Scope Cycling and INEOS Grenadiers: the technological gamble to win back the Tour

The world of professional cycling equipment is often made up of traditions and locked-in contracts. Yet the start of 2026 marks a seismic shift in the WorldTour peloton. After years of trusting Shimano’s Japanese reliability or the American exoticism of Princeton CarbonWorks, the INEOS Grenadiers armada has decided to change tack.

The British team has signed an exclusive three-year contract with Scope Cycling, a Dutch brand that has made biomimicry its signature. But INEOS is not alone in this adventure: the Polti Visit Malta team is also coming on board. Why are these teams betting their season on wheels with textured rims and 3D-printed hubs? A deep dive into a technical alliance designed for one reason only: to go after an 8th Grande Boucle victory.

A sacred union for performance: INEOS and Polti on the front line

For INEOS Grenadiers, 2026 is not a transition year, it is the year of reconquest. Faced with the recent dominance of rival teams, the British outfit has launched a complete overhaul of its approach to equipment. This partnership with Scope goes beyond simple sponsorship: it is a full technical collaboration. Scope’s engineers now work hand in hand with INEOS’s in the wind tunnel to optimise every watt.

This strategy is long term and covers the whole pyramid of the team. From this year, the new INEOS Grenadiers Racing Academy will equip its young talents, such as Josh Charlton and Hugo Boucher, with this cutting-edge equipment. The aim is crystal clear: to prepare the next generation to ride with the highest technological standards even before they reach the WorldTour.

For Polti Visit Malta, the choice is just as strategic. Approved by Ivan Basso and Alberto Contador, this partnership proves that Scope technology is not a lab gadget, but a weapon able to take on the harshness of the Giro. Seeing these two outfits with different ambitions — one playing for the Tour GC, the other livening up breakaways on Italian roads — endorse the same equipment sends a strong signal to the market.

The end of “secret deals”? The peloton’s dilemma

Does this official partnership with INEOS sound the death knell for the “clandestine” use that had been stirring up the paddocks in recent months? For attentive observers, Scope’s arrival at the top is no surprise: it was the worst-kept secret in the WorldTour.

Even before it became official, several teams under contract with other major manufacturers did not hesitate to use Artech wheels, often stripped of their logos, in pursuit of decisive marginal gains.

• At DSM-Firmenich PostNL: Climber Oscar Onley was seen using the Artech in the high mountains at the last Tour de France, preferring their light weight to his official sponsor’s wheels.
• The time trial stars: Persistent rumours and stolen photos have shown riders from Lidl-Trek and even some leaders at Alpecin-Deceuninck (Mathieu van der Poel’s entourage is known for testing the very best of everything) experimenting with these wheels in decisive time trials.

The awkward question now: Now that Scope is INEOS Grenadiers’ “Premium” partner, will the British team accept its direct rivals continuing to buy (even discreetly) the same technology? Access to the latest Artech innovations will probably become much more restricted for rival teams, giving INEOS and Polti Visit Malta an exclusive technical advantage for 2026.

Artech: when biomimicry reinvents the wheel

What won over INEOS’s performance directors is above all the Artech range. Scope Cycling has taken the bold approach of drawing on nature to outwit the wind.

The most visible feature is undoubtedly Aeroscales technology. By observing the skin of certain fast fish, the Dutch engineers developed a “scale” texture on the surface of the rim. Far from being cosmetic, this relief generates controlled micro-turbulence that stabilises the airflow. The wind tunnel result is unequivocal: a gain of 10.5 watts at 40 km/h compared with a standard aero wheel.

But the real feat is hidden at the centre of the wheel. The Artech hubs are not machined, they are 3D-printed in Germany, using Scalmalloy, a scandium-aluminium alloy from the aerospace industry. The structure is “bionic”, hollowed out where material is not needed, resembling the internal structure of a bone. This makes it possible to achieve weights that defy all competition: just 965g for the mountain version (Artech 2) and an incredible 1244g for the 65mm aero model (Artech 6).

For time trials, the crux of the matter at INEOS, the system has been designed as a whole: the Artech 8.T front wheel and the Artech Disc rear disc wheel work in symbiosis to slice through the air.

The expert’s eye: does performance come at a price?

At Roues Velo Expert, we do not just read spec sheets. While Scope’s figures are the stuff of dreams, real-world use calls for a certain clear-headedness. However, it is important to put things into perspective for equipment of this calibre.

The first remark concerns the Scalmalloy hubs. Independent tests, notably those by Cyclingnews, have noted a surface sensitivity on this raw material. This is not a structural defect, but rather a characteristic linked to the absence of lacquer (to save weight). In practice, it simply calls for meticulous maintenance: just dry the hubs thoroughly after washing or a ride in the rain to prevent small marks of surface oxidation from appearing. That is the price of exclusivity when riding an aerospace alloy.

We also appreciate the Dutch brand’s responsiveness to feedback from the field. On the very first Artech batches, slight lateral play could appear quickly once the wheels were fitted and loaded in the frame. Scope reacted immediately by updating the design of its axles and end caps. This technical fix now completely eliminates this micro-movement, ensuring lateral stiffness and reliability in line with the demands of a team like INEOS Grenadiers.

It is precisely this kind of responsiveness and continuous improvement that is reassuring when investing in a pair of wheels costing around €4,000.

The 2026 Race Series: accessible excellence?

Aware that not everyone has the INEOS team’s budget, Scope is taking advantage of the spotlight to overhaul its consumer range: the Race Series (R-Series).

This is probably the best news for amateur cyclists. For 2026, these wheels inherit the “AEA” (Algorithm Enhanced Aerodynamics) aerodynamic profile developed for the Artech. The rim shape is identical, offering very similar air penetration. The difference? You will not find the famous “scales” (Aeroscales), and the hubs are conventional CNC-machined aluminium rather than 3D-printed.

This compromise makes it possible to offer a high-performance pair of wheels at around €1,800, suddenly making WorldTour technology much more accessible to ordinary mortals.

Our verdict

INEOS’s move to Scope is more than a change of sponsor; it is the validation of disruptive engineering. While the Artech remains a demanding technological showcase product, the arrival of these innovations in the Race range is a golden opportunity for cyclists in search of speed.