With race speeds climbing and rider safety under increasing scrutiny, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has approved a new wave of technical regulation updates, ones that could have real implications for gear design across road and track disciplines now and in the future.
The changes, many of which will take effect starting January 2026 or later, include stricter limitations on rim depth, handlebar width, fork spacing, and even helmet eligibility.
They follow consultations with pro teams and riders conducted by SafeR, the rider safety body co-developed by the UCI and the CPA pro cyclists’ union, and reflect growing concerns that faster gear is increasingly brushing up against real-world risk.
Let’s dig into the five major updates and what they mean for racers, teams, bike manufacturers, and the future of your bike gear.
Wider minimum handlebar widths across disciplines
The narrow bar trend has officially met its regulatory ceiling. As of January 1st, 2026, the minimum overall handlebar width for road and cyclocross mass-start events will be set at 400 mm (measured outside to outside), with a minimum of 320 mm between the brake levers.
Track racing will see a slightly narrower threshold. From January 1st, 2027, handlebars in mass-start track events must measure at least 350 mm outside to outside.
This closes the loophole that previously allowed for ultra-narrow setups in bunch races, like those used by Taco van der Hoorn or Jan-Willem van Schip, while preserving a bit more flexibility for events where solo aerodynamics matter more than pack positioning.
The UCI currently quotes the bar measuring point at the drops and not at the hoods. It is unclear if that measurement will continue this way; we’ve reached out to the UCI for clarification.
What this means for you: Not much. Don’t expect to see more super-narrow road bars coming all that soon from bicycle manufacturers.
What I would expect to see, however, is more flared road handlebars from bike brands and component manufacturers alike to take advantage of the minimum width requirement, while getting a bit narrower (and more aero) at the hoods — though, again, it’s unclear if the new rule change allows for this or not.
Rim depth now capped at 65 mm for road races
Aero wheels are a cornerstone of modern road bike design, but the UCI is drawing a line at 65 mm for mass-start events. Starting January 1, 2026, that will be the maximum allowable rim depth for road races.
While many current aero wheelsets hover around the 60 mm mark, this new rule will likely squeeze out the deeper-section wheels used for flatter parcours and high-speed bunch finishes. Though there really aren’t many wheelsets currently in regular use in pro road racing that go beyond this depth.
What this means for you: Expect wheel brands to respond with optimized 60–65 mm offerings, and a harder look at rim shape as a performance differentiator.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the UCI has already been in contact with wheel manufacturers, meaning we should expect to see a raft of new wheel updates to come by next year.
Fork width standardized for road and track
In a move that seems aimed at limiting extreme bike geometries and oversized tire clearances, the UCI is introducing max-width rules for forks and rear triangles.
From 2026 (road) and 2027 (track), the maximum internal fork width will be limited to 115 mm at the front and 145 mm at the rear, measured along the full length of the fork or stays.
This could curtail some of the more creative integrations we’ve seen in endurance- and gravel-adjacent aero road designs, particularly ones that accommodate 32 mm+ tires or use wide axles for added stiffness.
What I think this could limit, however, are some truly wild frame designs from coming out.
I’m thinking about bikes like that super aero-looking Factor prototype bike we spotted not long ago, though I would be surprised if Factor didn’t already check with the UCI for guidance before designing that bike to the point of it being raceable at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
What this means for you: Not a whole lot, at least as of now.
Certainly don’t expect road bike versions of that wild Lotus-Hope HBT track bike to be up for sale at your local bike shop any time soon. It does make me want to get a ruler and measure just how wide the fork blades are on that Factor aero road bike, however.
Helmet categories to split for TTs and road races, and an approval protocol to come
If you were hoping to see more oversized TT lids make their way into road races, think again. The UCI will formally differentiate helmet regulations between road/track time trials and mass-start road races starting January 1, 2026.
This rule clarifies which helmets can be used in which events, and hints at a growing desire to rein in the use of borderline ski-helmet-style TT lids in open-road events.
Though the specifics are still in development, the Equipment Unit and the UCI’s tech commission are expected to finalize the details within the next season.
Looking further ahead, the UCI has also announced it will develop a formal helmet approval protocol, which could become mandatory from 2027 onward. While this isn’t an immediate change, it signals that helmets will soon join frames, wheels, and cockpits on the list of equipment requiring pre-race approval.
What this means for you: Potentially safer helmets in the future. There isn’t a unifying helmet safety rating as of now. Individual governments will usually require helmets to meet specific safety standards, but the Virginia Tech safety test ratings are the closest thing consumers have to testing for safety.
Will the UCI create a standard of some kind with this new testing protocol? Probably not, but more testing of safety-related gear is almost always better than not.
Expect this to add friction for custom or boutique helmet developers, but potentially raise the bar for impact safety and consistency.
UCI to crack down further on tech fraud
One last update: the UCI has also beefed up its rules on technological fraud, expanding the scope of what counts as an infraction and giving its disciplinary commission new investigative powers.
That means efforts to cheat or deceive, including tampering with equipment tests or even attempting to dodge inspections, are now subject to stricter punishment, regardless of where the action occurs. Not just during races, but anywhere.
It’s another sign the UCI wants to stay ahead of not only innovation but deception, as motors and hidden assistance systems always seem to be brought into question in pro racing.
What this means for you: Nothing as a consumer, maybe more drama as a viewer.
I wouldn’t expect anything to change here on the roadside of things, but considering teams are always going to push boundaries when possible, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more teams come under scrutiny in the future.