2023 was a good year for bike launches, after a comparatively lean period during the Covid pandemic, when travel restrictions made it more difficult for brands to work closely with frame fabricators overseas.<\/p>
In the last year, for example, we\u2019ve seen the new Tarmac SL8<\/a> and Roubaix SL8<\/a> from Specialized, which continues to sponsor two teams in 2024: Bora-Hansgrohe and Soudal-QuickStep.\u00a0<\/p> In addition, the latest, lightest Cannondale SuperSix Evo<\/a> LAB71 broke cover, the Look 795 Blade RS<\/a> was finally officially launched, there was a new even-lighter Bianchi Specialissima<\/a> and Decathlon\u2019s Van Rysel<\/a> brand joined the WorldTour with a slew of new bikes that the rest of us might actually be able to afford.<\/p> The bike brand merry-go-round that has been a feature of past years seems to have stopped. Wilier<\/a> has joined Specialized and Canyon in sponsoring two men\u2019s WorldTour teams though, while BMC<\/a> and Lapierre<\/a> have left the tour, the latter after 22 years of sponsoring the Groupama-FDJ team and its predecessors.\u00a0<\/p> Perhaps the biggest news is not a single team will be using Campagnolo components in this year\u2019s WorldTour, for the first time at the top tier of pro cycling. That\u2019s despite Campag launching its new flagship Super Record Wireless<\/a> groupset last year.<\/p> A couple of years ago, Campagnolo had three sponsored teams, but that dwindled to one (AG2R-Citro\u00ebn) last year.\u00a0<\/p> It\u2019s not so long ago that every <\/em>team at the peak of pro racing used a Campagnolo groupset. Shimano was the interloper, calling upon the services of one Lance Armstrong<\/a> to bring its first Tour de France<\/a> win in 1999.<\/p> Nowadays, Shimano dominates WorldTour groupsets, with 14 of the 18 teams using Dura-Ace<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p> Campagnolo lovers don\u2019t despair though. Time pedals<\/a> were another component that disappeared from pro cycling, having once dominated. Under SRAM\u2019s ownership, Time pedals have made a comeback in the last two years, with Lidl-Trek using its featherlight pedals in 2023, being joined this year by Movistar.<\/p> In fact, SRAM and its brands seem to be in the ascendancy. It\u2019s already heavily represented in the Women\u2019s WorldTour and in 2024 has four men\u2019s teams using Red AXS, up from two in 2022.\u00a0<\/p> Another SRAM brand, Hammerhead<\/a>, now supplies its Karoo 2<\/a> computers to Bora-Hansgrohe. Surprisingly, considering its profile in the collective cycling psyche, Zipp<\/a>, another SRAM brand, only supplies wheels to one team: Movistar.<\/p> Although most teams are riding the same bikes as last year, there\u2019s been greater turnover in more minor suppliers.\u00a0<\/p> Probably the prize for the highest profile change goes to Gobik. The Spanish brand has edged out Bioracer as supplier to Ineos Grenadiers, adding to its sponsorship of Movistar. There\u2019s a range of other lesser-known cycle clothing brands plying their trade this year, alongside the likes of Castelli, Sportful and Al\u00e9.<\/p>No teams using Campagnolo Super Record Wireless<\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2023\/05\/Super-Record-Wireless-a25c117.jpg\")
Clothing swap-outs<\/h2>
![\"Gobik](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/01\/Gobik-INEOS-jpeg.jpg\")