Tour de France pro bike: Tadej Pogačar’s highly-customised Colnago V4Rs

Pro bikes naturally vary per rider. It’s often a matter of different stem lengths, handlebar widths, pedals or saddles. But teams and riders are usually tied down by brand partnerships, so the differences between bikes on each team tend to be minimal.

That’s why one bike stood out above all else to Simon Richardson when he visited the Tour de France, and it belonged to two-time champion Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian’s all-attacking style bucks many trends and his Tour de France bike is no different, earning it the title as one of the most customised pro bikes we’ve ever encountered.

In the hunt for any marginal weight or performance gain, UAE Team Emirates’ mechanics have gone to town, completely customising the Colnago V4Rs that he’ll ride for most of the stages. Just how customised? Pogačar rode the same model last year and apart from the frame and the saddle, every part of the bike has changed since then.

Some of those changes are enforced by brand partnerships, such as the team’s shift to Shimano’s Dura-Ace groupset from Campagnolo Super Record. It’s not standard off-the-shelf Dura-Ace, instead specced with Carbon-Ti chainrings, a popular choice in the pro peloton. Despite the overall changes, Pogačar has stuck to familiar 54/40t chainrings and a 11-30t cassette, although this will change depending on the stage.

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Carbon-Ti chainrings save weight on a bike that clocks in at only 6.9kg.

Every little detail matters and 3D-printed chainring covers improve aerodynamics and aesthetics because, well, you want to look good while winning. Carbon-Ti disc rotors are also swapped in for the stock Shimano Dura-Ace ones leading to a significant weight saving, with each disc tipping the scales at under 100g - that’s seriously lightweight.

There’s also a custom Darimo seatpost which is paired with Pogačar’s customised Prologo saddle, ENVE wheels and handlebars, plus more 3D-printed wizardry at the front of the bike in the form of a headset cap which we suspect lowers the stack height slightly to improve aerodynamics.

That’s just one of many changes that completely revamps Pogačar’s position on the bike - a reassuring reminder that even a two-time Tour de France champion tinkers with their setup.

Our friend Sebas from GCN en Español estimated, with some help from a tape measure, that the tip of Pogačar’s saddle is 2cm closer to the handlebars than last year, partly because it’s been moved as far forward on the seatpost rails as possible. That’s a huge difference presumably made in pursuit of aerodynamic gains or pedalling efficiency.

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Pogačar's saddle has been moved forward.

Adding to this, the Slovenian has gone from 172.5mm cranks to 170mm and, following modern trends, 36cm handlebars with the shifters angled inwards.

Check out the full breakdown of components below.

Bike Specification