Pro Gear: The Bikes and Jerseys of the 2023 World Tour Teams

For the 2023 season, two new teams join the World Tour, and two others are relegated. Among the teams already at this level in 2022, only Cofidis is changing bike brand (switching from De Rosa to Look), while three teams are changing their suppliers for drivetrains and wheels. Let’s take stock of the equipment used this year by the 18 teams at the highest level of world cycling.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: DR

In 2023, the Alpecin – Deceuninck and Arkéa – Samsic teams were promoted to the World Tour, while the Israel – Premier Tech and Lotto – Dstny teams were relegated to the tier below. Two bike brands therefore disappear from the top world division (Factor and Ridley), in favor of Canyon, which fields a second team at this level with the Belgian team, and Bianchi, which makes a grand return at this level with the French team, which itself dropped Canyon over the winter.

Team Arkéa – Samsic is also drawing attention with a completely reworked Bianchi Oltre RC it unveiled over the off-season. On the Cofidis side, another French team, there is also a new Look bike not yet on sale, which seems far more versatile than the Blade RS or 785 Huez currently sold by the Nevers-based brand. Cofidis is also switching from Campagnolo to Shimano for the occasion. At UAE Team Emirates, the top team in the world, the off-season was the occasion to launch the new Colnago V4RS, which is also now equipped with Shimano instead of Campagnolo.

Finally, to wrap up this supplier merry-go-round, the Jumbo – Visma team of Wout van Aert, Primoz Roglic, and Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard switches from all-Shimano groupsets and wheels to SRAM transmissions with Reserve wheels.

Disc brakes, electronics and tubeless

In most teams, riders choose between two and three different frames, apart from time trials. Except for a specific event like Paris-Roubaix, three brands are moving toward versatility, with bikes increasingly designed to go anywhere, such as the Specialized S-Works SL7 (Soudal – Quick Step and Bora-Hansgrohe), the Pinarello Dogma F (Ineos Grenadiers), or the Colnago V4RS.

The same goes for wheels, with several models made available to riders by suppliers, and chosen according to the terrain, although here too the trend is to combine aerodynamics and light weight, to offer near-ultimate versatility on almost any terrain.

Tubeless tires seem to have gained the upper hand in many teams, at the expense of clinchers and, of course, tubulars. Tubulars still have some fans, mainly for their practical side: with a tubular, it is still possible to ride on the rim while waiting for the support car, which is almost impossible with a clincher.

At this level of competition, all teams and all riders use electronic shifting and 12 speeds, whether Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, SRAM Red AXS or Campagnolo Super Record EPS. The only possible exception: at Paris-Roubaix, some riders still prefer a mechanical drivetrain, if their supplier still allows it. We will see what happens at the 2023 edition. All professional riders also use disc brakes, although the system only gradually took hold within the teams.

Modern drivetrains allow a wide range of gear ratios, since ranges now extend to both low gears (with cassettes up to 30, or even 32 or 34 teeth) and high gears, with a large chainring of 53, 54, or 55 teeth, paired with a small 11- or even 10-tooth cog.

Statistics

Which suppliers are the most represented in the World Tour? Here is a count for each component category.

Frames and forks:

16 bike brands share the top-level teams and are assured of taking part in all the world’s major races in 2023. As last year, Specialized has two World Tour teams (Soudal – Quick Step and Bora – Hansgrohe), representing a substantial investment, in addition to supplying bikes to the TotalEnergies team, at the level below. Canyon also supplies bikes to two teams, with Alpecin – Deceuninck promoted this year alongside Movistar.

• Canyon (2 teams)
• Specialized (2 teams)
• BMC (1 team)
• Wilier (1 team)
• Lapierre (1 team)
• Cannondale (1 team)
• Merida (1 team)
• Cube (1 team)
• Pinarello (1 team)
• Cervélo (1 team)
• Giant (1 team)
• Bianchi (1 team)
• Look (1 team)
• Scott (1 team)
• Trek (1 team)
• Colnago (1 team)

Drivetrains:

Shimano is nearly a hegemony at this level of competition, since 14 of the 18 teams use Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed drivetrains. Some teams are sponsored, and others pay… Campagnolo is losing ground in the World Tour, with only one team (AG2R Citroën Team), while SRAM has landed a big coup by forming a partnership with Jumbo-Visma.

• Shimano (14 teams)
• SRAM (3 teams)
• Campagnolo (1 team)

Pedals:

Shimano takes the lion’s share here too, with 9 of the 18 teams, ahead of the French brand Look, Speedplay, and Time, which makes its return at this level with Trek-Segafredo.

• Shimano (9 teams)
• Look (6 teams)
• Wahoo Speedplay (2 teams)
• Time (1 team)

Power meters:

Shimano wins over 11 of the 18 teams with its Dura-Ace power meter. The three teams using SRAM logically use Quarq power meters (which belong to the American brand). SRM keeps the trust of Cofidis, and Rotor proves its reliability by equipping Intermarché-Circus-Wanty.

• Shimano (11 teams)
• Quarq (3 teams)
• Power2Max (2 teams)
• SRM (1 team)
• Rotor (1 team)

Wheels:

On the wheel side, suppliers are more spread out, behind the five teams running Shimano. Ten manufacturers in fact share the 13 other teams.

• Shimano (5 teams)
• Roval (2 teams)
• Vision (2 teams)
• Corima (2 teams)
• Campagnolo (1 team)
• Cadex (1 team)
• Newmen (1 team)
• Zipp (1 team)
• Reserve (1 team)
• Bontrager (1 team)
• Enve (1 team)

Tires:

Continental and Vittoria naturally share most of the peloton, ahead of Pirelli and Specialized (two teams each). Cadex and Michelin are also present at this level.

• Continental (7 teams)
• Vittoria (5 teams)
• Pirelli (2 teams)
• Specialized (2 teams)
• Cadex (1 team)
• Michelin (1 team)

Saddles:

Prologo is the best-represented brand at World Tour level, ahead of Fizik and Selle Italia. Specialized, Syncros, Giant, and Bontrager saddles are fitted to bikes from their own brands (Specialized, Scott, Giant, and Trek).

• Prologo (6 teams)
• Fizik (4 teams)
• Selle Italia (3 teams)
• Specialized (2 teams)
• Syncros (1 team)
• Giant (1 team)
• Bontrager (1 team)

Computers:

Wahoo overtakes Garmin (9 teams to 7), but the two brands share nearly the entire field.

• Wahoo (9 teams)
• Garmin (7 teams)
• Bryton (1 team)
• Giant (1 team)

Bottle cages:

Elite has a strong presence in the World Tour, with 10 of the 18 teams. Tacx remains a reference brand, with 4 teams.

• Elite (10 teams)
• Tacx (4 teams)
• BMC (1 team)
• Specialized (1 team)
• Giant (1 team)
• Bontrager (1 team)

The World Tour teams’ jerseys and bikes in detail

AG2R – Citroën Team (France)

Sponsors: health insurance group and car manufacturer
Bike brand: BMC (Switzerland)

Riders to watch: Ben O’Connor, Benoît Cosnefroy, Greg Van Avermaet, Oliver Naesen and Marc Sarreau, Clément Venturini.

AG2R-Citroën Team riders remain loyal to BMC and Campagnolo, with machines almost identical to last year’s, apart from the color. The French team is also the only one in 2023 to ride Campagnolo, for both groupsets and wheels.

Alpecin – Deceuninck (Belgium)

Sponsors: shampoo brand and doors and windows brand
Bike brand: Canyon (Germany)

Riders to watch: Mathieu Van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, Quinten Hermans, Soren Kragh Andersen.

Promoted to the World Tour, the Belgian team Alpecin – Deceuninck arrives with serious credentials, starting with Mathieu Van der Poel, who will again target stage wins in the Grand Tours and, above all, a new monument to add to his list of wins. The riders remain loyal to Canyon, with the Aeroad CFR used for most flat, rolling, and classics races, and the Ultimate CFR for the mountains. Alpecin – Deceuninck has for several years been fully equipped by Shimano for groupsets and wheels.

Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kazakhstan)

Sponsor: a group of oil companies
Bike brand: Wilier (Italy)

Riders to watch: Mark Cavendish, Luis Leon Sanchez, Alexey Lutsenko, Gianni Moscon

As in the past three seasons, Astana Qazaqstan Team will ride Wilier bikes, with the Filante SLR, the most versatile model in the range, and the Zero SLR, designed for steep climbs. The bikes are equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed groupsets, power meters included, and Corima wheels. Look, Prologo, and Vittoria are the other main partners of the Kazakh team.

Bahrain Victorious (Bahrain)

Sponsor: the Kingdom of Bahrain
Bike brand: Merida (Taiwan)

Riders to watch: Mikel Landa, Pello Bilbao, Damiano Caruso, Wout Poels, Jonathan Milan

No change for Team Bahrain in terms of equipment, with partners who have been loyal for several seasons, starting with the Merida brand, one of the world’s largest manufacturers, which offers two efficient bikes, the Scultura and Reacto, chosen by riders depending on the circumstances. Shimano groupsets, Vision wheels, FSA cockpits (for the Scultura) or Vision Metron for the Reacto, and Prologo saddles equip the bikes of Mikel Landa and Pello Bilbao.

Bora – Hansgrohe (Germany)

Sponsors: cooktop and faucet brands
Bike brand: Specialized (USA)

Riders to watch: Sam Bennett, Sergio Higuita, Jai Hindley, Aleksandr Vlasov, Maximilian Schachmann, Bob Jungels, Victor Koretzky

The S-Works Tarmac SL7 is still one of the most versatile bikes in the peloton, valued by riders on flat and mountain courses. It is equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed groupset, and still with Roval Rapide and Alpinist CLX wheels. At Paris-Roubaix, it will of course be replaced by the Roubaix S-Works, and riders will use the Shiv TT Disc for individual time trials. The German team’s riders will mainly run tubeless tires this season.

Cofidis (France)

Sponsor: consumer credit company
Bike brand: Look (France)

Riders to watch: Guillaume Martin, Bryan Coquard, Jesus Herrada, Ion Izagirre, Benjamin Thomas

In the off-season, Cofidis left De Rosa to equip itself with a well-known French brand: Look, which makes its grand return to the top level of competition. For the occasion, the brand is launching a new bike, more versatile than the 795 Blade and 785 Huez currently in its catalog, and which seems to be called the 795 RS, going by the UCI homologation sticker. Cofidis riders also switch from Campagnolo to Shimano groupsets, but keep the Corima wheels, which belong to the Look group.

EF Education – EasyPost (USA)

Sponsors: school education specialist and parcel delivery brand
Bike brand: Cannondale (USA)

Riders to watch: Richard Carapaz, Neilson Powless, Esteban Chaves, Rigoberto Uran, Alberto Bettiol, Hugh Carthy, Simon Carr

While the Cannondale SystemSix remains available to EF Education – EasyPost riders for 2023, the bike drawing all the attention at the start of the 2023 season is a new, as-yet unveiled model, for now simply named LAB 71, which strongly resembles a new version of the SuperSix, the light and versatile bike from the American brand. Otherwise, the bikes are equipped with Shimano transmissions, Vision wheels, and FSA/Vision cockpit components.

Groupama – FDJ (France)

Sponsors: insurance company and national lottery
Bike brand: Lapierre (France)

Riders to watch: Arnaud Démare, Thibaut Pinot, David Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, Stefan Küng

The Lapierre Xelius SL3, which is unchanged from the 2022 season, should be the favorite bike on most Grand Tours and hilly races. For sprints and classics, Arnaud Démare will instead opt for his Aircode DRS. As for many seasons now, Groupama – FDJ has strong ties with Shimano and thus benefits from the full Dura-Ace equipment kit, with groupsets (power meters included), wheels, and pedals.

Riders to watch: Arnaud Démare, Thibaut Pinot, David Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, Stefan Küng

First seen in mid-2021 with Groupama – FDJ riders, the new Xelius SL3 should be one of their favorite bikes on most Grand Tours and hilly races. For sprints and classics, Arnaud Démare will instead keep his Aircode DRS. For 2022, Groupama – FDJ of course benefits from the new Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed groupset, as well as the new Dura-Ace wheels.

INEOS Grenadiers (Great Britain)

Sponsors: petrochemicals and a carmaker
Bike brand: Pinarello (Italy)

Riders to watch: Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, Thomas Pidcock, Pavel Sivakov, Dani Martinez, Filippo Ganna, Tao Geoghegan Hart

No change at Ineos Grenadiers, which keeps the Pinarello bikes, including the excellent Dogma F, which shines on all terrains, whether on the classics or the Grand Tours. In terms of equipment, it is still all Shimano, although over the past two years the British team’s riders have several times been seen on Princeton wheels. Perhaps it will still be the same in 2023.

Intermarché – Circus – Wanty (Belgium)

Sponsors: supermarket chain, sports betting, and a public works company
Bike brand: Cube (Germany)

Riders to watch: Louis Meintjes, Biniam Girmay, Rein Taaramäe, Lilian Calmejane, Rui Costa, Hugo Page

The Belgian team confirms its full potential by climbing the world rankings every year, notably thanks to its gem, young Eritrean Biniam Girmay. On the equipment side, the team remains loyal to the German brand Cube, and riders will choose between the Litening C:68X and Litening Air C:68X depending on the course. The equipment is quite mixed, with Shimano transmissions, Rotor cranksets, and Newmen wheels.

Jumbo – Visma (Netherlands)

Sponsors: supermarket chain and a software company
Bike brand: Cervélo (USA)

Riders to watch: Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Jonas Vingegaard, Christophe Laporte, Dylan van Baarle, Sepp Kuss

With Cervélo’s new S5 and R5, the Jumbo-Visma riders have top weapons for rolling courses or the mountains. In the off-season, the Dutch team switches its drivetrain from Shimano to SRAM, because Cervélo wanted to impose its own Reserve wheels, which was incompatible with the Shimano contract. The riders take the opportunity to adopt Speedplay pedals.

Movistar Team (Spain)

Sponsors: telecom operator
Bike brand: Canyon (Germany)

Riders to watch: Enric Mas, Fernando Gaviria, Ruben Guerreiro, Alex Aranburu

Between the Canyon Aeroad CFR and Ultimate CFR, equipped with SRAM and Zipp wheels, the riders of the Spanish team Movistar continue to benefit from high-quality equipment, optimized with gear combinations not available in stores. Indeed, like all teams with SRAM 12-speed drivetrains, the riders run 52-39 or 54-41 at the front, rather than the 50-37 or 48-35 offered to the general public, and always with a 10-tooth smallest cog.

Soudal – Quick Step (Belgium)

Sponsors: silicone and sealant producer, and coatings manufacturer
Bike brand: Specialized (USA)

Riders to watch: Julian Alaphilippe, Remco Evenepoel, Kasper Asgreen, Tim Merlier, Fabio Jakobsen, Florian Sénéchal

For the second season running, the equipment of one of the largest teams in the world is unchanged, still with a S-Works Tarmac SL7 frame, a complete Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed groupset, and Roval wheels. Specialized also supplies the saddles and tires, and in the end only the handlebars differ from the retail version (here from the PRO brand). The bike is still just as versatile and should accompany the riders at every race except Paris-Roubaix.

Team Arkéa – Samsic (France)

Sponsors: bank and business services company
Bike brand: Bianchi (Italy)

Riders to watch: Warren Barguil, Nacer Bouhanni, Kevin Vauquelin, Clément Champoussin, Hugo Hofstetter

Newly promoted to the World Tour, Arkéa-Samsic also gives visibility to the famous Bianchi brand, which was absent in 2022. The Italian brand is taking the opportunity to launch its spectacular Oltre RC, a very efficient bike that already seems to have been adopted by the Breton team’s riders at the start of this season. But they can also count on the more classic Specialissima. The equipment is all Shimano.

Team DSM (Netherlands)

Sponsors: chemical industry
Bike brand: Scott (Switzerland)

Riders to watch: Romain Bardet, John Degenkolb, Chris Hamilton

Team DSM remains associated with Scott, and will use the new Foil RC or the Addict RC, depending on the circumstances. Romain Bardet and his teammates have for several years been all-Shimano fans, with groupsets, wheels, pedals, and power meters from the Japanese manufacturer.

Team Jayco – AlUla (Australia)

Sponsors: private patronage and a motorhome brand
Bike brand: Giant (Taiwan)

Riders to watch: Simon Yates, Michael Matthews, Dylan Groenewegen, Eddie Dunbar, Alessandro De Marchi

With the new Giant Propel, the riders of the Australian team Jayco-AlUla have a formidable bike, aerodynamic and right at the UCI weight limit of 6.8 kg. But they can also use the more traditional TCR if needed. For equipment, in addition to Shimano drivetrains, there are the very light Cadex wheels, with Cadex tubeless tires of the same name. Certainly one of the most interesting machines in the peloton.

Trek – Segafredo (USA)

Sponsors: bike brand and coffee maker
Bike brand: Trek (USA)

Riders to watch: Mads Pedersen, Giulio Ciccone, Bauke Mollema, Jasper Stuyven, Quinn Simmons, Tony Gallopin, Kenny Elissonde, Julien Bernard

The riders of the American team Trek-Segafredo will mainly ride the new Trek Madone SLR in 2023, although the Emonda remains available for the most mountainous races. The equipment is still supplied by SRAM, with Bontrager wheels (which belong to Trek) and Pirelli tires. The big news is the return of Time pedals, now part of SRAM, which are once again used in the pro peloton.

UAE Team Emirates (United Arab Emirates)

Sponsors: airline and the United Arab Emirates
Bike brand: Colnago (Italy)

Riders to watch: Tadej Pogacar, Adam Yates, Joao Almeida, Marc Hirschi, Rafal Majka, Davide Formolo, Jay Vine, Marc Soler, Matteo Trentin, Brandon McNulty

Every year, the team of Tadej Pogacar, the world’s top-ranked rider, grows stronger still. This year, Adam Yates and Jay Vine strengthen the Emirati squad. On the equipment side, UAE remains loyal to Colnago, which has just released its V4RS. The team switches from Campagnolo to Shimano for transmissions, and adopts Enve wheels, for an ultra-versatile and very light machine.

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