Share the post "Survey: Are Modern Bikes Really Faster?"
The bicycles and equipment used by professional cyclists today represent the cutting edge of what ever-evolving technology has to offer. In fact, according to many riders, this equipment seems more effective than ever—though its importance must be put into perspective depending on the terrain or race conditions.
By Guillaume Judas – Photos: depositphotos.com
“Today, bikes are so fast that if you’re really right on the wheel of the guy in front of you, you’re barely pedaling,” Romain Bardet pointed out in *L’Équipe* on April 26, 2022. This observation had already been made by Maxime Bouet in *Ouest France* on October 11, 2021: “Cycling has become like Formula 1, where everything is controlled and optimized with the goal of improving performance.” ” These discussions about fast bikes raise questions, as they now seem indispensable to achieving good results in competition.
For some observers, however, this idea is nothing more than the result of a marketing narrative skillfully crafted by high-end bicycle manufacturers, or a claim made by the riders’ entourage to conceal unsavory practices.
Yet, since the invention of bicycle racing in the late 19th century, the equipment used by riders has continually evolved in line with the technical improvements offered by the industry.
But it was starting in the late 1980s that bold choices began to make a significant difference in performance, first in time trials, such as with the famous triathlon handlebars used by Greg Lemond in the 1989 Tour de France, which he won by eight seconds over Laurent Fignon. That year, the Tour included 136 km of time trials (spread over three stages). The advantage of the handlebars used by the American was already estimated at two seconds per kilometer compared to the cow-horn-shaped handlebars used by the Frenchman.
At the same time, clipless pedals were becoming widespread, offering a major advantage in terms of riders’ comfort and safety, just before the introduction in the early 1990s of shifters integrated into the brake levers. After 50 years of very slow evolution since the introduction of the derailleur in the 1930s, cycling equipment took a spectacular leap forward in just a few years.
The Carbon Revolution
Ten years later, carbon frames began to gain widespread acceptance and became the standard thanks to new manufacturing processes, which made it possible to produce new tube shapes, resulting in reduced weight and increased stiffness.
“In 2003, we launched our first carbon road frame with the Orca, which delivered exactly the road handling characteristics we wanted,” begins Joseba Arizaga, road product manager at the Basque brand Orbea. At the time, our flagship team was Euskaltel-Euskadi, featuring great climbers like Iban Mayo, Samuel Sanchez, Roberto Laiseka, Haimar Zubeldia, and Egoï Martinez. We wanted a frame that was responsive, lively, and above all, lightweight. That marked the beginning of two decades of innovation, thanks to advances in manufacturing technologies. Now, we’re able to achieve things that were unthinkable just ten years ago—in terms of tube shape and wall thickness, for example—while still ensuring the desired stiffness and reliability. And we’re now on the seventh generation of the Orca.”
For Philippe Gilbert—a professional cyclist from 2003 to 2022, 2012 world champion, and winner of four out of five Monuments, now a consultant for L’Equipe and Eurosport—carbon fiber made it possible to produce higher-performance wheels, before truly raising the bar for frames: “In 2003, we were still using aluminum rims with 36 spokes for the cobbled Classics. Then the CSC team and its leader Fabian Cancellara began using high-profile carbon rims, which were more aerodynamic, regardless of the course. Back then, our bikes were already very light, but the frames weren’t yet aerodynamic—there were cables sticking out everywhere. Since then, bikes have continued to become more efficient. This might not be very noticeable to recreational cyclists, but for pros who often ride at speeds exceeding 50 km/h, the impact of the equipment is very significant.”
This observation is also shared among amateurs, with average speeds increasing over the years. “After a few years in the Elite category, I raced for 20 years in the second and third categories,” says Anthony Supiot, 51, an amateur rider in the Pays-de-Loire region. “For the past four or five years, I’ve noticed that on the same races, the same circuits, and in the same category, average speeds are increasing. Of course, I’m getting older, but the data from the bike computer doesn’t lie, and the pace has really picked up over the past four or five years, especially since the introduction of a new category of bikes—more aerodynamic, with disc brakes and lots of integrated components.”
Staying in the Race
“Equipment is constantly evolving,” continues Philippe Gilbert. A few years ago, you had to upgrade about every three years, but I’d say that today, every year, things are moving faster and faster. Sometimes, this can even raise fairness issues in competition, with some brands further ahead than others. It’s something I’ve experienced myself, sometimes getting pushed out of the slipstream on descents or slight downhill sections while riding behind riders from a team with bikes that are clearly more efficient. You can see the same phenomenon in time trials, where the standings show the same teams with three or four bike models that stand out from the rest.”
"In time trials, the standings show the same teams with three or four bike models that stand out from the rest" – Philippe Gilbert
“We have to constantly strive to innovate in every little detail, because if we just follow along, we’ll quickly fall behind,” says Slovenian Gorazd Štangelj, sports director at Bahrain Victorious, in a report aired by Eurosport on YouTube in late June 2023.
Together with Danish former pro Martin Toft Madsen—who now serves as an aerodynamics and equipment consultant for his team—Štangelj led a comparative test of bikes and equipment from 1989 (a steel Carrera bike similar to Claudio Chiapucci’s), 2003 (a Cannondale from the Saeco team similar to Gilberto Simoni’s), from 2012 (a Pinarello from Alejandro Valverde’s Movistar team), and finally from 2023 with the Merida Scultura used by Bahrain Victorious. Sonny Colbrelli, a former Paris-Roubaix winner, served as the test rider and took turns riding all four bikes, pedaling at 300 watts on flat terrain and uphill. “On the flat, we see a difference of two km/h between the 1989 bike and the 2023 model, for the same power output,” explains Martin Toft Madsen. “And the same applies on climbs. But what’s interesting is that on the flat, there’s little difference between the 1989 bike and the 2012 model, but then the gap widens between 2012 and 2023. On climbs, however, the main gap widens between 1989 and 2003, and after that the bikes are very similar. But that makes sense, since the biggest weight savings on bikes were achieved in the early 2000s.”
“The argument regarding the effectiveness of the equipment is valid, but only under certain conditions,” qualifies Frédéric Porteleau, a fluid mechanics engineer who developed a method for indirectly calculating power output in order to compare the performance of riders across generations. For example, it’s undeniable that for the Hour Record, the aerodynamic gains provided by the equipment had a very significant impact. But if we want to compare Filippo Ganna’s record (56.792 km in October 2022) with that of Eddy Merckx 50 years earlier (49.431 km), we must also point out that the Italian is a pure track specialist, whereas the Belgian champion was an all-around road rider who set the record at the end of a busy season. On the other hand, Ganna broke the record at sea level, unlike Merckx, and he should even be able to do a little better at higher altitudes.”
In the mountains, where Porteleau can make precise calculations taking into account the gradient, the road surface, the weight of the equipment, and the riders, he estimates that the gains are truly minimal. “The weight of bikes has changed very little over the past 20 years, and we’re still right at the UCI limit of 6.8 kg. We can’t go below that. In the mountains, that’s the most important factor. Improvements in equipment therefore have little impact on a mountain pass, especially on a road in poor condition. Undoubtedly, with the major advances made in tires in recent years, we’ve been able to save five watts at low speeds, but no more than that.”
“The most significant development I’ve witnessed during my career is the advent of electronic derailleurs.” — Haimar Zubeldia
Haimar Zubeldia, a professional cyclist from 1998 to 2017 and two-time fifth-place finisher in the Tour de France (in 2003 and 2007), tells us, however, that from his perspective, “The most significant development I’ve witnessed during my career is the advent of electronic derailleurs. Before, when pushing hard on a mountain pass, we would unconsciously conserve our gear shifts because it required a slight effort to concentrate or to pull on the shifter cable. With electronic shifting, you no longer have to worry about the chain crossing over or the reliability of gear changes, and pressing a button always requires the same slight nudge. For me, on a mountain pass, that makes all the difference!”
Philippe Gilbert also highlights this evolution in drivetrains: “In my 20-year career, I’ve gone from 9 to 12 rear gears. There was always that one missing sprocket, and that’s no longer the case today. And people don’t talk much about the huge evolution in gear ratios, which helps generate speed on even the slightest descent. One of my former teammates, Victor Campenaerts, now often rides with a 58/11 gear ratio, or even 60/11, or, for example, you have Jumbo-Visma riders like Tiesj Benoot who use a 54/10, whereas I personally spent most of my career with a 53/11.”
Higher and Higher
To keep pace with advancements in equipment—and even to drive them directly—bike brands and pro teams often work together. For internal strategic reasons, Orbea has distanced itself from the World Tour but remains active in the Continental Pro circuit with Lotto Dstny and Euskaltel-Euskadi, and in women’s racing with Ceratizit-WNT. “The performance requirements are the same,” adds Joseba Arizaga, “and for a brand like ours that sells 400,000 units a year—ranging from children’s bikes to pro bikes and electric mountain bikes—keeping up with technological advancements and continuing to improve is essential. When a competitor releases a new model, we examine it from every angle, compare it, and try to outperform it in terms of aerodynamics, weight reduction, stiffness, and the bike’s overall performance. We also have our own objectives, based on feedback we receive from riders. We use highly advanced computer simulation tools, conduct wind tunnel testing, and employ field measurement techniques. And all the major brands operate in this way.”
Sébastien Servet, head of the road and gravel design department at Specialized—the brand that equips Soudal-Quick Step, Bora-Hansgrohe, and SD Worx—goes even further: “Beyond equipment design, we have a department called Ride Science, whose job is to collect as much data as possible using telemetry, then run simulations based on course profiles and weather conditions, and finally advise the teams that ride our equipment. And it’s, of course, based on this data that we know which direction to take when designing a new product.”
As with all teams, the brand also maintains close relationships with certain riders known for their analytical acumen, such as Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert at Soudal-Quick Step, who, according to Sébastien Servet, “are often in contact with our engineers and test new items or combinations of gear, because their feedback is very insightful.”
A sum of marginal gains
The benefits attributed to the equipment are thus a bit more complex to define than the launch of a new frame or a new pair of wheels with miraculous performance. “In my 20-year career as a pro, I’ve seen equipment evolve, of course,” continues Haimar Zubeldia, “but in my view, it’s not solely responsible for the speed gains we’re seeing today in every race.” Sky’s arrival in professional cycling in the late 2000s raised the bar for performance across the board. Within a few years, we all started chasing marginal gains. During my first Tours de France, we ate whatever was available at the hotel. Then we started bringing our own pasta, then our own chef, and now many teams even have their own food trucks parked in the lot. The performance gains achieved through equipment follow this trend.”
“We all made fun of Sky at first—with their power meters, their high-altitude training camps, their chefs, all that…,” notes Maxime Bouet in *Ouest France*. “But actually, look—we all ended up doing the same thing, five or ten years later. And we’ve clearly seen that it had an impact on performance. Marginal gains do exist, and we’ve all wanted to pursue them, in our own way. Gaining a little watt here and there…”
Ultimately, equipment has evolved alongside training methods, micronutrition, and clothing, which logically explains an overall increase in performance. “Of all the aerodynamic gains observed in recent years, at least 20% can be attributed to the outfit and helmet,” insists Sébastien Servet. “Almost all riders now race in a full-body suit, because we know that even the slightest wrinkle in a jersey costs a great deal.”
Disrupted Strategies
Everything therefore seems to indicate that it is primarily on flat terrain and during descents that the equipment has enabled the greatest gains in speed—and thus in average speed. The other improvements appear less dramatic. What are the consequences? First, an increased risk for riders during certain phases of the race.
On June 17, 2023, the day after Gino Mäder’s fatal crash on the descent from the Col de l’Albula at the end of the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse, Jean-François Bernard, third-place finisher in the 1987 Tour de France and a consultant for FranceInfo, highlighted on French radio the speeds riders reach in certain situations. “There’s more and more at stake in races, bikes are going faster, and there are disc brakes (which are supposed to offer greater safety, Ed.)…,” as if to highlight that new technologies sometimes push riders to go beyond their limits.
But the increase in average speeds is also changing team strategies. Race finishes are getting faster and faster, and riders are physically closer and closer to one another. It’s now virtually impossible for a single rider to break away from the peloton just a stone’s throw from the finish line. “Improvements in equipment and the optimization of all performance-related factors have undeniably increased the peloton’s overall speed,” concludes Haimar Zubeldia. “We’re seeing a leveling up across the entire field of riders. But paradoxically, this trend is pushing the great champions to reveal themselves earlier in the race, to take risks much farther from the finish line. And ultimately, it’s the spectacle that comes out on top.”
Share the post "Survey: Are Modern Bikes Really Faster?"
