference between shop bikes and pro bikes, as you can set your bike up in any way that you choose - but the number of pro riders with long, low and narrow positions is greater than you’d see on the average club ride.

Pro riders have access to regular bike fittings to ensure an ideal fit and to maximise their efficiency and comfort, while also stretching every day to keep them comfortable in what can look like back-breaking positions.

They may also have personalised adjustments to their handlebars, stem, saddle, and pedals based on their riding style and body proportions.

> How to make your bike more comfortable

The bikes in a shop will be set up differently for one key reason: comfort. Generally, they will feature a wider and higher handlebar position that is also closer to the saddle. This will often be more comfortable for the average human who is buying the bike.

A good shop will always adjust the position for you, so you can replicate those super-low racer positions if you want. Just be ready to see a chiropractor when your back goes!

Some tips and tricks 

Electrical tape is your best friend.

2023 Garmin Edge 840 Solar - on bike 2.jpg

A team's mechanic will always have electrical tape to hand, and it can be very useful for stopping rattles and unwanted movement. For example, riders will use tape inside their computer mounts to stop their bike computer from going walkies.

The pro team mechanics will also put bar tape on the riders' pedals to stop any unwanted movement. Both are neat tricks that you can employ yourself.

Bike too light? Use aluminium parts

If you have deep pockets, your bike might actually be lighter than a pro bike because the UCI enforces a 6.8kg minimum weight limit for bikes at UCI-sanctioned events. 

If a pro bike is a bit too light, riders will often opt for an aluminium handlebar or stem to bring the weight up. These are also less likely to snap when there is a pile-up... and there are lots of pile-ups in the Tour de France.

The versatile Sharpie 

Aside from signing autographs, looking closely at some pro bikes - especially the tyres and saddles - you'll see that a whole load of fun has been had with a Sharpie permanent marker. 

tour_tech_2018_-_vincenzo_nibali_fizik_antares_no_logos_-_1.jpg

> Check out the best road bike saddles 2023 

If a rider doesn’t like the sponsor’s saddle and they’re an important rider, then they will sometimes just use their preferred perch and scribble out the logo.  Tyres are a big culprit for this too. 

Sponsorship logos... everywhere 

While paint jobs on pro bikes aren't always as distinctive anymore, the sponsors of the jersey, groupset, wheels, power meter, brake pads and even the team owner's family plumbing business get their logo somewhere on the bike. 

Pro bikes often start with the same design that you can buy in the bike shop, but can end up looking a bit of a mess after the sponsors have got to work. 

2023 Tour de France stage 3 Jasper Philipsen, Phil Bauhaus, Caleb Ewan © Zac WiLLIAMS SWpix.com (t-a Photography Hub Ltd) - 1

So, to summarise, brands want pros riding and winning on their bikes to make them more appealing to consumers, and this means many manufacturers offer versions of professional bikes for sale to the general public. They are inspired by their professional counterparts, but may have slight modifications to suit recreational riders. 

So, while you may not be riding an exact replica of a professional cyclist's bike, you can get pretty close. 

Which pro team bike would you most like to buy? Let us know in the comments section below.

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best tour de france bike brands

Emily is our track and road racing specialist, having represented Great Britain at the World and European Track Championships. With a National Title up her sleeve, Emily has just completed her Master’s in Sports Psychology at Loughborough University where she raced for Elite Development Team, Loughborough Lightning.

Emily is our go-to for all things training and when not riding or racing bikes, you can find her online shopping or booking flights…the rest of the office is now considering painting their nails to see if that’s the secret to going fast…

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I know my Trek frame is exactly the same as used by the pro team albeit with Ultegra, but I don't really believe that should always be the case. The UCI rule is all bikes and components should be available to the public to buy. But why? Is it really neccessary? So long as those pro bikes conform to a strict spec in the name of fairness and financial equality to all teams I dont really think its should be. 

I could buy a top of the range bike that costs £10k+ but am I really ever going to make it go as fast as a pro? Never in a million years. If you look at F1 you can't buy and legally drive one on the roads. Same goes for MOTOGP. They are not available to buy road legal bikes. Am I ever going to go as fast as Valentino Rossi down the M1? I don't see why cycling has to be this sport where items have to be off the shelf.

Top brands can and would still sell very hight spec bikes to the public and I don't think it would even effect sales if the very very top end frames and components were not for sale to the general public. There are dozens of brands out there who are making exceptional bikes that don't sponsor a World or Continental league team. Really, how many people own a Pinarello Dogma F with 12sp Dura-ace or an S-Works Tarmac? I see them occasionally and more often than not the person on them are not what i'd call in 'prime' physical condition. Would they still buy the best bike available to them even if it were several rungs lower on the spec ladder? Of course they would. They are not going to suddenly shun the sport cos they can't climb aboard the same bike as their favourite pro athlete. 

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I'd bloody well hope the bikes the pros ride are different to the ones you can buy in shops. The ones in shops should have longer-lasting components, especially when it comes to things like bearings. Top pros can use ceramic bearings and sewing machine oil, because they have a team of mechanics to overhaul them after every stage/race. But it goes further than that. The average amateur fat bastard (comparatively speaking) should probably have at least a couple more spokes per wheel than the skinny pros.

I've always thought it was silly that bike manufacturers use the same models of highly-stressed components like wheels and seat posts across their size range. It means that either those on XS models are pushing around unnecessary weight, or those on XL frames will inevitably break things. It is particuarly stupid on e-bikes, as a motor that will feel incredible to a small woman will barely make any difference to a large man.

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Visma-Lease a Bike 2024 Season Preview—Can the Superteam Continue to Reign Supreme?

The team is full of super stars— Tour de France Winner Jonas Vingegaard, Vuelta a España winner Sepp Kuss, and the incomparable Wout van Aert. But can Visma-Lease a Bike continue to dominate in 2024?

cycling ned visma

Launched to the finish line with a fabulous lead-out from Belgium’s Wout van Aert, Kooij started his celebration a bit too early perhaps—but the 22-year-old had done enough to secure the first win of the season for himself and his team.

Van Aert added to the team’s early tally five days later, winning Stage 3 of five stages in Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, the only stage race he’ll complete during the first racing phase of his season.

These were victories that will be forgotten after van Aert and the rest of the team’s talented Classics squad head to Belgium for the Classics in mid-February, starting with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the opening race of the Belgian calendar and the event considered by most pundits and aficionados to mark the “real” start to the season.

So before the rubber meets the cobbles, it’s a good time to take a look at the Dutch super team’s prospects heading into the 2024 season (on the men’s side at least) and the riders expected to create (or play a hand in creating) most of the headlines for the team this year.

But first, a look back at 2023

The 2023 season was a record-breaking one for Jumbo-Visma’s men’s team. The Dutch squad became the first in the sport’s history to win all three grand tours in a single season with Slovenia's Primož Roglič winning his first Giro d’Italia , Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard defending his title at the Tour de France , and American Sepp Kuss taking a surprise victory at the Vuelta a España, with Vingegaard and Roglič joining him on the final podium. It was the first time one team had swept all three podium spots in a single grand tour. It sounds like a dream season—and in many ways it was.

But there were some hiccups as well. First, van Aert failed to win either the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix—again—continuing a losing streak in the cobbled Monuments that just adds to the already immense amounts of pressure on the Belgian superstar.

Then, the team’s previous title sponsor, Jumbo, announced in the middle of the season it was pulling out of the sport, leaving one of pro cycling’s biggest (and most expensive) teams looking for a new backer.

Making things even more awkward, after the Tour de France there were talks of possible merger with Belgium’s Soudal-Quick Step, a move that would have left several riders and staff looking for new jobs while creating a super-team unlike any the sport has ever seen. Everyone was concerned about what such a merger would have meant for the sport, but luckily it never came to pass after Visma stepped-up to fill Jumbo’s place and Lease a Bike came in to cover Visma’s. (Cycling sponsorship often works a lot like a big game of financial Tetris. )

Then there was the Vuelta, which on paper looked like a resounding success, but almost didn’t turn out that way after Vingegaard and Roglič (seemingly in conflict with each other) couldn’t get their acts together to help Kuss defend his lead in the Spanish grand tour. A few weeks after the race was over, we learned that Roglič was leaving the team for BORA-hansgrohe. A coincidence? We don’t think so.

And the drama continued well into the off-season. In December Richard Plugge, the team’s managing director, dropped a bombshell by announcing that Belgium’s Cian Uijtdebroeks–considered by many to be a future grand tour contender—was joining the team from BORA-hansgrohe. BORA promptly denied the rumors –which Uijtdebroeks’s agent disputed—and after a few more days of negotiations (which drew the ire of some of the sport’s other team managers) and a lot more money (we assume), the transfer was completed.

What about 2024?

Well, the team’s wish list likely goes something like this:

  • Win a third Tour de France (preferably with Vingegaard)
  • Win the Tour of Flanders and/or Paris-Roubaix (preferably with van Aert)
  • Win as much as possible along the way.

Simple, right?

Well, if you’re Visma–Lease a Bike, the answer is a resounding, “Sorta?” Winning races such as the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix is never easy, but when you’ve assembled a roster like Visma–Lease a Bike has, it’s easy to see why they fancy their chances in just about any race on the calendar.

Who’s the Man of the Hour?

When you’ve won the last two Tours de France—and both times done so by defeating a legendary talent like Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)—you’re clearly your team’s marquee rider. That’s the case with Vingegaard, who crushed Pog at the beginning of the third week to win his second consecutive Tour and then almost won the Vuelta a Espana (albeit at the expense of Kuss, his teammate).

Heading into 2024, Visma’s taking the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach to the 27-year-old’s program, starting with the Gran Camino at the end of February, which he won last year. Then he’ll race Tirreno-Adriatico in March, the Tour of the Basque Country in April, and the Critérium du Dauphiné in early June. In between he’ll spend lots and lots of time at high-altitude training camps.

And the biggest test of Vingegaard’s career will come at this year’s Tour de France, where he’ll face a familiar foe in Pogačar, a new foe (Tour-wise) in Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick Step), and a formerly-unofficial-but-now-official foe in Roglič, who was essentially forced to leave the team to have any chance of winning a Tour de France of his own. If he’s able to win a third Tour against this level of competition, we might have to call the Dane the best pure grand tour rider of his generation.

Is anyone on the Hot Seat?

Let’s be clear: Wout van Aert is not on the hot seat at Visma-Lease a Bike. He’s without a doubt one of the five most talented riders in the sport and just about every single team in the peloton would be doing backflips to sign him away if they had the money and the chance.

But van Aert has failed to deliver in the races he [[EMDASH]] and Visma [[EMDASH]] covet the most: the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. It’s not entirely his fault: in 2022 he was in the form of his life but tested positive for COVID-19 a few days before Flanders. He returned in time for Roubaix, but was clearly a bit undertrained. Yet still finished second.

Last year he was again among the top pre [[no hyphen-]] race favorites heading into Flanders, but he banged his knee in an early crash and just didn’t have the legs to follow attacks in the finale. He was better at Roubaix, but flatted while attacking on the Carrefour de l’Arbe with about 17K left to race. He had a decent gap at the time, and we can’t help but wonder if anyone would have caught him had he not punctured.

But while it’s not entirely his fault, great riders find a way to either overcome bad luck or manufacture good luck of their own. And that’s where van Aert seems to come up short [[EMDASH]] especially against guys like the Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Pogačar.

Van der Poel is without a doubt van Aert’s biggest nemesis: the Dutchman already lives in Belgium to avoid paying Dutch income tax and it appears he lives rent-free in van Aert’s head as well. A win for van Aert in either cobbled Monument would flip the script for the Belgian. But until that happens, he will always face immense pressure from the Belgian press, the Belgian fanbase, and himself.

That’s a lot of star power. Does the team have any unsung heroes?

Like van Aert, Tiesj Benoot knows a thing or two about pressure from the Belgian press. The 29-year-old finished fifth at his first Tour of Flanders in 2015 [[EMDASH]] at just 21 years of age [[EMDASH]] and was immediately anointed as the nation’s next Tom Boonen . (Belgians love crushing the careers of young riders by calling them the “next fill-in-the-blank-with-a-Belgian-legend.”)

Aside from winning Strade Bianche in 2018, wins were few and far between for Benoot, who spent a couple lackluster seasons at Team Sunweb/DSM before being wisely scooped up by Jumbo-Visma [[EMDASH]] who turned him into an elite jack-of-all trades, a “domestique deluxe” who can handle himself on the cobbles, in the Ardennes, and in the Tour de France.

Strong and selfless, the Belgian has finally tapped into a steady stream of the talent that peaked through earlier in his career, and he’s happy to use it for the sake of Vingegaard and van Aert.

Who’s the team’s best new rider heading into 2024?

Always on the look-out for the next big thing (cough–Uijtdebroeks—cough), Visma has already found its next Benoot in American Matteo Jorgenson . Like Benoot, the 24-year-old seems at home on all sorts of terrain, having already excelled on the cobbles and at the Tour de France while riding for Movistar the past four seasons.

Big and strong, he’s the perfect type of rider for a team like Visma, and he should slot in right away alongside van Aert in the cobbled Classics and Vingegaard at the Tour.

And we suspect Visma views him as more than just a future super-domestique. Like most riders do after joining the team, he’ll improve drastically with the support of the team’s coaches and physiologists. So there’s no telling where his ceiling really is.

Who’s the team’s biggest departure?

It must have been hard for the team to say goodbye to Roglič —who won three Vueltas, a Giro d’Italia, and scores of other races for the team since joining it in 2016. The Slovenian was largely responsible for ushering in the team’s transformation from being a really good team to being a true super-team and almost won the squad its first Tour de France in 2020. So it’s easy to understand why the team graciously cooperated in facilitating his departure from the team in exchange for another chance to try and win the Tour de France.

But it was also a selfish move, a true case of addition by subtraction. Just ask Kuss , who almost watched his chance to win last year’s Vuelta go up the road while Roglič refused to accept the fact that his chance of winning a fourth Tour of Spain disappeared when the team sent Kuss up the road in a breakaway during the first week.

So while the team will miss the WorldTour points that Roglič earned each season (sorta), they won’t miss having to reconcile the ambitions of two (or more) riders who can justifiably lay claim to the team’s captaincy in grand tours.

Who’s the team’s best up-and-comer or rookie?

Norway’s Johannes Staune-Mittet is one of the hottest young talents in the sport, a rider who’s already won two of the world’s three most prestigious stage races for Under-23 riders—the Ronde de l'Isard and the Giro Next Gen—and finished second in the third—Tour de l’Avenir, which is like a mini-Tour de France for riders under 23-years-old.

There should be no pressure on Staune-Mittet during his first full season with Visma-Lease a Bike’s WorldTour squad (he raced with their development team from 2021 through 2023). But if all goes as planned, he’ll be ready (alongside guys like Uijtdebroeks and possibly Jorgenson) to lead the team himself in the future. In the meantime, we expect him to win a race or three when given the chance—especially in minor stage races that the team has to send a team to while the squad’s heavy hitters are at training camps.

What about Sepp Kuss?

Well, his Vuelta a España win last fall was certainly no fluke, but it does complicate things for the American and his team. We were hoping he’d get a chance to race the Giro d’Italia, where he could have had the team all to himself. But the team clearly wants him at his best for the Tour de France, where he’ll be a valuable lieutenant (and Plan B) alongside Vingegaard.

But while Kuss has refused to downplay his chances of possibly winning another grand tour—as he shouldn’t—we just don’t see it happening. Last year’s victory—while not a fluke—was indeed a surprise. And we doubt that other teams would have let him gain so much time during the Vuelta’s first week had they known he would still be in contention by the third. In other words, it’s one thing to win a race when no one’s expecting you to, it’s another thing entirely to win one when everyone is.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Best French Bicycle Brands: Top 30 Manufacturers in France

French man with a moustache riding a bicycle in Paris

By Lawrence Goozee

Updated Feb 05, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links, which help to keep Discerning Cyclist rolling. Learn more .

Few countries rival France when it comes to cycling. With a long-standing history of producing some of the world’s best bicycles, from Tour de France racers to casual cruisers, there’s a French bike brand for almost every type of cyclist.

With so many different options to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide on the perfect bike. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 30 French bike manufacturers.

In this article, we’ll first look at some general trends and statistics in French bike manufacturing. Then, we’ll not only outline our top 30, as well as our list of French e-bike manufacturers, but we’ll also give our shortlist of the top 5 from across the whole country. So without further ado, let’s jump into it.

Are Many Bikes Made in France?

While the nature of the French bike industry is changing, there continues to be a significant number of bikes made in France. In 2022, according to Eurostat , the country manufactured around 450,000 bicycles , making them the 10th largest producer in the European Union .

Whilst cycling in France has always had not just its romantic -and practical- appeal, it’s become increasingly popular again over the last few years. Though the cultural significance of cycling, as well as the apparency of its environmental benefits, are both causes of this, so is the rich heritage of quality and innovation when it comes to French bicycle manufacturing. 

However, while their heritage is principally in road bikes, their future is in electric bikes , where both domestic and imported brands enjoy an explosion in popularity nationwide. In fact, in 2022 alone, nearly 740,000 e-bikes were sold in France . 

cyclist on a bike

French Bike Brands and Manufacturers

Here’s a list of the 30 top French bike brands and manufacturers. It’s worth noting that there are many classic brands that, whilst having had a great influence , are no longer producing bikes and, as such, are not listed here. 

Best French Bike Brands (Top 5)

moustasche bike brand

1. Moustache 

With e-bikes set to dominate the French bicycle market, some great domestic contenders are looking to take advantage of the boom.

From their modest-sized factory in Bosges, Moustache Bikes is a 100% electric brand who are a leading provider of e-bikes in France. Offering a range of electric bikes, from kids to cargo, they’ve got an e-bike for everyone.

Utilising Bosch Technology, some of the most reliable and performance-oriented in the industry, they produce electric bikes which are extremely functional, effective, and durable.

Their current range of 69 bikes is carefully and beautifully designed to offer real alternatives to automobiles in France. If their success story continues, there’s little doubt that they will become the favoured choice nationwide with their bikes which aren’t just good for the present, but also for the future. 

la pierre bike brand

2. Lapier re

With a history spanning 75 years, Lapierre is no newcomer to the French bike industry. Bringing together a wealth of experience and expertise in manufacturing, this long-standing brand has continued to excel.

Specialising in both electric and non-electric road, MTB, and gravel bikes, they continue to impress with their innovative design and exceptional customer service.

Whilst they operate in several categories, they are truly renowned for their mountain bikes, considered by many to be some of the best in the world. Rigorously tested by professionals, and still assembled in France to this day, they’re a favourite for those who value attention to detail, performance, and quality.

look cycles bike brand

3. Look Cy cle

Another brand with a rich history of cycling excellence is LOOK.

At the performance end of road cycling, few other brands can celebrate such innovation as LOOK. In the 1980s, taking design elements from their skiing heritage, their celebrated and revolutionary automatic pedal helped Hinault on to victory in the Tour de France.

Since then, their aims have not diffused largely, and they continue to specialise in top-of-the-line electric pedals, as well as carbon frames.

Recommended by professionals and coveted by enthusiasts, their products have become legendary in the French performance cycling scene and remain so to this day.

peugeot cycles logo

4. Peuge ot

If there’s a cycling brand that needs little to no introduction, it’s Peugeot.

With roots in the late 19th century, Armand Peugeot began manufacturing bikes, and by the early 20th century Peugeot had become one of the most successful bike manufacturers in the country.

It soon became a major contender in the racing world, sponsoring several professional cyclists, like Paul Bourillon, and since its founding the cycling division now celebrates 10 Tour de France victories, a feat only topped by Pinarello.

These days, the legendary French brand has diversified into almost all categories of cycling, but has established itself particularly in the field of e-bikes, where it continues to be a main contender.

voltaire bikes

5. Voltaire

Voltaire develops electric bikes that cater to different needs and preferences, from daily commuters to adventurous riders.

Born in 2018, this young brand is redefining the French cycling experience by creating elegant and sleek bikes with a contemporary electrical system, making them not only stylish, but practical too.

Their city models have made them exceedingly popular across the country, and are a great solution to the ever-growing traffic problems of the French city centres.

One of their most popular models, the step-through ‘ Bellecour ‘ is a great illustration of this. Inspired by the iconic mechanical French bicycles of the 1960s, the design retains its vintage charm while incorporating (and concealing!) some excellent electrical components, such as a premium Samsung battery.

French E-Bike Brands

E-bikes around the world are growing in popularity, and France is certainly no exception to the rule, boasting a market that’s showing significant growth and potential.

According to forecasts, the value of the e-bike market in France is expected to rise from $1.32 billion to almost $2.3 billion between 2021 and 2027.

Already, their significance is showing, and of the cumulative sales of nearly $3.6 billion achieved in the bicycle market in France in 2022, e-bikes made up around half of the French bicycle market share value.

Whilst there are plenty of new e-bike brands emerging in France, there’s also been a clear diversification from the long-standing heritage brands that are introducing electrical bikes to remain competitive and relevant.

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Mark Cavendish eyes Tour de France record as Red Bull set to join peloton

  • Published 21 February

Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish has won 35 Tour de France stages, a record he shares with Belgium's Eddy Merckx

Mark Cavendish's final season in the saddle is already off to a winning start, and his bid for Tour de France history promises to be one of the main storylines of this campaign.

But with cycling's profile continuing to rise after its Netflix treatment, the arrival of a blue-chip sponsor which has dominated another sport adds even more intrigue to the season ahead.

Cavendish could finally break the Tour's stage wins record he shares with the legendary Eddy Merckx this year.

The Manxman's response to his Tour of Colombia stage win earlier this month was simply that it was "nice to get the [sprinting] train dialled" for his Astana-Qazaqstan team, hinting at the bigger goals ahead.

Cavendish's programme gets under way in earnest this week at the UAE Tour, where several of the world's best meet for the first time this season.

What could be most exciting about his final, final comeback, is none of road cycling's current top sprinters have been able to dominate as Cavendish himself once did, save for Jasper Philipsen reaching his peak during last year's Tour de France.

Cavendish on his comebacks - 'I don't want anyone else to go through what I have'

Wout van Aert

Red Bull sponsor individual athletes, such as Belgian sensation Wout van Aert, but soon they could be as influential in the peloton as they are in Formula 1

Will Red Bull shake up the peloton?

However Cavendish's season unfolds, it is likely to be one of the stories that transcends a growing sport.

Cycling's rise is thanks, in part, to a second series of Tour de France: Unchained on Netflix, which features the ups and downs of teams across the peloton in the same way Drive to Survive does for Formula 1.

But also because a team synonymous with motorsport's top table, Red Bull, is set to join the peloton.

The German Bora-Hansgrohe team is in its own right one of the sport's better financed outfits, but it looks likely to form a partnership with the soft drinks giant which could see the creation of another super-team - assuming Austria's version of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission approves the deal. , external

Very little detail of the collaboration is known at the moment, but as anyone in the F1 paddock will tell you, Red Bull tend to do sport properly.

Dutch giant Jumbo-Visma dominated last year, winning all three Grand Tours - the Tour de France with Jonas Vingegaard, the Giro d'Italia through Primoz Roglic and Vuelta a Espana for Sepp Kuss.

This season, as Visma-Lease A Bike, they are expected to once again be the team to beat, alongside the Emirati-financed, Tadej Pogacar-led UAE Team Emirates.

Tom Pidcock

Tom Pidcock will attempt to win some of the big one-day classics races this year, which include 'monuments' such as Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders

Will Ineos win the Tour de France this year?

Cycling's other super-team is, of course, Ineos Grenadiers: owned by British billionaire businessman and cycling fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who - despite finding a new toy in Manchester United - is dedicated to maintaining a substantial influence on the peloton, according to the team's new boss John Allert.

"We have a fixed budget; it hasn't gone down," says Allert, who takes over as managing director from Rod Ellingworth - the position once held in such glittering fashion by Sir Dave Brailsford.

Allert added: "There's a lot said about it, but we believe we have a budget that will enable us to win Grand Tour races - whether or not the budget is the largest in the sport, I'm no longer clear. It is everything we need it to be."

Allert, 55, refuses to rule out one of his own riders winning the Tour de France. But he has been around long enough to know the smart money is still with last year's winner Vingegaard.

In 2023, the Dane finished a staggering seven minutes ahead of Slovenia's much-admired Pogacar, leaving both on two Tour career wins each, and locked in an annual battle for the sport's top honours no other riders can get near in France.

Josh Tarling

Ineos prospect Josh Tarling, 20, has high hopes for the future

British talent could spring a surprise

That is not to say there cannot be some big moments for British riders on the road this year.

Josh Tarling is one of Ineos' most exciting prospects, having won the British and European time trial championships in his first year of World Tour competition in 2023.

He sees the scrutiny of being in a top team with high expectations to regain its status at the top as motivation.

"It's exciting. I can be a part of the next time [Ineos] win the Tour. We're in a good place now; there's loads of young riders, we're all performing, all good friends. All the building blocks are there."

Tarling turned 20 last week, and is already excelling in the discipline against the clock for which former British Tour winners Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins were among the sport's greatest.

No one is saying Tarling will win the Tour just yet, but Ineos have always blooded their champions gently and without expectation - including 2018 winner Geraint Thomas, another time trial specialist.

And 2024 will see the return of another former Ineos Grand Tour winner, Tao Geoghegan Hart.

His brilliant 2020 Giro d'Italia victory often feels overshadowed by the Covid crisis, and his many subsequent injuries.

But the 28-year-old now heads up the harlequin-styled American Lidl-Trek team as one of their brightest prospects for success at the Tour.

Pogacar himself must surely have a less-demanding programme this year after proclaiming he was "dead" during last year's Tour capitulation.

Many in the peloton feel the balance between race fitness and recuperation is the hardest to strike in the modern era.

Maybe riders, trainers and team bosses alike should ask Cavendish for some advice - at 38 he is still winning, and seems to know better than anyone.

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Tour de France tech: The biggest bikes and components on the biggest stage

What tech to keep an eye out for at this year's race

The Tour de France organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), sent an email communication last week showcasing some of the numbers and scale of French Grand Tour.

New Specialized aero bike spotted at Criterium du Dauphine

Trek Madone Disc spotted at Criterium du Dauphine - Gallery

Disc brakes expected to proliferate at Tour de France after UCI approval

Pierre Rolland's Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod - Gallery

Specialized S-Works Venge: lighter, faster and all-in on Shimano discs

As well as the 176 professional riders lining up at the Grand Depart on Saturday, ASO expects 10-12 million fans to line the roads of France and Spain throughout July. Alongside these fans, 29,000 police officers will be deployed along the route, 2,000 accredited journalists will be in attendance and the race will be broadcast in 190 countries.

Put simply, if you have access to this audience, the Tour de France is the biggest and best cycling event in the world to launch and showcase your new products.

Aero is everything

In 2017, it was the year of the all-around race bike. The new Specialized Tarmac and Trek Emonda were seen for the first time in the Tour de France build-up races - the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de Suisse - and this year, the biggest brands in cycling are back again, this time with new aero framesets.

Specialized Venge 2019

Spotted for the first time at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, the third iteration of Specialized's wind-cheating aero frameset was officially launched on Tuesday.

The likes of Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) are confirmed to be racing on the new bike for the Tour de France, and between the duo, alongside their teammates, we can expect a stage victory or two for the new bike on its official race debut.

Specialized says the new Venge is faster and is 460 grams lighter than the previous version of the bike, and with Marcel Kittel managing five stage victories on the 'old' version of the bike last year (although now racing aboard a Canyon at Katusha-Alpecin), fast-men Sagan and Gaviria will be confident of their chances of victory aboard the 2019 Venge.

Cannondale SystemSix

Perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets in terms of new aero framesets, Cannondale's WorldTour team EF Education First-Drapac have been race-testing the Cannondale SystemSix since February at the Dubai Tour.

Also launched officially in the days leading up to the Tour de France, Cannondale claims that the SystemSix is the fastest UCI approved road bike in the world - although this claim was made ahead of the new aero bike launches from Specialized and more from the brands below.

Like the new Venge, the SystemSix is disc brake-only and features classic aero-specific design features such as lowered seat stays, truncated aero tubing and a fork crown that integrates almost seamlessly into the down tube.

A subtle swooping indent into the top of the down tube is a design feature you can now see on nearly every high-end aero bike on the market.

Trek Madone Disc

Like the Specialized Venge, the Trek Madone Disc was seen for the first time on stage 2 at this year's Critérium du Dauphiné.

Trek is yet to announce any details or data on the new bike, but the UCI's list of approved frames and forks shows the Madone MY19 (model year 2019) in a rim brake version and disc brake version, as well as a new Madone KVF Fork, again for both a rim and disc brake model.

Trek's WorldTour team, Trek-Segafredo, have been one of the few WorldTour teams that have fully embraced disc brake-equipped bikes this season, committing to racing on the bikes during the Classics and at the Giro d’Italia. It is interesting then, that unlike Specialized and Cannondale, Trek has opted to offer a rim brake version of its new bike - perhaps still seeing this as a valuable sector of the market.

Other notable mentions

Lotto-Soudal's Andre Greipel debuted a new aero frameset from Ridley at last month's Tour de Suisse. Spotted in a red and black camouflage plastic wrap to conceal key design features, the UCI approved frames and forks list shows a Ridley Noah Fast and Ridley Noah Fast Disc.

BMC Racing's long-term future may be in doubt, but Cyclingnews understands the Swiss bike manufacturer will stay in the WorldTour next season. Also on the UCI approved frames and forks list, two new framesets from BMC have recently become listed.

The BMC Timemachine Road 1 and BMC Timemachine 1 Disc are listed as road and time trial models, respectively, and were registered on the same week in April as the new BMC ALR E-Bike range launched last week. Could we see a new aero frame and time trial model from BMC ahead of this weekend's Grand Depart?

Other new models on the UCI approved frames and forks list include the Argon 18 Nitrogen Disc - ridden by Astana, the Bianchi Oltre XR4 CV Disc - ridden by LottoNL-Jumbo, the Lapierre Xelius SL2 - ridden by Groupama-FDJ and the Orbea Orca Aero Disc - ridden by Pro Continental squad Cofidis.

Warren Barguil's Fortuneo-Samsic squad also announced last week that they have broken contract with French manufacturer Look and will be racing on the Basque-designed BH bikes for the Grand Tour.

Disc brakes here to stay

Marcel Kittel became the first rider to take victory at a Grand Tour on a disc brake bike at last year's Tour de France, and following the UCI's decision last month to formally authorise disc brakes in racing, this could be the new normal.

While Specialized- and Trek-sponsored teams have fully embraced disc brake technology, other teams such as Team Sky and Movistar have yet to race on disc brake bikes.

Following the UCI announcement and the updated UCI approved frames and forks list, every WorldTour team now has at least one disc brake frameset and the relevant groupset components to race on should they wish.

While this year's Tour de France may still see disc brake bikes as a minority, a WorldTour team manager recently suggested to Cyclingnews that the 2019 season will see as much as 80-90 per cent of WorldTour riders on disc brake bikes.

Stage 9 cobble tech

Back for the first time since 2014, this year's Tour de France will see the peloton traverse the brutal cobbles of northern France from Arras to Roubaix.

Like the famous one-day Monument in April, won by Peter Sagan, we can expect to see wider tyres, double-wrapped handlebar tape and less aggressive endurance bikes used for the stage.

Custom paint, new national champions and more

As the race becomes saturated with the latest and greatest cycling tech, brands that aren't making headlines through new model launches will aim to utilise the Tour de France through other techniques.

AG2R La Mondiale's frame supplier Factor has been releasing teasers of new paintwork for GC contender Romain Bardet and his teammates on social media in the build-up to the race, and it is unlikely they will be the only team with special paint at the Tour de France.

Included in the Specialized Venge launch this week was also a mention of a Sagan Collection range of framesets. Ahead of this year's Paris-Roubaix, Specialized and Peter Sagan launched a limited collection of framesets celebrating the three-time world champion, and it would not be a surprise to a see the new Sagan Collection Venge in the coming days or weeks.

The past two weekends of racing have seen the majority of cycling nations in the Northern Hemisphere crown their new national road and time trial champions. Despite a short turnaround, we can expect at least some of the new national champions to don their new national jerseys aboard custom-painted framesets at the race to celebrate their victories.

Helmets, shoes, accessories and more

Alongside new bikes and components, the Tour de France also offers the opportunity for professional teams to showcase new kit and accessories on the big stage.

The 2017 edition of the Tour de France saw new helmets from Giro, Kask, Lazer, Met and more, and we can perhaps expect to see more of the same this month.

Eurobike - the world's biggest cycling trade show - has moved from late August to July for 2018, and we can expect helmet, sunglasses, shoes, clothing and accessories brands to use the month of July to showcase their 2019 products.

Cyclingnews and BikeRadar will have full coverage of all the tech on display at the 2018 Tour de France.

best tour de france bike brands

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COMMENTS

  1. Tour de France winning bikes: Which brand has won the most Tours in

    Shop Pinarello road bikes. 2. Peugeot - 10 wins. Peugeot has been making bicycles since the early 1800s, and while today it is best known for its cars, the French brand still produces a range of ...

  2. Tour de France bikes 2023: who's riding what?

    A complete list of the bikes raced by each team in the 2022 Tour de France, along with the groupsets, wheels and finishing kit they're fitted with.

  3. Which are the most successful bike brands at the Tour de France so far

    1st place - Canyon. Despite the success of Tadej Pogačar and Adam Yates in the opening week, it is Canyon that takes the top spot on our list, with the Canyon Aeroad CFR proving the most ...

  4. 2023 Tour de France bikes

    UCI ProTeam Israel Premier Tech rides bikes from Factor, usually the Ostro VAM (above). However, we know that Factor is releasing a new bike on 10th July 2023, the first Tour de France rest day, which suggests it's a road race model that'll play a part in this year's race. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled.

  5. Tour de France bikes: winning bikes from the last 15 years

    Pogačar's 2020 win made him the first ever Slovenian rider to win the Tour de France, the youngest ever rider at 21-years-old, and he achieved that feat riding a Colnago V3Rs, with Colnago having ...

  6. The Stage-Winning Bikes from the 2023 Tour de France

    Best Tires - Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR - 8 wins. Of course, since Jasper Philipsen got the most stage wins, so did his bike, the Canyon Aeroad CFR. But thanks to the efforts of Tadej Pogacar and Adam Yates, the Colnago V4Rs was a strong second with three wins. Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 dominated most stages the Tour.

  7. Bikes of the 2022 Tour de France: The best bikes in the world

    Arkea-Samsic. Quintana is here and will likely focus on stage wins rather than the GC. Just like Alpecin, they're riding Canyon bikes, so it is the Aeroad and Ultimate for the French squad. Like Alpecin, the team is also on the latest 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2 with matching Shimano wheels.

  8. Tour de France bikes: who's riding what in 2022?

    The Tour de France is the most prestigious race in the pro calendar and teams will have prepared their best riders to be at the peak of their fitness for the race's grand départ. They'll be ...

  9. The Best Tour de France Bikes & Our Favorite Moments

    Bike: 1989 Bottecchia TT Bike. This isn't LeMond's TT bike, but Bottecchias are a rare sight at TPC! Greg LeMond's steel-framed Bottecchia was similar to most other time trial bikes in the 1989 Tour de France. It was set-up as a "funny bike" with a 650b front wheel and Mavic rear disc wheel.

  10. Tour de France bikes: Who's riding what in 2021

    The bikes in use at the Tour de France are up there with the very best that money can buy. All of the bikes used in the 2021 Tour de France are made from carbon fibre. That includes their frames ...

  11. 2023 Tour de France Bike Brands and Models Guide

    Colnago, Cube, Pinarello, and Specialized, don't differentiate between lightweight and aero bikes. So the teams riding these brands only have a choice of a road and TT bike. Canyon and Specialized (3 teams) and Canyon (2 teams) have the biggest presence in 2023. Shimano dominates the groupset presence with 18 teams using their latest 12-speed ...

  12. Tour de France Winning Bikes by Year (1903 to 2023)

    Helyett - 3 wins. La Sportive - 3 wins. Tour de France winning bikes by year. Throughout 110 editions (up to 2023), the Tour de France has been won by 36 different bike brands. Many of these brands are unknown to cycling fans today. Few bike brands, such as Colnago, Pinarello, Specialized, and Trek, are synonymous with cycling fans today.

  13. Our 8 favourite Tour de France bikes

    The BikeRadar team makes its nominations for the best bikes in Tour de France history

  14. The best lightweight bikes of the Tour de France

    This bike has only, to our knowledge, done one Tour de France stage in its lifetime. That was in the 2021 edition of the race and Kasper Asgreen was the lucky rider to have a new bike for one day in the mountains. 6 kilos is how little the S-Works Aethos Dura-Ace Di2 model can weigh with the lightest colourway when built with the lightest ...

  15. Tour de France Bikes 2023: 7 Used Tour de France Road Bikes For Sale

    To celebrate this year's Tour de France, we take a look at some of the best grand tour-worthy road bikes in our inventory. Written by: Bruce Lin Published on: Jun 30, 2022. ... Other Tour de France bike brands. This year's Tour will feature 22 teams riding 18 different bike brands. We put the spotlight on seven brands here, but you'll be ...

  16. The Cheapest and Most Expensive Bikes at the 2023 Tour de France

    Tim de Waele. The cheapest bike in the 2023 Tour is the Dare VSRu ridden by Team UNO-X. Dare is a brand that is not available for purchase in the U.S. If it were, the price converted to USD would ...

  17. Tour de France winning bikes: Which brand has won the most Tours in

    Pascal Simon during the 1986 Tour de France Stage 19 time trial in St. Etienne (Image credit: Sirotti) 2. Peugeot - 10 wins. Peugeot has been making bicycles since the early 1800s, and while today it is best known for its cars, the French brand still produces a range of road, commuter, and mountain bikes, and even sponsor an eMTB team.

  18. The top 3 most dominant bike brands at the Tour de France

    Pinarello is the most successful bike brand on the Tour de France, with a total of 15 victories. The first Pinarello win was in 1988, piloted by Pedro Delgado. All throughout the nineties, the company would see many victories on the Grant Tours, and their bikes would be ridden by some of the best cyclists to ever compete in the Tour de France.

  19. Are the bikes the pros ride at the Tour de France the same as you can

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