At first glance, mens and womens Tour de France bikes look almost identical and, in many ways, they are. Both groups of riders race on the same WorldTour-level machines, built to identical UCI regulations, using the same framesets, groupsets and wheels.The days of fundamentally different womens bikes with gender-specific geometry, at the top level, are largely over. But there are differences, and those even inform the bikes riders choose for some stages.Women are, on average, smaller than men, and their bikes are specced to suit. That typically means riders will use smaller frames, narrower bars and shorter cranks. But thats no different from the build customisation seen in the mens peloton. Shorter riders, both female and male, will have a different setup from taller ones. A.S.O./Thomas Maheux Bike setup is individual and shaped by a riders proportions rather than their gender. In fact, as Specializeds head of human performance, Todd Carver explained to BikeRadar in 2024, variation within genders is often greater than between them.For example, within the Womens Lidl-Trek squad, 181cm-tall (5ft 11in) Riejanne Markus bike setup will be vastly different from that of her 151cm (4ft 11in) teammate Gaia Realini. The spread in rider size is why cockpit dimensions vary and why attempts to standardise them have proven controversial.In 2025, the UCI proposed new rules introducing a minimum 400mm handlebar width, as part of a push to control speeds and improve safety. Smaller riders from both pelotons would have been affected, particularly those already using narrower bars to match their shoulder width. The UCI backed down on its controversial handlebar-width rule. George Scott / Our Media Bike fitters were quick to criticise the move. James Thomas, of Bicycle Richmond, described it as showing blatant disregard for almost all female cyclists, noting most women he works with require bars narrower than 38cm. The UCI was later forced into a U-turn, but it left open the possibility of revisiting the rules in future.An exception to the same bike for both genders rule is Liv Cycling, Giant Bicycles sister brand, which continues to design frames specifically for women. These are raced at the Tour de France Femmes by Liv AlUla Jayco.Liv builds its bikes using fit data collected from female riders, rather than adapting unisex designs. That generally results in geometry with shorter reach and lower standover heights. Liv is one of the few bike brands to design bikes specifically for women riders. A.S.O./Gatan Flamme Where aero bikes almost exclusively rule the roost in the mens peloton, you are generally more likely to see women on climbing-specific bikes at the Tour during hilly stages. Writing for BikeRadar, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio noted that because female riders are lighter on average than men, pursuing a low system weight can play a more significant role in mountainous terrain.In practice, that can mean favouring lighter bikes over aero setups on mountainous stages. However, this is not unique to womens racing smaller male riders and climbing specialists may make similar choices depending on the stage and their physiology. More on the Tour de France Femmes Tour de France Femmes: 8 key questions answered, from race favourites to must-watch stages Tour de France Femmes bikes 2026: whos riding what? How much does a Tour de France Femmes bike cost? SpongeBob SquarePants heads to the Tour de France Femmes aboard Factor One road bikes Padded bras cause controversy at Tour de France Femmes ahead of stage four time trial

Frederik Niessen travelled to Slovenia after completing a night shift at a Berlin hospital. By the end of the following morning, he had beaten Tadej Pogacar to the summit of Krvavec and attracted enquiries about a possible professional cycling contract. The 31-year-old internal medicine doctor finis...

The owners of iconic British bike brand Raleigh and others including Lapierre, the Accell Group, has begun insolvency proceedings, it was announced on Wednesday.The Dutch company, which bought Raleigh for 100 million in 2012, said that every "realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored". It entered a suspension of payments, a form of insolvency, in the Netherlands.Insolvency means a company is unable to meet its debt obligations. The company can restructure or seek a buyer before entering administration. The news follows a series of difficult years for the Accell Group, which included job cuts in 2024, and losses for Raleigh reported last year. Accell also owns Haibike, Winora, Ghost, Batavus, Koga, Sparta, Babboe and Carqon.Accell Group was bought by US private equity firm KKR for 1.56 billion (1.31 billion) in 2022.In February this year, following a restructuring, Accell reached an agreement with its shareholders and lenders which saw ownership of the company transferred to its lenders. "This was not intended to be a long-term ownership structure," the company said.However, a press release on Wednesday said that there was no "viable solution" for Accell to continue operations in its "current form".Therefore, the company has initiated local insolvency proceedings of the group's subsidiaries."This is a deeply sad and frustrating situation given all the hard work and everything we have achieved, with the support of shareholders and lenders, to restructure Accells operations and finances," Accell's CEO, Jonas Nilsson, said in a press release. "It is an especially difficult moment for our employees, creditors, customers, suppliers, and partners. "Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form. Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow."Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1885, and was once the largest bike manufacturing company in the world; the brand is famous for design classics including the Raleigh Chopper. In the 1970s and 1980s, it sponsored the TI-Raleigh squad, which won the Tour de France in 1980 through Joop Zoetemlek.

Marion Rousse is pushing for every Tour de France Femmes stage to be shown live from start to finish, with only three of the nine days in the 2026 race currently receiving full television coverage. Viewers joining the other six stages can miss attacks, crashes and the formation of decisive breakaway...

Mads Pedersen wants Jonas Vingegaard alongside him at the World Championships in Montreal, despite the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader remaining without a confirmed return date following his Tour de France crash. Vingegaard fractured his collarbone on stage 15 while sitting second overall behind Ta...

Dutch bicycle maker Accell Group is initiating insolvency proceedings just months after the private group KKR and its backers ceded control of the business to lenders following a 1.8bn bet.The parent company of Raleigh, Lapierre, Babboe, Haibike and more says it is no longer able to meet its financial obligations. A suspension of payments a form of insolvency in the Netherlands has been granted to its Dutch entities.Accells insolvency follows a difficult four years since a consortium led by KKR acquired the company in 2022, betting that the electric bicycle market would continue its rapid growth.But the boom slowed and bicycle companies were left with excessive inventory, which has seen the market move to aggressive discounting and the industry struggle with overcapacity and pressure on margins.The group then implemented its One Accell strategy. This saw job cuts, the centralisation of functions such as marketing, and the consolidation of locations.In February 2026, Accells lenders took control from KKR after the company agreed its second debt restructuring within a year.KKR and its backers lost all of the 1.1bn equity used to buy Accell, alongside hundreds of millions they injected into the company to help stabilise it.By June, the transfer of Accell Group to its new owner, the Singapore-based investment firm DuTech Group, appeared to be nearing completion.Accell Group CEO Jonas Nilsson says the situation is deeply sad and frustrating in light of the work that has been done to restructure the group, and the support of shareholders and lenders.Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form, Nilsson says.Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.Accell bought Raleigh for $100m in 2012 and the insolvency follows a trying period for the historic brand. Raleigh saw redundancies in 2024 and reported losses of $30m in accounts released in 2025.

Wolf Tooth sparked an influx of race-specific gravel bike pedals when it launched the DEL pedals in 2025. Featuring a single-sided entry, rather than the traditional two-sided design seen on Shimano SPD pedals, it aimed to lower stack height and increase pedal surface area for a gravel-race-specific pedal. Our tech editor used the regular Wolf Tooth DEL pedals at Gravel Burn in South Africa last year and was impressed by their performance, durability, and lightweight efficiency over seven days of demanding gravel racing.With the Mk0 version, things have ramped up considerably in the performance stakes.Understated packaging belies how precious the contents are (Image credit: Future - Andy Turner)Design detailsThe Wolf Tooth Mk0 DEL pedals are very similar to the standard DEL pedals. A wider platform design means that with the tread of most gravel shoes or a pontoon system on the Shimano RX910, the pedals have a contact surface area of 559mm2. Shimano XTR 9200, for example, sits at 144mm. More contact is only part of the equation; the other is the total area this contact patch covers, and the wide platform of the DEL pedals means there is minimal float when clipped in.Wolf Tooth has also designed this pedal to be resilient. A five-year warranty is included, while every component of the pedal can be replaced, should you damage it. There are also user service tutorials to ensure maintenance is easy and that the life of the pedal is prolonged.Other notable attributes include the igus bushing with a custom radial seal that protects internal components from debris, effectively limiting the chance that dirt will get into the axles and reduce bearing performance. Stainless steel cleat hardware and shims are included (Image credit: Future - Andy Turner)Although functionally the same as the regular DEL pedals, a lot of work has gone into reducing the weight to 174g (172g on my scales) for the pair. DLC-coated Ti axles, PVD-coated Ti hardware, and aggressive machining have saved 43g compared to the standard DEL pedals. Just the one colour is available, rather than the coloured variety Wolf Tooth usually offers. The 6061 aluminium pedal bodies are machined in-house by Wolf Tooth, and do give a premium feel. Wolf Tooth has also carried over the adjustable Q-factor of these pedals. There are 51, 55, and 59mm options available, and the swapping process is fairly straightforward; you unscrew the spindle, then adjust the three inner bearings and two spacers to set your width. At just 14.5mm, the pedal is also very thin, which aids ground clearance through corners, while the open design helps shed mud. Stack height is also just 14.7mm, making it comparable to most road-race pedal systems and lower than pretty much any other gravel-specific pedal system available. The SPD-style cleats are included, along with shims so that shoes with taller tread can still be used; however, the shims do not grip the shoe soles perfectly and can twist and move out of position when unclipping. The cleats have five degrees of float, and retention is adjustable via a hex screw. The pedals are rated at a max rider weight of 90kg owing to the lightweight hardware used in the construction.PerformanceThe Wolf Tooth Mk0 DEL pedals are, in terms of shape and functionality, identical to the standard DEL pedals, so the single-sided entry remains.First and foremost, fitting the pedals is very easy. As with all pedals, you need to grease the thread, even more so when it comes to titanium, to avoid any binding. (It is recommended not to use these with titanium cranks). Clipping in using the supplied SPD-compatible stainless steel cleats, or standard Shimano ones, is effortless. There is no need to catch the pedal lip as such - instead its an easy stamp-in job. There is some concern that removing the second side of the pedal makes clipping in more difficult, but fortunately the pedal remains in place and doesn't spin too freely on its axles. Additionally, riding on proper gravel trails rather than single track or more technical terrain, there is virtually no situation where I ever unclip, so the potential time lost from the single-sided element is negated in other ways. The improved ground clearance is a great feature. Riding in ruts or even over large stony terrain, having a bit more clearance for the pedal to avoid strikes is handy. It also means you can pedal through corners a bit more easily, which is useful for maintaining traction over loose terrain.The machining of the pedals makes them a work of art, and every piece is replaceable should you damage anything (Image credit: Future - Andy Turner)That huge contact patch of the pedals is also exceptionally good for pedalling performance. On standard Shimano pedals, I have felt that my foot moves around somewhat when putting the power down. On the DEL pedals, there is no such issue. I have found these comparable to the stability of road pedals and exceptional for power transfer. I used them together with Nimbl Urano shoes, which worked a treat as the tread sits nicely on the pedals while the cleat is engaged. However, using the Northwave Extreme X shoes, the tread was higher, so I needed the plastic shims under the cleat. The problem here is that the plate has less bite against the sole of the shoe than just the cleat, so when unclipping from the pedals I found the cleat often twisted. This meant I needed to loosen the retention a fair bit for these shoes or plane the tread off.Ive not actually needed to adjust the Q factor, but it is very easy to carry out. Simply unscrew the spindle and adjust the spacers and bearings. This carries over to all the individual parts of the pedal should they get damaged and require replacement. Given the price of the pedals, it is great that each individual part can be purchased and replaced rather than requiring an entirely new set of pedals. The single-sided entry has not proved an issue, while pedalling stability and power transfer is exceptional (Image credit: Future - Andy Turner)Weight is a big area where these pedals are impressive. At just 172g for the pair, and the cleats adding only a small amount of weight, these are lighter than a few road systems. Its not noticeable when riding, admittedly, but for those cutting weight everywhere on the bike, there is scope to reduce a large amount of rotational mass. I also have to say that these pedals are an absolute work of art in terms of aesthetics. The machined aluminium is just brilliant, and the single colour choice is also not a bad thing, given the DEL pedals tend to lose some color after exposure to the elements and from shoe scuffs. In this gunmetal colour, wear and tear is far less noticeable. My only real gripe with these pedals is that most of the performance and functionality of the Mk0 DEL is identical to the standard DEL, save for the lighter weight. Some tarnishing is likely due to metal-on-metal contact points (Image credit: Future - Andy Turner)ValueUnfortunately, the Mk0 DEL pedals don't represent great value at 310/ $365. In terms of performance and functionality, there is virtually nothing separating the Mk0 pedals from the standard DEL offering, which is also fairly expensive at 189/ $220. I have been using the Shimano M520 pedals for years, and they do the job well enough at 49.99. The Wolf Tooth MK0 are a classic case of diminishing returns on investment, but the fact is there is a return. This is the lightest, highest-contact gravel pedal on the market, and for those looking at cutting every gram possible, there isn't a pedal that comes close. The replacement parts, warranty, and serviceability all improve the value of these pedals, as you are unlikely to ever require a replacement set. But the same is true of the standard DEL pedals, which offer better value at a slightly higher weight. If you want the best gravel options on the market, you can't go wrong with the standard DEL pedals, but if you're looking to unlock marginal performance gains and have the money to burn, the MK0 makes a convincing case. Tech specPrice: 310/ $365Weight: 172g (pair, actual)Q-factor: 51 mm/ 55 mm/ 59 mm (user adjustable)Body: CNC-machined 6061-T6 aluminumSpindle: Titanium with DLC coatingBearings: Low-friction cartridge bearings x3Float and release: 5 degrees/ 12 degreesCleat Compatibility: SPD