All-rounders dominate again, but one team tries a different tactic
The 2024 Tour de France is well under way and, from a tech perspective, it’s a showcase of the crème de la crème.
With the UCI minimum bike weight limit of 6.8kg, you might assume most, if not all, of the bikes are going to weigh as close to that figure as possible.
But the reality is more nuanced than that.
The days of dedicated lightweight climbing bikes and heavy aero road bikes seem to be dwindling, with many brands going down the route of having a single all-rounder race bike that’s designed to be both light and aero.
This was particularly evident in 2023 when the average weight of the bikes we put on the BikeRadar Scales of Truth was 7.451kg.
In 2022, when specific aero models were more abundant, that figure was 7.92kg.
So, how much does the average Tour de France bike weigh in 2024? We got our hands on nine pro bikes and put them on the good ole’ BikeRadar Scales of Truth.
Some caveats…
As with our 2022 and 2023 Tour de France bike weights analyses, it’s worth reiterating the usual caveats.
The bikes we weighed were all at the Grand Départ in Florence, Italy, where the final builds would have been optimised for this year’s first stage.
This means they are merely a snapshot of what we happened to get our hands on and may not be the true average of every bike ridden at the Tour.
The bikes were also weighed ready-to-ride with a number of accessories that rarely form part of the manufacturers’ claimed weights, such as pedals, bottle cages, bike computer mounts and a power meter.
Also, note that many riders will change their setup throughout the race, depending on the stage at hand.
While we weighed Jonas Vingegaard’s Cervélo R5 at this year’s Grand Depart, for example, the defending champion started the race aboard his Cervélo S5 – the brand’s aero road bike.
| Rider | Bike | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Neilson Powless | Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71 | 7.74 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Cervélo R5 | 6.74 |
| Tadej Pogačar | Colnago V4Rs | 7.27 |
| Alexander Kristoff | Dare Velocity Ace | 8 |
| Stephen Williams | Factor Ostro VAM | 7.535 |
| Remco Evenepoel | Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 | 6.985 |
| Carlos Verona | Trek Madone SLR | 7.46 |
| Paul Lapeira | Van Rysel RCR Pro | 7.455 |
| Mark Cavendish | Wilier Filante SLR | 7.645 |
| Average | 7.425 |
Neilson Powless’ Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71 – 7.74kg
Let’s start with Neilson Powless’ Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71, the American brand’s all-rounder racing platform.
The SuperSix Evo sits alongside the SystemSix, a dedicated aero bike, which has curiously not been updated since it launched in 2018. However, it’s still an option for pros who wish to ride it.
LAB71 denotes the frame is constructed using Cannondale’s most premium carbon fibre layup, with a painted size 56cm frame claimed to weigh only 770g.
Powless’ bike is built up with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, with a deviation to an FSA Powerbox K-Force Team crankset with an integrated power meter spider.
He’s using a Vision Metron 60 SL wheelset, with 28c Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres. On the 21mm-wide rims, these tyres measured up at 28.4 and 28.6mm, front and rear.
Up front, Powless is using the SystemBar R-One Carbon One-Piece Handlebar, which Cannondale designed in collaboration with MomoDesign.
Powless appears to use a 120mm stem paired with a handlebar that measures about 370mm wide centre-to-centre at the brake hoods.
We weighed Richard Carapaz’s bike in 2023, which used an identical frame at 7.395kg.
Powless’ bike weighs just over 300g more and we’d mainly put this down to the increase in frame size – he’s riding a 58cm, whereas Carapaz takes a size 48cm.
Carapaz was also using the shallower-rimmed Vision Metron 45 SL wheelset, which saves a claimed 200g compared to the 60 SL wheelset.
If Powless wanted to get it closer to the 6.8kg mark, then, he could also opt for shallower wheels, but the aerodynamic gain is probably worth the weight penalty outside of the high mountains.
Jonas Vingegaard’s Cervelo R5 – 6.74kg
The R5 is Cervélo’s lightweight race platform and an equivalent 56cm-sized, painted frameset is claimed to weigh 730g, undercutting the Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71 by 40g.
The Cervélo S5 is the brand’s more aerodynamic offering and the Soloist, which sits in between the R5 and S5, is the final option. It’s seldom seen in WorldTour races beyond the odd appearance at the spring classics.
Last year, at the 2022 Grand Depart in Bilbao, Spain, we weighed Vingegaard’s S5 at 7.195kg.
This R5 is specced with the new SRAM Red AXS groupset, with Vingegaard using a particularly big 52/39t chainring combination (remember that’s paired with a smaller 10t starting cog).
Elsewhere, the bike’s specced with Reserve 42|49 wheels, with an intriguing set of 29c Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres, designed specifically for 25mm internal rim widths.
As far as we can tell, this is a new size that’s not yet available to everyday riders. We suspect it might have something to do with the UCI’’s recent stipulation that teams must follow the latest ISO and ETRTO standards, which state 28c tyres should be used on 25mm-wide rims, but we don’t have any official details from the Italian manufacturer yet.
At 6.74kg, Vingegaard’s R5 comes in 60g underneath the UCI’s minimum bike weight limit of 6.8kg, but we’re sure finding the extra weight won’t have been a hard job.
Tadej Pogačar’s Colnago V4Rs – 7.27kg
A whisker heavier than the 7.245kg Tadej Pogačar’s bike weighed last year, the UAE Team Emirates champion’s Colnago V4Rs is chock-full of bling.
The V4Rs is Colnago’s race bike, with an unpainted frame carrying a claimed weight of 798g in a size 485 (the same size Pogačar uses).
Pogačar is running a pretty similar setup to 2023, which sees a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset paired with wide ENVE SES 4.5 wheels.
The bling comes in the form of CarbonTi chainrings and brake pads, in addition to a Bikone bottom bracket with ceramic bearings.
Pogačar’s bike for 2024 comes in a smidge heavier and we reckon this is down to the tyres.
He ran Continental GP5000 TT TR tyres last year, but has switched to Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR for 2024, which are slightly heavier.
It’s also noteworthy that the measured width of his tyres was absolutely huge – 32.5mm out back and 33.3mm up front – suggesting he’s running larger 30c tyres (in place of 28s) this year as well.
Alexander Kristoff’s Dare Velocity Ace – 8.00kg
While not officially released yet, the Team Uno-X rider is riding Dare’s new aero bike, which bucks the prevailing trend for all-rounder bikes.
At 8kg on the dot, it’s the heaviest bike we weighed at this year’s Tour – 255g more than the 7.745kg weight we took of Kristoff’s Dare VSRu last year.
In recent years, we’ve seen a number of brands ditch dedicated aero road bikes in favour of models that balance aerodynamic performance with low weight.
The Velocity Ace takes the opposite approach, doubling down on the aerodynamic optimisations of the existing aero bike, the VSRu. There are deeper aerofoil tube shapes all over and a build focused entirely on speed – just look at that head tube, for example.
The deep aerofoil of the integrated cockpit is also no doubt contributing to the extra weight, but it sure is slippery on the road.
The build is similarly aero-focused, with Kristoff running DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut DB wheels, which sport 62mm-deep rims.
These are paired with 28c Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres, which measured 27.9mm wide.
Like Powless, Kristoff is also using a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset with FSA’s PowerBox K-Force Team power meter crankset. He has also upgraded his rear derailleur with CeramicSpeed’s latest OSPW RS system.
Stephen Williams’ Factor Ostro VAM – 7.535kg
Stephen Williams is riding the new Factor Ostro VAM, which was refreshed earlier in the year after he clinched a general classification win on it at the Tour Down Under.
Factor says it has tried to keep the ride quality as close as possible to its predecessor, while claiming the new bike has a 70g drag reduction – equating to 7 watts saved at 48kph.
To put that in context, Factor claims it’s more aerodynamic than both the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 and Cervélo’s S5.
Williams’ bike wears a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, with an FSA Powerbox K-Force Team power meter crankset.
Black Inc (Factor’s in-house components brand) is on wheel duties with its 48 | 58 offering.
These wheels have differentiated rim depths, with the front 48mm and the rear 58mm. They also carry a claimed weight of only 1,270g.
Black Inc also supplies the seatpost and integrated cockpit.
We weighed Williams’ bike at 7.535kg, which is on the heavier end of this year’s spectrum. Bear in mind though, Williams has access to the lighter Factor O2 VAM for the mountainous stages, if he needs it.
Remco Evenepoel’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 – 6.985kg
Creeping in under the 7kg mark is Remco Evenepoel’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, complete with a ‘liquid metal’ chrome-finished custom paint scheme.
The S-Works Tarmac SL8 is one of the lightest framesets available for an all-rounder bike, claimed to weigh only 685g (painted, size-56cm). That’s a mere 100g heavier than the brand’s S-Works Aethos, its all-out climbing model.
The young Belgian’s bike is resplendent with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, with sizable 54/40t chainrings.
Evenepoel is running a set of Roval Rapide CLX II Team wheels, claimed to weigh a feathery 1,390g. The roughly 130g weight saving versus the previous version come from a revised carbon rim layup and new ‘low flange’ hubs.
Like most Specialized-sponsored riders, Evenepoel is using the American brand’s Turbo Cotton clincher tyres (in a size 28c) – although the Belgian switched to tubeless tyres for the ‘gravel stage’ on stage 9.
It’s one light bike for one light rider.
Carlos Verona’s Trek Madone SLR – 7.46kg
Carlos Verona was aboard the newly revamped Trek Madone SLR, which effectively blends the seventh-generation Madone and Émonda into a single package.
The new Madone is claimed to be as aero as its outgoing predecessor and as light as the Émonda.
The bike uses a new suite of tube shapes called Full System Foil, which replaces the long-standing Kammtail design.
It also retains the conversation-starting IsoFlow system of the outgoing Madone, with the hole in the seat tube enabling the seat mast to flex and improve aerodynamic performance.
A new OCLV 900-series carbon layup is partly responsible for the weight savings – and proprietary aero bottles and matching cages are claimed to save 3.7 watts at 45kph.
The Trek-Lidl rider’s bike comes equipped with a SRAM Red AXS groupset and monster 54/41t chainrings.
The Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR RS tyres.
Bearing in mind Trek claims an M/L painted frame weighs 796g, we reckon the slightly heavier-than-expected weight comes from the wheels and tyres.
Paul Lapeira’s Van Rysel RCR Pro – 7.455kg
A bike that caused quite the stir this year, the Van Rysel RCR Pro made a memorable appearance with its ‘budget’ £9,000 / $10,999 price tag, while simultaneously banishing BMC and Campagnolo from the WorldTour.
The team also has access to the Van Rysel FCR, an unreleased aero bike we initially spotted outside the team mechanics’ truck.
That said, the RCR Pro isn’t lacking in the aero credentials department because the frame was designed in conjunction with Onera – a French aerospace lab situated across the road from Van Rysel’s Lille headquarters.
As expected, Lapeira is using the RCR Pro’s Deda integrated handlebar, with a 110mm stem paired to a 360mm-wide handlebar.
Lapeira’s bike sports a Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 with 54/40t chainrings. Swiss Side is on wheel duties, with the Hadron 2 500 wrapped in 28c Continental GP5000 S TR tyres.
On the Swiss Side wheels, these measured 29.1mm wide.
The bike weighs a little heavier than expected (Van Rysel claims complete bikes can weigh as little as 6.82kg), which we’d put down to the pedals, bottle cages and out-front computer mount, as well as the slightly deeper wheels and bigger tyres.
Mark Cavendish’s Wilier Filante SLR – 7.645kg
Rounding off proceedings is Mark Cavendish’s custom-painted Wilier Filante SLR, which he took his record-breaking 35th stage win aboard.
The Manx Missile’s bike is 20g lighter than the Filante SLR he rode in 2024, coming in at 7.645kg.
The new bike has been custom sprayed, with bold splashes of colour representing some of Cavendish’s many career highlights.
Wilier claims a size-medium Filante SLR frame weighs 870g – 222g heavier than the new Verticale SLR climbing bike. But, being a sprinter, Cavendish favours the Filante SLR for its superior aerodynamics.
The bike’s specced with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset and a set of Vision Metron 60 SL wheels, replacing the HED Vanquish RC6 Pro hoops he used in 2023.
These are finished with 28mm Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres.
How much does the average Tour de France bike weigh in 2024?
Based on the nine bikes we weighed, the average Tour de France bike in 2024 weighs 7.425kg.
In 2023, that figure was 7.451kg, so all in, the bikes are a hair lighter than last year.
Remove the heavyweight Dare from the equation and the average drops to 7.35kg, resulting in an almost 100g weight reduction.
Bear in mind this is a small sample size, but it seems bike weight is still a key concern for riders at the Tour.
The downward weight reduction is almost certainly down to more and more brands focusing on a single, all-rounder bike, rather than having a suite of them for different conditions or terrain.
What might we see next year at the Grand Départ in Lille, France? Well, likely more of the same.
Next year’s opening stages aren’t as mountainous as this year’s, but they are rolling, meaning riders will still have an eye on keeping weight low.
We also expect the trend for lightweight-aero all-rounders to continue gathering momentum, partly for performance reasons, but also as some brand’s (Trek being perhaps the most notable example) look to reduce the amount of inventory they keep – and reduce operating costs.