3D printing on full show at 2026 Tour de France start
The world’s most famous cycling race starts today and additive manufacturing is fully infused into the high-tech time trial bikes on show in Barcelona for stage 1
3D printing has been a regular feature on the elite-level WorldTour cycling stage for some time now, with saddles being one of the most high-profile (and easy to spot) applications. But there is a raft of uses of AM in the sport, down to some very fine details.
Today marks the start of the 2026 edition of the Tour de France, which kicks off in Barcelona with a team time trial. With the specially designed aero bikes that are used exclusively for the race against the clock (time trial bikes will make only two appearances across the three-week race) comes a range of aero-optimized creativity – the kind that 3D printing lends itself to perfectly.
One of the bikes spotted with an array of 3D printed components was British rider Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Bolide F, as reported by Cycling Weekly.
The aero handlebar cockpit carried a special Leap Components aero grip blip mount – a customized housing for the wireless gear shifting buttons that control the bike’s SRAM Red AXS groupset, and which are supplied with adhesive tape. A 3D printed mount solves grip issues for a rider in a pressured riding scenario when changing gears and also makes for a cleaner integration on a very streamlined part of the bike.
Also on the cockpit, along the one-piece bar extensions, were two lattice-structure strips made by Most. Providing comfort, grip and support for Pidcock when in an aero tuck position, the strips resemble the kind of lattice now often seen on saddles.
Pidcock’s own saddle, a Prologo Predator 02//TT, is the latest from the Italian brand and has added padding – which also appears to be printed – and a special 3D printed titan mounting clamp that makes it compatible with a wide selection of seatposts.
Further 3D printed parts spotted by CW included printed plugs filling the bottom bracket ends of both crankarms, one of many adjustments made to stack up marginal but significant drag reductions.
The Bolide F is a bike built on 3D printed tech overall. The model had a significant update in 2024 to integrate elements of the Bolide F HR, which was the fully 3D printed alloy made for Filippo Ganna’s successful hour record attempt in 2022.
