Every year, I review the wheels of professional cycling teams. In 2026, the market is more fragmented than ever: no less than 16 different brands equip the teams of my scope (18 WorldTour + ProTeams men's French). A strong sign that the hegemony of the mastodones is challenged by more specialized actors. This is the complete state of play of the wheels used in 2026 in the men's professional platoon.
The high-end road bike wheel market is undergoing unprecedented transformation. For decades, a handful of western brands dominated the premium carbon segment, with prices up to 3000€ for a pair of wheels. This situation was accepted as the norm: innovation, quality and performance had a price.
We all know the song. A big brand releases a new pair of wheels at 2800€ and promise you « 12 watts save at 45 km/h » or « 10 minutes won on the Tour Stage ». You look at your current wheels with disdain, you take out the blue card, and the following Sunday... surprise: you don't fly, you just have the lighter wallet.
Ten years ago, it was simple: a road rim was 17 mm wide and 23 mm tires were mounted. Today is chaos. The modern rims reach 25 mm of internal width on the road (i.e. wider than the wheels of MTB 15 years ago!), and the standard « hookless » (without hooks) imposes strict safety rules.
The switch to tubeless is probably the most effective technical improvement for a cyclist, whether on the road, engraved or mountain bike. No more pinches, better comfort, better rolling resistance. But one question always comes back in my workshop: « How much preventive fluid should I inject? »
We've long thought we had to swell his tires. « as hard as possible » to go fast. It is a physical error that costs a lot, both in comfort and pure performance.
I still see it too often: cyclists who inflate at 8 bars on tires of 28 mm because « That's what we've always done ». Yet the pressure on your tires is the only point of contact between your power and the road.
If you have recently consulted high-end wheel data sheets such as those of Zipp, DT Swiss, Swiss Side or the latest aerodynamic frames, you have inevitably come across a mysterious acronym: CFD. Often used as a guarantee of scientific quality and absolute performance, this term remains obscure for most cyclists. Is it simply marketing or a real technological revolution?
Women's cycling peaked in 2025, carried by stars such as Demi Vollering, now at FDJ-Suez, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, back on the road with Visma | Lease a Bike after his Olympic title in MTB. These champions, among the most prominent in the peloton, embody the excellence and ambition of a season where every detail counts – starting with the carbon wheels that propel their bikes. In the World T
Ceramic bearings have become a must in the cycling world, often presented as a major innovation to improve the performance of bike wheels. But what about it? Between promises of speed gains, increased durability and high costs, this technology raises as much enthusiasm as questions. In this article, we will explore in detail what ceramic bearings are, their advantages and limitations, their relevance according to your practice, and the best ways to maintain them.
Every year, the best cycling teams from the World Tour team...
