World Champion Julian Alaphilippe rides Specialized. Photo courtesy of ASO/Tour de France.
Not all Tour de France race bikes are created equal. Big teams with big-name riders and big budgets often get to ride the best equipment. Smaller teams have to settle for smaller, more humble bike brands. Life ain’t fair. So, which Tour de France team is riding the most (and least) expensive bike?
I proposed a dream scenario to our in-house pricing experts: What if The Pro’s Closet could buy Tour de France team bikes? If we did, what would they sell for? Sure, any bike nerd with too much time on their hands can Google the MSRP of each frame and component. But since we’re the world’s biggest used bike retailer, I knew I could get accurate, specific information from our analysts. Plus, they can even account for depreciation. Just a quick warning: If you read on, you’ll probably be seeing dollar signs every time you watch the Tour this July
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The most valuable Tour de France bikes
To arrive at these bike values, I averaged the expected sale prices presented by three of our pricing experts. Every day, they use their years of experience, thousands of comps, and even some fancy algorithms to estimate the expected sale price of any used bike. I made sure to get opinions from a diverse group. George is a pro roadie, Kyle is an MTB and motocross nut, and Thatcher is a former pro mechanic. Impressively, all of their estimates were within a few hundred dollars of each other! And all three valued the top three bikes at over $10,000.
Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 - $13,599.00
Photo courtesy of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.
Teams: Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, Bora–Hansgrohe, TotalEnergies
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Roval Rapide CLX
Specialized is one of the biggest bike companies in the world, big enough to sponsor three Tour teams. At over 13,000 dollars, the S-Works Tarmac SL7 is also far and away the most valuable bike. For many, this will come as no surprise. We already know that Specialized bikes hold their value better than any other brand. And the aero Tarmac SL7 is the latest and greatest do-it-all race bike for everyone from climbers to sprinters. All three pricing experts also noted that having a top-of-the-line S-Works frame will take any Tarmac to the next level.
Comments
George: Super desirable, anything S-Works sells amazing.
Kyle: The most desirable road bike on the market.
Thatcher: The S-Works factor makes these bikes sell fast! They hold value inordinately long.
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Pinarello Dogma F - $11,499.00
Photo courtesy of Joris Knapen/Ineos-Grenadiers.
Team: Ineos-Grenadiers
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace
Ineos has the biggest budget in the peloton, and its riders won seven of the last 10 Tours, so of course, they’ll be riding some pretty nice equipment. Pinarello is one of the top Italian brands, and the Dogma always draws a lot of interest — just not quite enough to challenge an S-Works Tarmac, apparently. It could boost its value with some exotic wheels, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility, since Ineos has been known to opt for Lightweight and Princeton CarbonWorks wheels on certain stages.
Comments
George: Good one. Pinarellos are some of the most expensive road bikes we sell.
Kyle: Dogmas sell great, and Dura-Ace is Dura-Ace. Solid and desirable.
Thatcher: Dura-Ace wheels are good ... But it could use something more exotic.
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Colnago V3Rs - $10,232.33
Tadej Pogačar. Photo courtesy of ASO/Tour de France.
Team: UAE Team Emirates
Groupset: Campagnolo Super Record EPS
Wheels: Campagnolo Bora Ultra / WTO
The Colango V3Rs is the bike ridden by the two-time defending champ, Tadej Pogačar. His UAE team also has massive funding thanks to its title sponsor. Despite that, the V3Rs only just managed to make it onto the third step of the podium. Even though Colnago is a legendary Italian brand, it just doesn’t have the mass appeal to topple the likes of Specialized and Pinarello. Add in the Campagnolo EPS electronic drivetrain, which isn’t as common as Shimano Di2 or SRAM AXS, and you have the recipe for a pricey, but super-niche bike.
Comments
George: The Super Record and Boras won’t pull as much as equivalent SRAM/Shimano or Zipp/Enve. But as a complete Italian package, it's still pretty desirable.
Kyle: It’s rare to crack $10k on a Colnago, but this definitely can. EPS has such a small market these days though.
Thatcher: Colnagos have a very niche customer but that customer often likes Campy. EPS doesn’t do as well as the SRAM and Shimano components though.
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The most affordable Tour de France bike
Do you want to ride a pro bike without breaking the bank? This is the team bike that our experts universally agreed was the most affordable.
KTM Revelator Alto - $6,665.67
Photo courtesy of FRJ design & photography/KTM Bike Industries.
Team: B&B Hotels-KTM
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: DT Swiss ARC 1100
B&B Hotels is a small French UCI ProSeries team, so it has a smaller budget and is actually ranked a tier below WorldTour teams like Quick-Step, Ineos, and UAE. This year, its riders are on the KTM Revelator Alto. Despite having the same name as the legendary Austrian motorcycle brand, KTM bicycles simply don’t have the prestige or resale value of more established cycling brands. It is still a pro bike though, so its value is bolstered by a very nice Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain and DT-Swiss carbon wheels.
Comments
George: Does not do great in comparison to other brands.
Kyle: I love my KTM motorcycle, but …
Thatcher: Not a very common brand and they always seem to be slow sellers.
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A few more Tour de France bike values
The vast majority of teams ride bikes valued between $8,000-10,000. Here are some of the top WorldTour team bikes (and one ProSeries team bike) that didn’t quite have the firepower to make it onto the podium.
Trek Emonda SLR - $9,832.33
Photo courtesy of Trek.
Team: Trek-Segafredo
Groupset: SRAM Red AXS
Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus
Trek bikes are top sellers, and the Emonda is one of the most popular all-rounders. But Trek’s SLR frames don’t light the afterburners the same way Specialized’s S-Works frames do. Interestingly, our experts noted that SRAM AXS tends to sell better than Di2.
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Cervelo R5 Disc - $9,532.33
Wout van Aert. Photo courtesy of Cervélo.
Team: Jumbo-Visma
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace
Jumbo-Visma is the top challenger to UAE Team Emirates, but its Cervelo R5 falls a bit short of the 10K mark. Our experts actually noted that the slippery S5 aero bike that riders like Wout van Aert will use on sprint stages would hold its value much better.
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Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc - $8,999.00
Photo courtesy of BikeExchange.
Team: BikeExchange–Jayco
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Cadex
BikeExchange is getting some serious bang for its buck with the Giant TCR. Giant is the world’s biggest bike manufacturer and it has always provided a lot of value for performance. Our experts also noted that Giant’s Cadex carbon wheels actually sell extremely well.
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Cannondale SuperSix Evo - $8,832.33
Photo courtesy of Cannondale.
Team: EF Education–EasyPost
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Vision Metron
I love the Cannondale SuperSix Evo, but unfortunately, it just doesn’t pull in high dollar amounts the way Specialized, Trek, and Cervelo bikes do. Vision Metron carbon wheels are solid but don’t seem to get bike buyers as excited as other brands.
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Canyon Aeroad CFR - $8,699.00
Mathieu van der Poel. Photo courtesy of ASO/Tour de France.
Team: Alpecin-Fenix, Movistar, Arkéa-Samsic
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace
As a direct-to-consumer brand, Canyon bikes often have a lower MSRP. This results in a lower resale price compared to many competitors. Not that star rider Mathieu van der Poel cares. Expect him to drop plenty of racers riding much pricier bikes.
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