Tadej Pogačar's bikes: A closer look at the Tour de France winning yellow Colnago Y1Rs

Tadej Pogacar's yellow Y1Rs.

Tadej Pogačar, year after year, is building a palmares that could well mark him out as the greatest male rider of his generation, and perhaps even of all time. Four Tour de France victories would be plenty for most riders, but he performs equally as well at three-week grand tours as he does in shorter stage races, recently winning the Critérium du Dauphiné, and in one-day races too.

His trophy cabinet from monument races is astounding, with two Tours of Flanders, four wins at Il Lombardia, and three Liège-Bastogne-Liège victories to his name. Perhaps the biggest endorsement of his talent is that his coming 2nd on debut at Paris-Roubaix was seen as something of a surprise, if not quite a disappointment.

He's the only rider in history to break the 6,000-point barrier for UCI ranking points too, and is part of what is regularly being called 'the new generation' of riders, along with Wout van Aert, Mathieu Van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock, et al.

At the end of another successful Tour de France, which saw him clinch the yellow jersey and the polka dot jersey too, he was presented with an all-yellow version of his Colnago Y1Rs race bike, as has become traditional now. Whether a spotty one will follow in due course remains to be seen.

What is Tadej Pogačar's bike for 2025?

Pogačar's Colnago Y1Rs represents a departure from the status quo, not just for the team but for Colnago itself. For some years the Italian brand had the V-series of do-it-all race bikes and the made-in-Italy C-series, catering more to consumers. The Y1Rs is the first proper, all-out aero bike from the brand since the Concept back in 2017, a time before disc brakes, integrated cockpits, and fully internal cables.

Now, in 2025, the Y1Rs is among the most radical bikes in the pro peloton, with its key rivals in a visual sense being the Ridley Noah Fast 3.0, the Cervélo S5, and whatever that mad new Factor prototype was that we spotted at the Dauphiné.

At the front, the super deep fork blades join into a bayonet front end, where the fork hinges around the head tube rather than simply passing through it. This makes the effective head tube deeper, and usually narrower too, which in turn makes the bike more aerodynamic.

The deep down tube shrouds the front tyre, and at the back end the quite unusual arrangement with a cantilevered setup of a seat tube allows the rear wheel to be heavily shrouded too. This does mean that the seat post has to be cut precisely at the right length.

The Y1Rs was effectively made for Tadej Pogačar, and while it is commercially available, it is made in limited quantities, involves signing up to a waiting list, and once you get to the checkout, it'll set you back nearly €17,000. Perhaps a bike best left to the professionals?

What size is Tadej Pogačar's bike?

At 1.77m tall, Pogačar is likely to be riding an approximately 54cm frameset. Colnago does sizing a little differently though. We believe he's using a '485' frame, which is a little smaller than is perhaps ideal for a customer of his height but allows him to run a longer stem, especially with the saddle pushed far forwards. Luckily the Y1Rs has a clear stats sheet printed on it, and from this we can see he's running a whopping 145mm stem.

Tadej Pogačar's Colnago Y1Rs Specifications

Frame	Colnago Y1Rs
Groupset	Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9250 12-speed
Brakes	Shimano Dura-Ace 9270 hydraulic disc
Wheelset	Enve 45 (training), Enve SES 4.5 (racing)
Tyres	Continental GP5000 TR (S, TT and AS depending on conditions), Continental Archetype.
Cockpit	Colnago CC.Y1. 145mm stem, 79mm bar reach, 130mm drop, 397-420mm drop.
Chainset	Shimano Dura ace FC-9200P - 54/40T - 165MM with CarbonTi chainrings
Power meter	Shimano Dura ace FC-9200P
Pedals	Shimano Dura-Ace R9200
Saddle	Fizik Vento Argo Adaptive
Bottle cages	Elite Leggero Carbon
Bar tape	Colnago
Computer	Wahoo Elemnt Bolt

Aside from some different colours and logos, this bike is more or less the same as his usual, white race bike that we've covered further down the page. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

Branding has been minimal, with a flat yellow scheme all-over. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

In order that his rainbow bands stand out they have been bordered in white. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

Often this Colnago club logo is covered by a strip of tape to improve aerodynamics, but not for this photoshoot. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

His usual Dura-Ace chainrings have been swapped to carbon fibre units from CarbonTi. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

While the bulk of the chainrings are carbon, the teeth are still aluminium. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

Special logos on his Enve SES 4.5 wheels to commemorate both his yellow and rainbow jerseys. He's also using Continental's new Archetype race tyre, developed with the team. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

Pogačar runs his shifters with a slight inward tilt. These may well fall foul of new UCI rules on minimum bar width in 2026. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

A direct mount rear derailleur hanger from Framesandgear allegedly crisps up the shifting. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

Usually the Y1Rs comes with integrated bottle cages, but Pogačar has opted to swap to lightweight carbon ones to save a few grams. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

The next in a long line of yellow Colnagos. (Image credit: Leo Van Bon / Fizza)

History

For an already storied rider, Pogačar has an extremely simple bike history, having been with UAE Team Emirates his whole professional career. The only real changes have been which model Colnago he was using in any given year.

At a glance

Year	Team	Main bike
2025	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V4Rs, Colnago V5Rs, Colnago Y1Rs
2024	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V4Rs
2023	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V4Rs
2022	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V3Rs/Prototipo
2021	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V3Rs
2020	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V3Rs
2019	UAE Team Emirates	Colnago V2-R
...

Tadej Pogačar's lightweight, hill climb Colnago Y1Rs

Stage 13 of the 2025 Tour de France was unusual insofar as it was an uphill time trial. Various setups were used by different riders, but most opted for their usual road bikes modified in some way. Pogačar opted to use a stripped down version of his Y1Rs, devoid of paint, with smaller chainrings, no bar tape, a lighter saddle, and even a smaller volume of sealant in the tyres. All of this saved around 600g, whilst maintaining the aerodynamic advantage that would be lost if he swapped to the V5Rs. If you want to see more of this heavily modified Y1Rs then we've got a standalone gallery for that with all the juicy details, but there are some highlights below.

While the silhouette is the same as his other Y1Rs bikes, this machine tips the scales at 6.9kg, just over the UCI's minimum weight limit. (Image credit: Colnago)

These chainrings are smaller than his usual setup. (Image credit: Colnago)

No bottle cages for the short effort up the climb, and no bolts wither, just the bare minimum of electrical tape to cover the holes. (Image credit: Colnago)

No bar tape either, and he also removed the rubber hood covers just before the start line too. (Image credit: Colnago)

Tadej Pogačar's 'standard' 2025 Colnago Y1Rs race bike

Pogačar's normal, white Y1Rs is to all intents and purposes the same as the yellow one he used on the final day of the 2025 Tour de France, only white, and with bigger bottle cages designed to integrate with the frame. This is the bike he'll use in tandem with his V5Rs for the remainder of his tenure as World Champion, however long that may be.

Even among aero bikes the Y1Rs stands out. (Image credit: Will Jones)

The seat cluster is really unusual, and needs precise cutting of the seatpost. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Pogacar's baby Hulk sticker sits beneath a 3D printed computer mount from Hinlopen Design (Image credit: Will Jones)

You drop the computer in antwist the lower dial to lock it in place. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Carbon chainrings from CarbonTi (Image credit: Will Jones)

His Fizik Argo saddle is 3D printed. (Image credit: Will Jones)

The Y1Rs uses integrated bottle cages, but we've seen him swap these out for standard ones recently. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Time trial tyres from Continental are what he uses most often, but this can change depending on the conditions. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Custom 'Tadej' bolt covers are a neat touch. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Here are the cockpit stats, with a whopping 140mm effective stem length. (Image credit: Will Jones)

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Pogačar's World Champion's Colango V4Rs

These images were from the end of Pogačar's tenure with the V4Rs, before it was replaced by the V5Rs, and taken after he used the machine to win the Tour of Flanders in 2025.

Besides the paint, the changes to his team issue V4Rs of 2023 are relatively subtle, with a more forward position, a new saddle, and his own logo etched into carbon chainrings.

While it's pretty stock, it's still a handsome machine. Helped somewhat by being a smaller sized frame. (Image credit: Will Jones)

The chainrings are from CarbonTi. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Rear derailleur cable neatly tucked into the Framesandgear aftermarket derailleur hanger. (Image credit: Will Jones)

World champion's logos for his Enve SES 4.5 wheels, and 32mm Continental tyres. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Satellite shifters give an extra option while riding in the drops. (Image credit: Will Jones)

165mm cranks, another growing trend thanks to the Slovenian. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Compared to the radical Y1Rs, the V4Rs looks very... normal. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Rainbow stripes on the top tube in case he forgets. (Image credit: Will Jones)

He ran his saddle slammed forward with a distinct nose-down angle. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Tadej Pogačar's 2023 Colnago V4Rs

The 2023 season marked perhaps the biggest sea change in the UAE Team Emirates camp, at least in terms of equipment. The Colnago frameset still remains staunchly Italian, but the Italian leaning team cast off the 'Italy first' mantra when it came to gear choices. Campagnolo was replaced by Shimano, with Enve wheels taking the place of the Bora Ultras, and Continental tyres replacing Pirelli.

What is also interesting to note is Pogacar's bike fit changes versus his 2024 bike. In 2023, he was still using a setback seatpost and 172.5mm cranks.

We weren't allowed to weigh it, but Colnago says the bike, in a similar spec, will hit the legal minimum of 6.8kg. This is in line with the usual weight of a Tour de France bike. (Image credit: Will Jones)

The model name, following in sequence from the V3Rs, is V4Rs. If you're wondering how much a Tour de France bike costs, we have a full feature covering various examples. A Team Edition of this bike is available at the cost of EUR 15,260. (Image credit: Will Jones)

One of the biggest changes for 2023 was the team's switch from Campagnolo to Shimano, but here he's still using the stock Dura-Ace chainrings. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Continental's best road bike tyre at the moment is the GP5000 S TR, and it looks as though Pogačar was currently using inner tubes instead of tubeless. In doing this, mechanics have fitted tape around the valve to stop it rattling (Image credit: Will Jones)

Up front, the cockpit is made by Colnago, not Deda like the last bike. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Richard Mille isn't a bike manufacturer, nor a cockpit manufacturer, but a team sponsor whose expertise lies in designer watches. Keep an eye out on Pogačar's wrist and you might spot him sporting one during occasional races. Mathieu van der Poel wears them too, on occasion. (Image credit: Will Jones)

His crank length was 172.5mm, which is quite standard for his height. In more recent seasons he has gone down to 165mm however. (Image credit: Will Jones)

A threaded bottom bracket is typically easier to maintain than pressfit. It's also less likely to go out of alignment and cause creaking (Image credit: Will Jones)

Pogačar switched saddles for 2023. He previously used the Prologo M5 Scratch, but now he's using a Prologo Dimension with the 'PAS' cutout down the centre. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Colnago makes a seatpost with 0mm offset but for 2023 Pogačar didn't use it. His saddle is slammed as far forward on the rails as possible, past the recommended limit of the rails. (Image credit: Will Jones)

Tadej Pogačar's 2022 Colnago Prototipo

In many respects, this is a very similar bike to Pogačar's 2023 V4Rs. After all, it is the prototype on which the current model was based, so the frameset, seatpost, and cockpit are all functionally identical, though the cockpit here is a Deda model rather than the Colnago CC.01 unit of the V4Rs; we can't dive into the carbon layup because however nicely we ask, the team mechanics are always reluctant to let us saw a team bike in half.

In many other respects, this is a different beast. A Campagnolo Super-Record EPS 12-speed groupset deals with shifting and braking, mated to a spider-based SRM power meter, communicating with an SRM computer at the bars.

Look pedals and a Prologo Scratch saddle are different contact points for Pogačar, and the bike is connected to the road by 26mm Pirelli P-Zero Race tyres. The same beating heart of the bike, then, but a different set of organs (to stretch the anatomy metaphor a little too far to be comfortable).

At it's heart this is functionally the same bike as Pogačar's 2023 Colnago V4Rs (Image credit: Josh Croxton)

Prototype UCI stickers show it's still in development ta this point in time though, so doesn't need to be registered in the same way (Image credit: Josh Croxton)

A different saddle last season, but still from Prologo (Image credit: Josh Croxton)

While we have seen Pogačar using a separate bar and stem at time, it seems this Deda Alanera model was his preferred setup (Image credit: Josh Croxton)

Here an SRM power meter measures his watts, though it does mean it replaces the distinctive Super Record spider (Image credit: Josh Croxton)

As well as covering the drivetrain, Campagnolo supplied the instantly recognisable Bora Ultra wheelset (Image credit: Josh Croxton)

Tadej Pogačar's 2021 Colnago V3Rs

Have you really won the Tour de France if you don't get a commemorative yellow bike? Technically yes, but the winners of any grand tour nowadays always get their hands on a colour-matched frameset and usually some equipment here too.

Here the Colnago V3Rs frameset is blocked out with yellow sections, along with yellow Colnago logos. Yellow Look pedals and yellow bar tape complete what is again quite a subtle winner's build compared to others we've seen in the past.

Much the same componentry as we've seen on the Prototipo, but here it's kitting out a commemorative Tour de France Winner's bike (Image credit: PhotoFizza, UAE Team Emirates)

Yellow bar tape and logos round out what was a relatively subdued yellow edition bike (Image credit: PhotoFizza, UAE Team Emirates)

Discs here, and in the 2021 Tour, Pogačar spent 19 of the 21 stages with discs, flitting only to rim brakes for the two biggest mountain days (Image credit: PhotoFizza, UAE Team Emirates)

Tadej Pogačar's 2020 Colnago V3Rs

Pogačar's bike has had something of a slow evolution. Before swapping to the 2023 equipment he was using the old gear on the new prototype frame. Back in 2020 he was on both the older V3Rs frame and the Campagnolo build.

The frameset is similar in its ideals to the V4Rs; to be a single race bike capable of winning everywhere. Here, though, there's a T-shaped top tube rather than the smooth one of the V4Rs. The geometry is tweaked too; the V3Rs has a shorter reach than the current bike, which was lengthened to allow the riders to achieve a more stretched-out, aero position. The chainstays here for the V3Rs are longer too, keeping the same wheelbase in an attempt to normalise the handling characteristics across the two models.

This year, he typically used a rim brake model, but for the crosswind stages in the middle section of the race, he went with disc brakes.

One step back in the evolution: The same frameset as his yellow bike, but standard team paint and a different power meter (Image credit: John Wakefield / UAE Team Emirates)

Gone is the SRM power meter, replaced by a single-sided Stages unit inside the non-drive-side crank arm. Fans of this lovely spider can rejoice. (Image credit: John Wakefield / UAE Team Emirates)

Again, disc brakes can be seen here, but Pogačar often opted for rim brakes in key stages to save weight and allow faster wheel changes (Image credit: John Wakefield / UAE Team Emirates)