Every year, bike tech takes a step forward in some way – and 2025 was no different. New bikes came down the launch conveyor belt and there was hot pro tech aplenty at the major races, alongside many smaller stories throughout the year that caught our eye.
It also wouldn’t be a year in cycling tech without controversy and polarising opinions.
The UCI’s rulemakers have been at it again; hookless technology continued to be a talking point and a divisive bike design or two came along that may yet prove to be the future.
So grab a drink and settle in: these were the biggest tech stories of 2025.
Pogačar’s race bikes
Whenever Tadej Pogačar raced, everyone wanted to know what he was riding. This came to a head at the Tour de France, where he had the option of using Colnago’s very new V5Rs lightweight race bike or its Y1Rs aero bike.
Despite being launched in December last year, Pogačar hardly used the Y1Rs until his win at the Tour of Flanders, where even the Slovenian eventually gave way to the inevitable performance charms of aerodynamics.
In the end, he used exclusively the Y1Rs during the Tour, and even a special lightweight version for the stage 13 uphill time trial to Peyragudes, and he has since largely remained on the aero bike. That bike sold for $190,500 at auction, which speaks volumes about how he’s captured the public interest.
Naturally, his CarbonTi chainrings and custom bells and whistles drew attention, but is anyone really in any doubt whether the rider or the bike was the real hero?
It’s Tadej’s world now and we’re just living in it.
Read more
- We've weighed Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de France bike – and it's currently under the UCI weight limit
- Tadej Pogačar just won stage four of the Tour de France on this Colnago Y1Rs (with a curious spec change)
- Tadej Pogačar's tricked-out Colnago Y1Rs for the Rwanda World Championships – new tyres, custom wheels and a raw carbon finish
Shimano changes its age-old cleat design
The Shimano SPD pedal system is one of the most influential pieces of cycling tech ever, and the Japanese brand only went and updated it in 2025 after nearly 30 years of uninterrupted production.
Enter the CL-MT001 cleat, one of the more sterile names for a product in all of cycling, you must admit.
Shimano says the CL-MT001 makes clipping in easier. Where previously you needed to enter the pedal mechanism by the front edge (essentially, in one direction), the new cleat features a modified leading edge, enabling riders to enter via the front, rear or by pushing straight down.
For many, this all but eliminates clip-in anxiety – the rush to put your foot in the right position before you try to connect to the pedal – and in theory will prove far more forgiving to those who sometimes struggle with accurate cleat-pedal spotting.
Of course, Shimano could have chosen to make the new cleats bespoke to a new generation of pedals, but instead opted to make the CL-MT001 backwards-compatible with its pre-existing SPD-based pedals.
In short, you don’t need to spend more than the £19.99 / $20 / €22.99 asking price to upgrade and experience the benefits of the new design.
That’s the kind of news we like to hear.
The Trek Checkout split the crowd, but could be a sign of things to come
When the Trek Checkout unofficially broke cover in June, it polarised opinion thanks to the gravel bike’s full-suspension design.
On the one hand, the trend for full-suspension gravel riding is one that has (slowly) gained pace over the past few years, and Trek’s approach showed how far that tech development has come without straying fully into cross-country mountain bike territory.
In theory, this kind of gnarly gravel bike could be perfect for that cross-over terrain, where a rigid or front-suspended gravel bike just won’t cut the mustard, but a hardtail or full-sus MTB would prove to be too slow.
On the other hand, detractors filled the comments section on our coverage of the bike. The soon-to-be-called Checkout was whimsically heralded the 'CheckBounced' in one of the funniest comments we read in 2025, a reference to the industry’s struggles in recent times.
And, when the Checkout officially launched in September with an explanation that the suspended design aimed to reduce the need to get out of the saddle, thereby helping the rider save energy over long endurance events, it still garnered a mixed response from a tough crowd.
That said, life would be boring if some things weren’t different. As ‘Joe Totale’ commented: “To my eyes it looks hideous but I'll give Trek kudos for trying something different instead of releasing another bike that looks the same as the competition.”
Time will tell if the Checkout proves to be a sign of things to come or a failed experiment.
The UCI’s latest shenanigans
The UCI made its voice heard in 2025, and was frequently met with widespread outcry.
In June, it announced sweeping changes to its bike regulations that would take effect from 1 January 2026. These specified:
- That handlebars had to measure 400mm (outside-to-outside) in all UCI-sanctioned races
- The distance between the brake hoods had to be a minimum of 320mm
- Rims had to be 65mm deep or less
- New fork-width limits
- New regulations on helmets
- An expansion of its remit to investigate ‘technological doping’
While the fork-width regulations will have had some designers rushing back to the drawing board and the helmet regulations were vague, the handlebar limits drew most criticism. At the time of the initial announcement, one source suggested the UCI had ignored all the advice offered by stakeholders, and another called it discriminatory to women and smaller riders.
In the end, the furore surrounding the handlebar-width limits prompted a U-turn from the UCI, with the proposed changes relaxed. The between-hood measurement will now stand at 280mm (40mm narrower than first announced), with a 65mm maximum-flare figure introduced.
UCI shenanigans, part 2
Meanwhile, the UCI also proposed a trial on maximum gear ratios at the Tour of Guangxi, in a bid to improve rider safety.
This effectively disadvantaged SRAM-sponsored teams, which rely on the brand’s 10t sprockets. When combined with the brand’s native chainrings, this led to overgeared (and illegal) setups, forcing riders to be undergeared with the equipment available.
SRAM CEO Ken Lousberg claimed that the brand had “tried to engage the UCI… in good faith, [its] concerns went unheard”, prompting the legal action. SRAM took the matter to the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA), centred around its claim that the test was unfair.
In the end, the BCA ordered the UCI to suspend its test, citing a lack of transparency for the process, and highlighting the potential for SRAM to be unfairly disadvantaged by the test.
But this story isn’t over. The UCI lodged an appeal and asserted that it "deeply regrets that riders’ safety does not appear to be a shared objective with those who challenged the implementation".
We'll wait to see how this unfolds in 2026.
Shimano finally goes wireless – will road groupsets follow?
Shimano has long resisted the temptation to copy SRAM and go fully wireless with its road groupsets, but that looks set to change sooner than later following the launch of its wireless GRX Di2 RX827 rear derailleur in June.
Given the ‘groupset’ is effectively formed of this rear derailleur and new wireless left-only Di2 shifter, with other components borrowing from the brand’s pre-existing groupset variations, the launch wasn’t the bells-and-whistles event we’ve been accustomed to in recent years – but it was as sure a sign of things to come as it’s possible to get.
This sense was confirmed when Shimano launched a SRAM Rival-rivalling RX717 rear derailleur and lever set.
The staged launches also reveal a new cross-compatibility protocol from Shimano. This means you can mix and match certain components with the new parts. For example, levers from 12-speed Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 Di2 groupsets will work with the latest GRX gravel derailleurs.
I think this might herald some clues as to what we’ll see with Shimano’s next flagship Dura-Ace R9300 groupset, such as a fully wireless design and its own hanger to rival SRAM’s UDH, and am excited to see what’s to come.
Campagnolo heralds a new beginning, but has troubles at home
Campagnolo has had a mixed year. On the tech side, many rejoiced when it launched Super Record 13, heralding what could be the start of a new ecosystem of groupsets.
Simon von Bromley was impressed by the road-going 2x groupset he tested, and felt that Campagnolo could finally be a tech force to be reckoned with once again.
Of course, this must be set in the context of the Italian brand’s recent woes. In November, it was revealed that 100 jobs are at risk of redundancy as the storied Italian brand seeks to consolidate its business and make efficiencies.
Alongside this, we’re assured that Campagnolo is still developing more mid-range groupset offerings, which is a positive sign, but the brand isn’t out of the woods yet.
Whatever 2026 holds, we’re hoping for more positive news and tech interest from one of cycling’s most legendary brands.
