The UCI equipment rules, article by article.

What the guide is

The UCI's clarification guide quotes Articles 1.3.001 to 1.3.034 of UCI Regulations Part 1 and adds the UCI's interpretation for international commissaires, teams and makers. It says it complements the articles and does not replace them. It opens with the principle that the regulations assert "the primacy of man over machine".

Approval and what may be raced

• Approval protocols (Article 1.3.001 bis). The UCI runs approval protocols for listed equipment, including a prototype approval protocol and an e-bike (EPAC) drive unit protocol. Anything subject to approval must be approved in advance, with details published on the UCI website; other items need no approval but must still comply with every rule.
• Innovation (Article 1.3.004). Except in mountain bike racing, no technical innovation in anything a rider uses, wears or carries may be used until the UCI has approved it.
• Commercial availability (Article 1.3.006). Equipment must be of a type sold for use by anyone who practises cycling as a sport. The article defines this as orderable through a direct, public order system, with orders confirmed within 30 days and delivery within a further 90 days. A prototype needs UCI authorisation and must be on sale within 12 months of first use in competition, and prototypes may not be used on the track or for records such as the Hour record.

The UCI says it introduced frame and fork approval in 2011, when 57 makers had 96 frame and fork models approved, and wheel approval in 2015. It says it approved 138 framesets from 80 brands in 2023.

The bicycle and the rider's position

• Article 1.3.007 (text modified 1 January 2019) defines the bicycle: two wheels of equal diameter, the front steerable, the rear driven through pedals and a chain, with discipline exceptions.
• Article 1.3.008 says the rider normally sits, supported only by the feet on the pedals, the hands on the handlebars and the seat on the saddle. The guide says resting the forearms on the handlebar is not allowed except in time trials, and the UCI Management Committee of 22 to 24 September 2025 decided that riders may not use the handlebars as forearm supports except in time trials on fixed extensions.
• Article 1.3.010 says the bike must be driven solely by the legs through a chainset in a circular movement, with no electric or other assistance except under Article 1.3.010 bis, which covers para-cycling prostheses and the UCI's e-bike events. The guide allows oval chainrings provided the pedal path stays circular.

Dimensions (road, track and cyclo-cross)

The guide also requires at least 89 mm between the pedal spindle and the front tyre in any steering position, citing the EN 14781 safety standard.

The 6.8 kg minimum is unchanged

Article 1.3.019 says a bicycle may not weigh less than 6.8 kg. The guide says the bike is weighed in working order: bottles and onboard computers come off, while bottle cages, fixings and clipped-on extensions stay on, and non-removable onboard devices count toward the weight. road.cc reported in 2026 that the UCI's technical manager had said in 2015 the rule was under review; it has not been changed.

road.cc reported on 1 June 2026 that Lorena Wiebes was disqualified from her stage 1 win at the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women after the race jury found her bike did not conform to the minimum weight requirement. According to that report, her team, SD Worx, confirmed that the commissaires found the bike weighed 6.78 kg, and the team disputed the weighing procedure. We have only the press report.

The 3:1 rule is gone

The 2026 guide contains no 3:1 ratio for tube shapes; it sets the 10 to 80 mm section limits instead. BikeRadar (30 November 2022) dated the removal for components to the regulations effective 1 January 2023, while Cycling Weekly headlines report the rule was dropped earlier for frame tubes. We could not read the Cycling Weekly articles, so both versions stand. The frames page has more.

Aerodynamic devices, bottles and data

• Article 1.3.024 bans any device added or blended into the structure to cut air resistance or artificially speed propulsion, such as a screen or fairing. Covers over brakes integrated with the frame or fork are allowed and must be submitted at approval.
• Article 1.3.024 bis says bottles may not be built into the frame and may sit only on the down tube and seat tube, inside the frame, with cross-sections of 4 to 10 cm and a capacity of 400 to 800 ml. The guide says an empty bottle may not be carried.
• Article 1.3.024 quater (introduced 15 February 2019) lets the UCI fit devices to detect technological fraud; refusing them can lead to disciplinary measures.
• Article 1.3.006 bis (introduced 10 June 2021) allows onboard devices that record position, images and mechanical data such as power, speed, cadence, gearing and tyre pressure, and the physiological values heart rate, body temperature and sweat rate, which only the rider may view in competition. Devices recording other physiological data, such as glucose or lactate, are barred in competition.

Decisions in 2025 and 2026

• Gear ratio cap: suspended. The UCI announced a test of a maximum gear of 54 x 11, which it described as 10.46 metres per crank revolution, for a stage race in the second half of 2025. After its meeting of 2 to 4 June 2026, the UCI said the test protocol remains suspended because the Brussels Court of Appeal dismissed its appeal against the Belgian Competition Authority's decision of 9 October 2025, and that it will appeal to the Belgian Court of Cassation. No UCI gear-ratio limit applies now. BikeRadar (1 January 2026) reported that SRAM brought the complaint.
• Bike computers. The June 2026 meeting capped computer size at 126 x 71 mm from 1 January 2028, saying this matches the largest products then on sale and limits riders' cognitive load.
• Sanctions. The same meeting revised the sanctions table for non-compliant equipment from 1 July 2026, adding penalties for accessories and items riders wear.
• Track equipment cost limits. The September 2025 meeting set maximum price limits on track framesets, forks, wheels, handlebars, helmets and skinsuits for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle from 1 January 2027. This site does not give the figures.

The handlebar, rim, fork and helmet changes of 2026 are on the handlebars, wheels and the 2026 changes page, disc brakes on the disc brakes page, and clothing on the clothing page.