Road Bikes of the 2017 Tour de France

Check out the drool-worthy bikes from the 2017 Tour de France... Plus the bike they all want to avoid!

Whit Yott | 13 July 2017

Check out the drool-worthy bikes from the 2017 Tour de France… Plus the bike they all want to avoid! – By Whit Yott

pho

Each year, the Tour de France provides us with our first chance to see the latest tech from some of the world’s most popular bike companies. And the 2017 edition is no different, with new bikes from brands such as BMC, Trek, Specialized, and Colnago released just prior to the Tour. Here’s a run-down of what each of the 22 teams (and the Mavic neutral support service) is riding in this year’s race.

sky

Pinarello offers only one road bike to the riders of Team Sky, but considering the team has won four of the last five Tours, they must be doing something right. This year, the team is riding the new Dogma F10 X-Light, which uses the same molds as the recently released F10, but with a lighter carbonfibre layup. Sky’s been sponsored by Shimano since the team was founded back in 2010, which means they’re using Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 electronic components, the newest Dura-Ace C40 and C60 carbon fiber wheelsets, and PRO bars and stems. The team is also the only one in the Tour riding using Stages power meters. Fizik saddles and Continental tubular tyres complete the team’s build.

ag2r_road

One of only two new bike brands making an appearance in the 2017 Tour de France, Factor is a British company co-owned by Australia’s former green jersey winner, Baden Cooke. Factor makes several different models of road bikes, but the team rides the O2 almost exclusively as it offers the best mix of stiffness, low weight, and aerodynamic performance. After several years spent racing on Campagnolo and then SRAM groupsets, the French team is back to using Shimano’s Dura-Ace components with SRM crank-based power meters. Factor’s in-house Black Inc. brand provides bars, stems, and seatposts, and Mavic gives the team Cosmic and Ksyrium wheelsets. As is the case with most of the teams in the 2017 Tour, AG2R La Mondiale rides Continental tubular tyres.

As they have since 2014, Spain’s Movistar team rides bikes from Canyon. One of the two squads in this year’s Tour supported by the German brand, the riders have two options for road stages: the aerodynamic Aeroad CF SLX, and the lightweight Ultimate CF SLX, seen here. The riders are evenly split as to which bike they prefer, but climbers like Nairo Quintana choose the Ultimate for the weight savings it offers. The team is fully supported by Campagnolo and as such, they ride Super Record EPS components and Bora carbon wheelsets with Continental tyres. The team is also one of five in this year’s Tour riding Germany’s Power2Max crank-based power meters.

Just before the Tour started in Düsseldorf, Trek released the new Emonda SLR, which Alberto Contador and his teammates had been testing for several weeks. While it doesn’t look much different from the previous version, it’s stiffer, offers more tyre clearance, and is significantly lighter—in fact, the disc-brake version of the new frameset is lighter than the its rim-brake predecessor. The bikes are built with Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 components and SRM crank-based power meters. Bontrager provides bars, stems, seatposts, saddles, and wheels, which are mounted with Vittoria tubular tyres. The all-white paint job is new, too. Unveiled just before the start of the Tour, it’s designed to match the team’s new white jerseys.

In June, BMC launched the latest iteration of the Teammachine, which is stiffer, more comfortable, and—thanks to BMC’s new integrated cockpit—more aero than the previous version. BMC does offer a more aerodynamic road bike, but every member of the squad prefers the Teammachine. As they have for years, the team uses Shimano Dura Ace Di2 components and carbon fiber wheelsets with crank-based power meters provided by SRM. BMC has spent that past several seasons riding tubular tyres from Continental, but switched to Vittoria for 2017.

astana_road

Astana essentially swapped bike sponsors with Bora this past off-season, bringing on Argon 18 as the team’s new bike sponsor while Specialized (the team’s former bike sponsor) went to Bora. So far, the move has paid off, with Italian national champion Fabio Aru earning Argon 18 its first Tour de France stage victory atop La Planche des Belles Filles on Stage 5. Aru was riding the new Gallium Pro 2018, which is both lighter and stiffer than its predecessor. Astana also switched from Campagnolo to Shimano components for 2017. The team uses Dura-Ace Di2 shifters and derailleurs, while FSA provides bars, stems, seatposts, and cranksets. The also squad rides Corima wheels and Schwalbe tyres. This makes Astana’s bikes one of the most diverse bikes in the Tour peloton with Canada (Argon 18), Japan (Shimano), Italy (FSA and Prologo saddles), France (Corima), and Germany (Schwalbe) all represented in the Kazakh team’s build.

Despite being registered in the United Arab Emirates, the roots of UAE Team Emirates are Italian. This means Colnago is back in the Tour after a one-year absence. The team has three options for the Tour’s road stages: the classic lugged-carbon C60, the aerodynamic Concept, and the brand-new carbon monocoque V2-R. As seen here, South African contender Louis Meintjes has chosen the lighter, stiffer V2-R for road stages. In keeping with the team’s Italian roots, the bikes are built with Campagnolo Super Record ESP components and Bora Ultra wheels, Deda bars and stems, and Vittoria tubular tyres. As a finishing touch the team’s Campagnolo cranksets are fitted with Power2Max power meters.

fdj_road

France’s FDJ squad rides French Lapierre framesets, with the Aircode SL the choice of sprinters like Arnaud Demare, and the Xelius SL (seen here) preferred by climbers like Thibaut Pinot. One of Shimano’s few fully-supported teams, the team rides Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 components, Dura-Ace C40 and C60 wheelsets, and Shimano’s PRO stems, handlebars, and seatposts. Just like last year, Fizik saddles and Continental tyres wrap up the team’s build.

Like many of the teams in the Tour de France, Orica-Scott’s riders have two bikes to choose from: Scott’s lightweight Addict and its aerodynamic Foil, seen here. The Australian team rides Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 groupsets and Dura-Ace C40 and C60 wheelsets with Continental tubular tyres, while Syncros provides bars, stems, seatposts, and saddles. This bike belongs to tiny Colombian climber Esteban Chavez, who clearly appreciates the Foil’s aero benefits on flat stages.

As they have since 2015, Dimension Data rides bikes from Canada’s Cervelo, with the aero S5 being a popular choice within the team for road stages. The bikes are built with a mix of components including Shimano Dura Ace Di2 components, Rotor cranksets and power meters, ENVE wheels, bars and stems, and tubular tyres from Continental. In the mountains, riders will be able to choose the brand-new Cervelo R5, which has been re-designed to be stiffer and handle better than the previous version, without sacrificing the low weight it’s known for.

quickstep_venge_disk

Quick-Step mechanics have their hands full at this year’s Tour, as the riders have three Specialized road bikes to choose from: the brand-new S-Works Tarmac, the S-Works Venge, and the S-Works Venge disc. Like Marcel Kittel, who’s already won 5 stages aboard his custom S-Works Venge Disc, Fabio Sabatini (one of the German’s key lead-out men) clearly likes disc brakes. While Kittel is using the new Dura-Ace 9150 hydraulic brake/shift levers, Sabatini and the rest team is still using Shimano’s older hydraulic brake/shift levers with their new Dura-Ace 9150 components. The team uses Roval wheelsets mounted with Specialized tubular tyres, and FSA components including the FSA Vision Metron 5D one-piece cockpit module chosen by Sabatini. Power meters are provided by 4iiii, who is rumored to be working with Specialized on making a power meter built with Specialized cranksets.

bora_road_tarmac

Also sponsored by Specialized, Bora-Hansgrohe left their disc-equipped bikes at home, instead sticking to the new S-Works Tarmac and the S-Works Venge released prior to the 2015 Tour de France. With Peter Sagan now out of the Tour, the team will place its hopes on climbers like Rafal Majka and Emanuel Buchmann, both of whom will be riding the new S-Works Tarmac. Released to the public on the night before Stage 1, the new Tarmac is more aero than than its predecessor and significantly lighter. We watched mechanics cursing as they weighed them, frustrated that they needed to add weight in order to meet the UCI’s minimum weight requirement. Like Quick-Step, the team uses Shimano components, Roval wheels, Specialized tyres, and FSA cockpits and seat posts.

Like Movistar, Katusha Alpecin rides bikes provided by Canyon. For road stages, the majority of the team chooses Canyon’s aero road bike, the Aeroad CF SLX. The Aeroad’s downtube and seat tube have been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible, with the seat tube cut out to increase airflow around the rear wheel. This is the team’s second season on SRAM’s eTap wireless drivetrain, and they’re the only team in the Tour riding Zipp wheelsets (including the new 454 NSW). Katusha also brought a few bikes with disc brakes. Reto Hollenstein raced on one during Stage 2.

Belgium’s Ridley makes two framesets available to Lotto-Soudal’s riders for road stages: the aerodynamic Noah SL and the new super-light Helium SLX. Claimed to be 50g lighter than the previous Helium SL, it’s the perfect choice for climbers, like Belgium’s Tim Wellens. A new carbonfibre layup gives the bike a stiffer front end and internally routed cables (with no cable stops) give the bike a cleaner, sleeker appearance. Lotto’s been a long-time partner of Campagnolo, so the bikes are built with Campagnolo Super Record EPS components and Bora Ultra carbon wheelsets. The team still uses Deda handlebars, stems, and seatposts, but switched from Continental to Vittoria tubular tyres for 2017.

sunweb_road

Shortly before the start of the 2015 Tour, Giant released an updated version of its TCR Advanced SL that’s lighter and stiffer than the previous version. Tom Dumoulin raced one to victory in May’s Tour of Italy. It’s the team’s preference for hilly stages, with the more aerodynamic Propel Advanced SL their choice on flatter days. The team has been sponsored by Shimano since it was founded in 2005; thus, they ride Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 components and Dura-Ace C40 and C60 wheelsets, as well as PRO stems, handlebars, and saddles. Pioneer provides the team power meters, but they’re expected to be switching to Shimano’s own crank-based power meter soon. We also spotted Michael Matthews riding a new disc-brake version of the Propel during Stage 2, a bike which we expect will be released to the public soon.

Cofidis is one of two French teams riding Spanish bikes in the Tour de France—in this case, bikes provided by the Basque Country’s Orbea. This year, the team has two bikes to choose from: Orbea’s popular Orca, and a brand-new aerodynamic road bike that Orbea calls the Aero. With wider fork blades, tubing that’s been shaped to reduce drag, and a wheel cut-out in the seat tube, the new Aero is the perfect choice for a sprinter like Nacer Bouhanni. The team uses Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 shifters and derailleurs, while FSA provides brakes, cranksets, bars, stems, seatposts, and Vision wheelsets. Cofidis is also the only team in the Tour riding tubular tyres from Kenda.

Bianchi has been providing LottoNL-Jumbo with bikes since 2014, the final year that the squad was sponsored by Belkin. On most road stages, the team races on the Bianchi Oltre XR4, which we first spotted Dylan Groenewegen riding at the start of last year’s Tour. The team is based in the Netherlands, the home of Shimano’s European headquarters, and therefore rides Shimano’s Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 components and the new Dura-Ace C40 and C60 wheelsets. They don’t use Shimano’s PRO line of bars, stems, and seatposts, though, instead opting for parts provided by FSA and Vision. The team also uses Pioneer power meters and Vittoria tubular tyres.

directenergie_road

For the second year in a row, France’s Direct Energie team is riding framesets from BH, a Spanish company which started sponsoring the team last season. Riders have two options: the lightweight Ultralight, a favorite of Thomas Voeckler; and the aerodynamic G7, seen here as raced by Adrien Petit. The team uses Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 shifters, derailleurs, and 9100 brakes with FSA cranksets and Power2Max power meters. FSA also provides the team with bars, stems, and seatposts, as well as Vision Metron wheelsets. They’re also the only team in the Tour riding Hutchinson tubular tyres. Petit, who’s nickname is “the Bison” (as indicated by the sticker on his headtube), has also chosen to ride Vision’s Metron 5D integrated cockpit.

One of cycling’s newest teams, Bahrain-Merida rides equipment very similar to last year’s Lampre-Merida squad. Thus, the team has two bikes to choose from for the Tour’s road stages: the new aerodynamic Reacto EVO and the lightweight Scultura. Reportedly lighter, more aerodynamic, and more comfortable than the previous Reacto, the latest frameset has also been designed so as to be compatible with FSA’s one-piece Vision Metron 5D cockpit. The team buys Dura-Ace 9150 Di2 components from Shimano, probably so they can use SRM’s new carbon crank-based power meter. They’re one of many teams in the Tour to use FSA bars, stems, and seatposts, and Continental tyres glued to Campagnolo-made Fulcrum wheelsets.

Making its Tour debut, the Belgian Wanty-Groupe Gobert squad ride Cube framesets from Germany. This bike belongs to New Zealand’s Dion Smith, and is built with a true mix of components, including Fulcrum wheels, Continental tyres, and Ritchey bars, stems, and handlebars. As a Professional Continental team with a budget much smaller than many of the other teams in the Tour, Wanty rides Shimano’s mechanical Dura-Ace 9100 components, as a opposed to the electronic Di2 drivetrains raced by the other Shimano teams in this year’s race.

French wild card squad Fortuneo-Oscaro is riding Look framesets for the third year in a row, but has a new option this year for the Tour’s mountain stages: the new Look 785 Huez RS. Lighter and more agile than the aerodynamic 795 module used by the team on flatter stages, the 785 Huez RS frame comes in with a reported weight of about 730g—making it the perfect choice for the mountains of the Tour. The team rides SRAM’s eTap components with Look’s Zed crankset and France’s Corima wheelsets. And they’re the only team in the Tour riding Challenge tubular tyres.

Bike-wise, not much has changed for Cannondale-Drapac. They’re riding the same Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod framesets they raced during last year’s Tour, again with Shimano’s Dura Ace electronic Di2 drivetrains, Mavic wheelsets and tyres, FSA bars, stems, and seatposts, and Fizik saddles. The team didn’t bring any road bikes with disc brakes to the Tour, but Italy’s Alberto Bettiol did ride the disc-equipped SuperSlice in the Tour’s opening time trial.

Any rundown of Tour de France road bikes wouldn’t be complete without including the iconic yellow bikes of the Mavic neutral support cars. Canyon provides Ultimate CF SLX framesets, and to save a bit of money (after all, these bikes are used only in case of emergency), Mavic builds them with Shimano Ultegra components. The bike’s most distinctive feature (aside from the classic yellow paintjob) is a dropper seatpost made by KS. Mavic has started using them so that a wider range of riders can fit each bikes. The rider simply pull the red loop on the front of the post to give himself more or less seat height.

​Road Bikes of the 2017 Tour de France

Recommended for you

Road Bikes of the 2017 Tour de France