Threaded bottom brackets, more tyre clearance, lightweight aero features – a few years ago, we could only dream of such practicalities on race bikes.
However, now these are all commonplace, the question becomes 'what's next?'.
Here are some features I think we’ll see on more race bikes in 2026.
Framesets and components that work with you
I think we’re going to see more frames and components being developed that are designed to work with a rider onboard.
Things such as Factor’s new radical-looking aero bike or Ribble’s Ultra Aero handlebar are good examples of bike brands factoring in the person on the bike when tuning in the aerodynamics, rather than looking at the bike in isolation.
Trek even admits its latest Madone Gen 8 handlebar creates more drag in isolation than the previous Gen 7 bar, but when measured in conjunction with a rider pedalling behind it, the wake behind the bar reduces the aerodynamic drag on the rider's legs, resulting in a faster package overall.
A lot of brands test bikes with mannequins onboard; that’s nothing new, but ripping up the rule book and designing bikes and components from the ground up as a full system is the next step.
Higher stacks
I don’t think I’m alone in saying most bikes look better with a fully slammed stem and no spacers. But is this the fastest setup for most riders?
Professional cyclists and amateurs alike are starting to come around to the idea that a higher stack could be faster. Riders are throwing out the old-school slammed setup in favour of running some spacers to raise their bar. This means they can adopt and, crucially, sustain a more aerodynamic position with horizontal forearms, reducing their frontal area.
If a higher front end can be faster, will we see bikes being released with higher stacks to enable the best of both worlds?
Perhaps 2026 is too soon for what is quite a radical shift in mindset, but there are examples out there.
Arne Peters – a Dutch racing cyclist and frame designer – has seen this trend coming and designed his own bike, the Morpheus Reppit. The Reppit is a super up-to-date aero bike with a much taller head tube that suits this more modern thinking on rider position.
Will we see mainstream brands come round to this new way of thinking, or will racers be running stacks of spacers from now on?
Proprietary accessories designed around making bikes faster
Brands spend thousands of hours and euros designing bikes to be as slippery as possible, only for consumers to, understandably, fit a saddle bag, lights and other accessories that alter the aerodynamically tuned silhouette of the bike.
We’re already seeing more and more race bikes coming with integrated accessories to keep them as aerodynamic as they were intended to be, but I think we should be seeing a lot more.
Scott’s neat integration of the rear light on the seatpost of the Foil, BMC’s Aerocore bottle cages that are designed to smooth out the airflow between the down tube and the bottle, and Trek’s full TT-style Madone bottles that were designed in conjunction with the bike to save 1.8W at 35km/h over a round bottle are great examples of real-world accessories merging with speed.
Already popular in the endurance and gravel scene, Factor’s Monza race bike is one of the first examples of an aero-optimised bike coming with storage inside the frame.
This means there’s no need for a saddle bag, and the sleek silhouette of the bike can be preserved while still being able to carry your spares. I don’t think this will be the last race bike with internal frame storage we see.
More user-friendly internal hoses
Internal routing of cables and brake hoses is here to stay. With the latest Giant TCR finally adopting headset-routed brake hoses, there are very few race bikes left with the hoses still exposed to the wind. There aren’t even many new endurance bikes or gravel bikes with exposed hoses, and we’re starting to see mountain bikes with internally routed brake hoses coming to market.
While this improves the aerodynamics of a bike, it also increases the amount of time and money it takes to complete a simple workshop job such as changing a headset bearing, which now requires a whole afternoon in the workshop, fitting new handlebar tape and even brake hoses in some cases.
It looks cool, and is more aerodynamic, but is it really worth it?
Internal hoses have been around for long enough now that brands can’t be too far away from finding a way to route them elsewhere, keeping the headset bearings easily serviceable and saving riders money in the long term.
The previous generation of the Cannondale SuperSix Evo was along the right lines. It had a cavity built into the frame at the front of the head tube, which routed the hoses internally without needing to put them through the headset bearing – although this necessitated a steering block and a pretty beefy front end.
However, the latest model has taken a step backwards – instead routing the hoses alongside the Delta steerer tube through both the upper and lower headset bearings to enable the front end of the bike to remain more svelte.
The latest Cervélo S5 and Colnago Y1Rs bikes are halfway there, with the front brake hose being routed through the front of the bayonet fork rather than through the headset bearings, but It’s time for someone to finally crack this.
Specialized’s Tarmac SL8 has the oversized 'Speed Sniffer' head tube that, aside from being aerodynamically efficient, is redundant space that could surely be engineered to house the brake hoses, bypassing the need to go through the headset bearings.
We could have the best of both worlds; integrated cables and maintenance-friendly headsets.
1x optimised frames
1x drivetrains are a divisive equipment choice. Some people love them, some people hate them. The success of pro riders in teams such as Visma–Lease a Bike proves 1x has a place on race bikes. The aerodynamic benefits of a 1x system are great, but they are boosted further when a frame can be engineered specifically for 1x.
Cervelo’s latest S5 has an off-the-peg build available with a 1x13 SRAM Red AXS XPLR drivetrain, which is cool, but the frame is exactly the same as the 2x model.
With the advent of 13-speed drivetrains and tech such as Classified’s internal gear system, 1x is more usable than ever.
The infamous 3T Strada was originally designed entirely around 1x, but was a bit ahead of its time and limited by the drivetrains available back then.
Independent UK brand Vielo produces bikes designed specifically for 1x drivetrains, boasting claims of increased aerodynamic efficiency, lateral stiffness and simpler setups.
Drivetrains have come on in leaps and bounds in the last couple of years alone, so it’s time we started seeing mainstream frame manufacturers producing frames specifically for 1x drivetrains.
