Tour Down Under mega tech gallery: A new Cannondale SuperSix, mountain bike saddles, and pro-only chainrings
Temperatures hovered at around 30°C as the peloton rolled out for stage one of the Women’s Tour Down Under on Saturday. The heat of the Australian summer seems to perfectly mirror the blast furnace that is the WorldTour peloton. Despite it being January and the very first race of the season, no quarter will be given amongst the women’s and men’s pelotons.
A new season means a wave of new bikes, new components, and new paint jobs to pore over, inspect and analyse; that’s exactly what we have done in our first race tech gallery of the 2026 season at the Tour Down Under.
This is Noemi Rüegg’s Cannondale SuperSix, and it appears to be a new model for 2026. There are a lot of images and chat circulating online right now about the new bike, and we expect to hear details soon since the bike is being raced on, but this one, especially the seatpost, looks different.
It’s marked as a SuperSix Evo and shares the frame design with the current model. A different-shaped seatpost seems to be a key difference.
EF have also switched to SRAM from Shimano for 2026. Ruegg’s bike was fitted with a 52T 1x SRAM Red AXS power meter chainset.
This bike belongs to the current world road race champion, Magdeleine Vallieres, who also rides for EF. We couldn’t snap the whole rainbow-painted bike, but the handlebar appears to have a different carbon fibre finish.
Rüegg appears to have her SRAM shifters set at quite a jaunty angle, which takes me back to the mid 2000’s trend for it. Is this a new handlebar from Cannondale?
Red, white, and blue nearly always work well together, and Lidl-Trek’s colour scheme looks pretty well put together this year.
We also spotted some Trek ‘Race Shop Limited’ lace-up shoes that we don’t recognise and which aren’t in the current line. A new model may be on the way.
This rear derailleur hanger isn’t bent, the SRAM Red AXS rear mech is designed to sit slightly on the wonk like this.
The team has a new partnership with Gatorade for 2026 and beyond. Since the Madone is more aero with these bottles than it is without them, it may be that not very many get thrown at the side of the road for lucky fans, though they would make a cool momento.
Lidl-Trek also has a partnership with Taiwanese brand Tripeak, a manufacturer of ceramic bearings and other small parts. I assume the team’s Bontrager wheels have been fitted with the bearings.
The team are also using Tripeak lightweight disc rotor lockrings, which weigh in at a claimed 7 grams.
AG Insurance-Soudal’s bikes look very familiar to last year; this one is Anya Louw’s. Perhaps a different paint scheme will surface at some point during the year.
There are still a few two-piece handlebar and stem setups in the WorldTour peloton, and I like to see them. The ability to adjust handlebar roll is a real advantage.
We will be examining a few teams’ Shimano Di2 cable routing in the gallery; a neat job here from the team mechanics using some rubber tubing.
A Specialized Power Comp with MIMIC tech for extra cushioning. This saddle is available in three width options and, whilst not being the brand’s most expensive, is clearly the right choice for its rider.
The mighty Specialized Turbo Cotton is still going strong; this current version has the bigger red sidewall hot patch and is tubeless ready.
Team Jayco Alula’s Giant Propel has a recognisable silhouette; it’s rumoured that a new Propel is in the works for 2026, so we will be keeping our eyes peeled this spring.
30mm Cadex Aero TLR tyres for the team. Note the maximum 72 PSI pressure rating, which is especially important given the hookless rims.
Another two-piece bar and stem. It’s still nice to see a big old chunky carbon fibre stem.
The Cadex hubs have a radial spoke lacing pattern on the drive side of the wheel and a low-profile hub flange.
Visma’s yellow and black Cervelo S5’s are a familiar sight. The S5 received an update last summer and has proven to be very fast in our independent CN Labs testing.
The team has a new partnership with Camelbak for 2026, perhaps making use of the brand’s insulated bottles to keep drinks cool in the Australian heat.
Any deeper and these Reserve wheels would fall foul of the UCI 65mm maximum rim depth rule. This bike was fitted with 29mm Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.
Speedplay Aero pedals for this rider; every watt counts at this level.
A slightly less common sight on pro bikes, the Garmin Edge 840 Solar should soak up plenty of the sun’s rays down in Australia; it will barely need charging!
The S5 has one of the most recognisable handlebars around. This one has a ‘109’ sticker; I assume it refers to stem length, but 109 seems oddly specific.
I had to look Filippo Fiorelli’s saddle up. It’s a Prologo Scratch NDR model, from the Italian brand’s MTB range. The front section of the saddle has a horizontal grippy covering, perhaps useful when riding in aero positions.
The aggressive Ridley Noah Fast 3.0 is back, after first breaking cover at the TDU last year. This year, the Uno-X team has switched to SRAM from Shimano, one of three teams to have done so.
Riders were dialling in their handlebar setups last year, with various two-piece combos being used. The integrated Nimbus bar sits low down in the headtube. This bike also has CeramicSpeed SLT solid lubrication headset bearings fitted.
The bar makes for a pretty aggressive-looking front end. I’ve seen a range of different stem heights and angles for this handlebar; there are some wild ones out there.
The FDJ United-Suez team bikes have received a very nice red and blue paint job from Specialized.
This bike had a CeramicSpeed BB Alpha fitted, the brand’s top bottom bracket, which launched last year.
Carbon spokes are very much a trend right now for top-end wheels, dropping weight and boosting stiffness. The latest Roval Rapide CLX wheels feature them too.
Tudor’s BMC Teammachine bikes always look classy. The specs are largely the same as last year, but this bike had a few interesting details which caught our eye.
39-52-tooth SRAM chainrings; this is a pro-only combo and not officially available. It also seems 172.5mm length cranks still have a place in the peloton in today’s world of short cranks.
Custom Tudor stickers on the AXS batteries, which I haven’t seen before. I assume this is to help the team manage the hundreds of AXS batteries that they have to charge and keep safe.
These Schwalbe Pro One tyres have the latest logos. Interestingly, Tudor use the top spec DT Swiss 180 hubs in their wheels, whilst Visma wheels are built up with the brand’s 240 hubs, I’m told for longevity.
The Selle Italia Novus 3DA printed saddle is one of the brand’s more expensive options at over $300.
This bike is Soraya Paladin’s, a cool custom-painted frame from Canyon. Sometimes one colour is all you need.
And here is the older Schwalbe Pro One mounted to her Zipp 454 NSW. I think I prefer this one over the newer, smaller logo.
This Hammerhead Karoo had a blue shell fitted over the usual black, a nice touch.
Movistar’s Canyon Aeroad looks fast and aggressive; not much has changed for the team equipment-wise for 2026.
The Movistar blue feels like it’s been around forever, and in a way, it has. The team’s Aeroads look classy and purposeful.
Adam Yates’ Colnago Y1RS was looking fast. Equipment stays largely the same for the world’s number one team this year, but at least one small change has taken place.
It looks like the team have switched from Frames and Gear derailleur hangers to Carbon-Ti ones for this year. This bling red one is machined from aluminium alloy.
Multiple teams had Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR tyres fitted, the brand’s fastest road option.
The team’s neat 3d printed Wahoo computer mounts smooth the space at the front of the Y1RS handlebars.
UAE use Bikone bottom brackets, and the brand launched a new ‘aero’ one back in December with a smooth non-drive side cup, this isn’t it though.
Here is a brand new team bike, NSN Cycling Team’s Scot Foil RC. NSN is a new team, but spec-wise this is a similar machine to the bikes Q36.5 Pro Cycling were using last season.
Jake Stewart is using the latest generation of the popular Selle Italia SLR saddle. A model which has been in the line for a quarter of a century.
43/56 tooth pro only SRAM chainrings for Stewart – the British rider isn’t playing around with these ratios
Stewart is using the Syncros Creston IC SL aero sprint handlebar with a Hammerhead computer out front.
Human Powered Health have the new Factor One to race on, surely the most eye-catching and talked about bike of the last year. Though Factor is no longer in the men’s WorldTour, it retains its presence in the women’s.
It can be difficult to see past the hyper-wide forks and razor-thin headtube. The team’s riders must field a lot of questions on it.
The bottom of the fork leg is very deep and angled, and Factor consulted with the UCI to ensure the bike fell within current guidelines.
It doesn’t matter how much you study it; that is one absolutely wild front end.
The third WorldTour team to switch to SRAM from Shimano this year is Decathlon CMA CGM Team. Aside from that, their Van Rysel bikes are largely the same.
The team developed the Continental Aero 111 tyre with their wheel sponsor, SwissSide and Continental. At a guess, the numbers could be when the tubeless sealant was added or topped up.
More pro-only chainrings, 41/54 tooth Red AXS options for Tobias Lund Andreson.
These are the less extreme handlebars of Human Powered Health’s Factor Ostro VAM bikes; the team has both models to race on.
The squad’s purple and orange colour scheme pops. The Ostro is an aggressive machine, but it looks totally normal next to the ONE.
Groupama-FDJ are racing on the Wilier Filante SLR ID2, which launched in the autumn.
Wilier made considered changes to the new Filante, and the team now has the brand new Miche Deva RD wheelset to race on.
The wheels are available in 52 and 62mm depths; the team had chosen the more standard GP5000 S TR tyres here.
Wilier paint always looks great, and this custom-painted bar, which is also new, is no exception.
The SD Worx-Protime Specialized Tarmac SL8 looks really nice, with matching pink at either end.
Slightly older but bling Roval team edition hubs look nice against the pink.
Another special hubset is the OQUO Q10 hub, which has special low-friction grease.
The newly merged Lotto Intermarché team will race on the Orbea Orca aero.
The bike has a huge chunky bottom bracket shell that looks a little similar to the one on the Canyon Aeroad.
Bahrain, meanwhile, have switched from Merida to Bianchi, riding the aero Oltre RC.
The Oltre has an aggressive-looking integrated handlebar and a stem that has a positive rise.
The team are also using Chinese Elilee power meter cranks this year, paired to Dura-Ace chainrings.
Astana’s X-Lab bikes look similar to last year, with a solid no-nonsense race spec.
Astana are using Magene bike computers this season, after switching from Garmin to the Chinese brand.
The team also has a partnership with Tripeak, the same as Lidl-Trek. One of the brands’ disc lockrings is fitted here.
It’s nice to see some hardware that isn’t Garmin or Wahoo. The team will use the Magene C606 unit.
UAE Team ADQ’s simple white and blue Colnago Y1Rs bikes look stunning.
Enve, Dura-Ace, Colnago. Not a bad trio.
Fresh new orange and white for Ineos’ Pinarello Dogma bikes this year.
The team have also switched wheel sponsor from Shimano to Scope, a brand which uses 3d printed hub shells.
The brand’s Artech wheels will be used by the Ineos squad; spot the fish scale design on the rim.
There’s plenty of white in the new colour scheme, and everyone knows white is fast.
Liv AlUla Jayco race on Liv machines and can choose between two models, the Magma and EnviLiv.
The bikes have a rich, bright paint job, which looked great in the sun.
The RedBull – Bora – Hansgrohe bikes look familiar. The carbon spokes of the Roval wheels make it look extra aggressive.
43/56 tooth chainrings here. SRAM is clearly producing plenty of pro-only chainring combinations. WorldTour pelotons are fast and show no signs of slowing down.
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