Five bike brand changes for 2027 that are reshaping the landscape of professional cycling

The 2027 season will bring a significant renewal of bicycles in the professional peloton. At least five teams from the WorldTour and ProTeam category are involved in supplier changes, some already confirmed and others still pending official announcements. The most significant will be that of Soudal Quick-Step, which will end its historic relationship with Specialized to begin a new chapter with Merida.

Five professional teams will change bicycle brands in 2027; here are the models they are leaving behind and those that will arrive

Not all movements have the same origin. While some brands seek to regain their presence in the top category, others take advantage of sponsorship from professional teams to enter new markets. There are also changes caused by economic difficulties, such as that of Picnic PostNL, which will have to say goodbye to Lapierre sooner than expected.

So far, the agreements of Soudal with Merida and TotalEnergies with Pardus are confirmed, as well as Lapierre's exit from Picnic PostNL. The potential signings of Factor by Bahrain Victorious and Cube by NSN still do not have official announcements.

Soudal Quick-Step changes Specialized for Merida after nearly two decades

The most important change is also the one that ends one of the most recognizable commercial relationships in modern cycling. Soudal Quick-Step has used Specialized bicycles since 2007, with a break during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and will definitively close that chapter at the end of 2026.

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During this season, riders like Tim Merlier and Paul Magnier have competed with the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, while for time trials the team has used the Specialized Shiv TT. They have also relied on Roval wheels and other components from the American brand.

Starting in January, the team will be called Soudal Safety Jogger and will ride Merida bicycles, under a four-season agreement that also includes the women's team AG Insurance-Soudal.

In its official statement, the team mentions the Merida Reacto and Time-Warp platforms, although it has not yet confirmed the final configuration or all the versions that its riders will use in 2027. The arrival of Merida also marks the return of the Taiwanese brand to the WorldTour after its departure from Bahrain Victorious at the end of 2025.

Bahrain Victorious could change Bianchi for Factor after just one year

Bahrain Victorious could be the protagonist of one of the most surprising moves of 2027. The team ended its relationship with Merida, which began in 2017, in 2025 to start this season with Bianchi. However, the latest information points to a new breakup and the arrival of Factor.

During 2026, the team has used the Bianchi Oltre RC, focused on aerodynamics, and the Specialissima RC, renewed this year and especially aimed at high-performance competition. For time trials, it has relied on the Aquila RC.

According to information published by Cyclingflash, the Italian manufacturer would give way to Factor, a brand that was linked to the Israel-Premier Tech team until the end of 2025.

If the operation is confirmed, Bahrain could access models such as the Factor OSTRO VAM, the O2 VAM, or the HANZŌ for time trials, although there is still no confirmation of which bicycles it would exactly use in 2027.

The potential breakup is particularly striking because Bahrain and Bianchi announced a multi-year agreement in December 2025. Neither party has officially communicated its termination.

NSN Cycling Team would leave Scott to compete with Cube

Another team that will change bicycles after just one season is NSN Cycling Team, the structure that emerged from Israel-Premier Tech and incorporated Scott as a technical sponsor for 2026.

The Swiss brand thus returned to the WorldTour, providing Biniam Girmay's team with the Scott Foil RC, its aerodynamic competition bike, and the Plasma RC TT for time trials.

However, the latest information suggests that NSN could start using Cube bicycles in 2027.

This move would allow the German brand to return to the WorldTour, after having supplied bicycles to Intermarché-Wanty for years and having sponsored TotalEnergies in 2026 for just one season.

TotalEnergies replaces Cube with the Chinese brand Pardus

The French team, which competes in the UCI ProTeam category, began 2026 using Cube bicycles after two seasons with Enve. During this year, it has relied on the Cube Litening Aero C:68X, along with the Litening Air C:68X and the Aerium for time trials.

But this collaboration will end after just one season. On October 27, TotalEnergies announced a three-year agreement with Pardus, a Chinese manufacturer that will supply bicycles to the entire structure, including its training teams.

In this case, we already know the models planned for 2027: the Pardus SPK EVO G4 and Robin EVO G3 for road races and the Gomera EVO for time trials.

Pardus is not completely unknown in competition. The brand has been linked to the Chinese national team for years and in 2025 its bicycles were also used by Team Vini Fantini.

The agreement comes at a delicate moment for the structure led by Jean-René Bernaudeau, which continues to work to secure its economic future and find a main sponsor. For Pardus, it represents an opportunity to increase its presence in the European market and develop its products with the direct collaboration of professional cyclists.

Picnic PostNL will leave Lapierre, but its new brand is still unknown

Among the five teams, Picnic PostNL faces the change under the most complicated circumstances.

The Dutch team began using Lapierre bicycles in 2025, after ending its previous relationship with Scott. During 2026, it has mainly competed with the Lapierre Xelius DRS, a platform that combines aerodynamic and lightweight features, and the Aerostorm DRS for time trials.

The original agreement was supposed to last until 2028, but the financial crisis of the Accell group, owner of Lapierre, has forced a search for an alternative.

The difficulties of several Accell companies have had direct consequences on Lapierre, which is undergoing a judicial reorganization process in France. This situation has precipitated the early end of the collaboration.

As a result, Picnic PostNL has had to look for another manufacturer to complete the documentation related to the new sponsor for its WorldTour license application for 2027.

The team assures that it has already identified an alternative, but it has not yet communicated which bicycle brand it will use or which models its riders will mount.

The major WorldTour teams will maintain their usual brands

Despite these movements, most of the main structures in the peloton do not plan to change manufacturers. Thus, the brands and WorldTour teams for 2027 would remain as follows:

The 18 men's WorldTour teams and their bicycle brands in 2026 and 2027