The world’s fastest road cyclists are currently racing the Tour de France, and it turns out that they know a thing or two about riding bikes. So, where better to see what cycling tech is taking off, what saddles and gearing choices are preferable for 3,333 kilometres (2,071 miles) of hardcore racing, and what else you and I can (safely) copy from them to make us faster or more comfortable on the bike…
In this article, we’ll offer 10 of the most useful things you can copy from the pros to make your riding faster and more comfortable. Of course, not everything a professional athlete who rides a bike for a living does will work for the rest of us who spend considerably less time on the bike, and who don’t have access to a team of experts to monitor our progress – to take a note of these no-nos before copying away, be sure to have a read of our article on what not to copy off the pros first.
Right, let’s get into it…
1. Don’t (necessarily) slam your stem
For years it’s been almost expected that a pro’s bike is slammed at a downward angle, with the stem as low as possible in what sometimes appears to be a competition of who can get the biggest drop between saddle and bars. Slamming the stem as low as possible is certainly still popular, but not all riders are playing this game.
Of course, a lower front end can be faster over short distances thanks to lowering your body and a reduction in your frontal area, but speed is fairly pointless in the Tour de France (and any long ride for that matter) if it’s unsustainable.
> Should I buy a race bike or an endurance bike? The big differences explained
Many riders have a good few spacers under their stems, and we reckon that without the same stretching and conditioning that the pros do, most of our bikes should forgo the super-aggressive look too, in favour of real-world performance and comfort. Actually, most of our everyday riding is probably better suited to an endurance road bike than a full-on race bike. You can check out our comparison between endurance bikes and race bikes here.
2. Wide tyres aren’t slow
It was just a few years ago that 23mm ruled in top-level road racing, then 25mm took over. Most pro riders are using 28mm tyres now.
A 23mm tyre might feel faster as you rattle your way down our less-than-perfect road surfaces, but that doesn’t mean it is. It’s about time we all moved to wider rubber.
3. Consider fitting a chain catcher
Did you know that derailleurs were first seen in the 1937 Tour de France, some 89 years ago? Groupset brands have had plenty of practice at keeping chains on chainrings, then, but you still see loads of pro bikes fitted with chain guides and chain catchers.
There are very few downsides to using a chain catcher or guide. They don’t exactly weigh much and can be picked up for not a lot of cash. Would you add a few grams for the additional piece of mind, or have you had any chain-suck nightmares? Let us know in the comments section below.
4. It’s time to stop arguing about tubeless
Tubeless systems have been around for years now, but debate about the ideal setup rages on. While tubular tyres have certainly fallen out of favour, plenty of people remain reluctant to ditch their inner tubes.
In the pro peloton, though, tubeless rules for the majority of races and stages.
5. Use the right gear for the job
Ever wondered what gears the pros are riding? Well, riders on Shimano groupsets most often use a 54/40 at the front and 11/34 at the rear. Not only does this combo give more top-end speed, but teams also reckon it improves chainline as riders will more often be riding in the middle of the cassette, reducing drivetrain power losses.
SRAM kicked up quite a storm when it announced its chainrings would top out at 50/37, even though when combined with the 10T sprocket at the back, it gave a bigger gear than full-size rings and an 11T sprocket.
These days, you can buy a Red AXS Power Meter Kit with SRAM’s smaller chainrings, but also with 52/39T, 54/41T and 56/43T for anyone wanting to push a bigger gear. Most SRAM-sponsored pro riders that we’ve spotted are on the 52/39T option.
You’ve probably heard about the UCI’s attempt to implement a “Maximum Gear Ratio Protocol” in professional road races to restrict gearing to a 54 × 11 ratio. However, following legal action from SRAM, the Belgian Competition Authority and the Brussels Market Court struck down these gear restrictions. The UCI is appealing the ruling, so we’ll have to wait to see how that one plays out.
We’re not saying you should go out and copy the exact gear ratios the pros use, because that would be insane for most of us. However, you should tailor your gearing choices to your strength and the terrain you’re riding, as the pros do. A comfortable cadence is not only more efficient, but it can also save those joints and avoid back soreness. Swapping out a cassette doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and could vastly improve your riding.
6. Fuel like a pro
This next one isn’t especially hi-tech; it’s more about the lack of tech. Using a stem sticker to remind a rider of the fuel they need to take on board seems like an antiquated idea, and we’re surprised that a more high-tech solution hasn’t taken its place, but it’s a simple solution that clearly works. Even though cycling computers can now remind you when to eat and drink, the pros still love their stem stickers.
The pros get through plenty of gels and high-carb isotonic drinks. Rice cakes are also a firm favourite within the peloton.
Eating and drinking enough on the bike will make a far bigger difference to your riding performance than just about any expensive upgrade you can make. So, whether you go paperless or make your own stem sticker to remind you when to eat and drink in an event, just make sure you get your fuelling right.
7. Try a short-nosed saddle
The pro peloton can be wary of new trends, but short-nosed saddles are relatively new on the scene, and they’re now everywhere.
Just about every saddle brand offers saddles in both long and short varieties, and riders get to choose from the whole range. Most Tour de France riders go for the short-nosed ones.
The UCI’s technical regulations state that in most instances, the nose of the saddle must be positioned at least 50mm behind a vertical line passing through the centre of the bottom bracket (BB) for road events. A short-nosed saddle allows a rider to have the widest section of their saddle a little further forward than they could if using a more traditional design. Many pros go right up to this limit.
Short-nosed saddles aren’t for everyone, but if you want to ride fast in an aggressive position, a shorter saddle could allow your pelvis to roll forward more, making it easier to get low.
If you want to be extra ‘pro’, then you’ll see that many riders use a zero setback seatpost, mounting their saddles almost all the way forward to put them as far over the cranks as possible for maximum power transfer.
8. Keep your sponsors happy
Okay, so this one won’t apply to many people, but it is interesting! A few years ago, black insulation tape was stuck all over the place to hide the logos of components not supplied by team sponsors. We’re not sure what chainring was being used by this XDS-Astana rider at the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (above), and they clearly don’t want anyone to know. It wasn’t from an official sponsor, that’s for sure.
That’s a Zipp stem (above) used by Peter Sagan way back in 2017 – but Zipp wasn’t a sponsor, hence the use of insulation tape over the logos.
The current generation of riders is either a lot less fussy about kit, better behaved, or the sponsors have listened and created the kit that they want. There are certainly still examples of riders using components from brands that aren’t their sponsors – like that carbon chainring above – but it’s not as common as it used to be.
That said, teams will sometimes go for non-sponsored components when looking for extra speed, particularly in time trials. For example, Ineos’ long-time wheel sponsor was Shimano – it’s now Scope – but over the years riders sometimes used wheels from brands like Lightweight (above, a few years ago), Princeton Carbonworks and AeroCoach.
9. Spend time getting your position bang on
If you take a look around any Tour de France team’s bikes, you’ll soon see that no two of them are the same. Apart from special paint jobs, you’ll notice that every rider has a different stem length, handlebar width and, of course, saddle height.
> The importance of a bike fit and riding position
The fit of your bike will make a far bigger difference to your comfort and performance than you might think, so it’s well worth investing some time in.
There are all sorts of books, YouTube videos and articles available on road.cc for fine-tuning your fit. You could also invest in a bike fit from a professional fitter. A good one doesn’t come cheap, but it could be money very well spent. We can’t recommend a professional bike fit highly enough.
10. Focus on aerodynamics rather than weight (to an extent)
I love being a bit of a weight weenie. Changing bolts for lighter ones, finding lighter bottle cages and so on. However, if you’re doing it in the pursuit of speed, then I’m afraid it’s going to make minimal difference. Sorry!
The priority for the Tour de France pros is no longer getting the lightest bike possible. That’s not just because they’re unable to ride a bike that’s below the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weight limit, but because of the aero sacrifices that have to be made to do it. Pro riders love deep wheels, integrated cockpits and aero frames so much that they’re prepared to lug around a little extra weight for the three weeks.
> Are expensive carbon wheels worth it? Deep vs shallow wheels
Even though you and I ride slower than the pros, we can still learn a thing or two from them. Most of our rides aren’t as long as a typical Tour de France stage, but we’re also out in the wind for much longer, so aero efficiency is still important.
It’s always worth remembering that between 70 and 80% of your drag comes from your body, not your equipment, so maybe that’s food for thought…
Will you be copying any of these Tour de France tech trends? Are there any that you think we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section below.
8 thoughts on “The most useful tech trends to copy from Tour de France pros — wide tyres, short saddles and tubeless are in, narrow cassettes are out”
Get serious, only SRAM needs a chain catcher.
@snooks It would appear the professionals disagree with you, given the bike pictured is running Shimano. The Orbea a couple of pictures down (under the heading “5. Use the right gear for the job”) is also running Shimano, and if I’m not mistaken you can make out a chain catcher on that one too.
A nerd writes: from the sticker positions looks like a Miche X-pro.
Just a couple of things: 1) Get a bike fit! Even a minimal fitting can be amazing! And it is ‘usually’ included with a new bike. I can’t emphasize it enough! 2) Being a weight wienie certainly brings bragging rights (or just bling). But getting more fit and dropping a kilo or two will be 1000x more effective. Get a bike/components that fit YOU best. 3) I still ride inner tube tires (TPU). When (not if) there is cut/puncture that the sealant won’t fix, you are stuck with a plug (maybe) or an inner tube (very messy) and you will need an inflater —- a frame pump won’t do it and I don’t have a team to give me a new wheel instantly. I normally ride alone.
@Geoff H When was the last time you cut through the tyre without damaging the tube, especially a TPU one?
@tomlew While that may be true, I ALWAYS carry a spare tube & I can boot the tire with something/whatever if it really is that bad. (& in 30+ years, I’ve sliced a tire only once). If you slice a tubeless, you’ve got sealant all over!
I’m reminded of Hincapie’s handlebar/steerer tube misfortune at the 2006 Paris-Roubaix, and the wonder I felt that durability priority had sunk that far.
And I’ll always feel better about a high-speed blowout on my tubs than anything else.
“It’s time to stop arguing about tubeless”?
Well, not really. the entire premise of the “argument” here, is that everyone in the peleton is using it, so it’s perfect. But, of course, the pros are using all the benefits of tubeless, and any downsides, are merely swept up, by a support network of crew.
If I was able to run tubeless, but in situations where I got a sidewall split, and couldn’t get the bead off the rim, or my tyre boot still kept spewing sealant…..and in all those situations, a support vehicle would magically appear and sort it, or give me a new bike, you bet I’d be running tubeless.