Remco Evenepoel’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 for 2026: Gold accents, SRAM components and subtle graphics
A gold-themed, Red Bull livery-adorned race bike worthy of a double Olympic champion
Remco Evenepoel’s transfer from Soudal-QuickStep to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe was one of the biggest talking points of late last season, but it wasn’t surprising given the ongoing tension and public disagreements with team owner Patrick Lefevere. Evenepoel left his former team one year ahead of schedule at the end of 2025 but was only recently able to show off his new team colours and bike due to contract obligations that terminated at the end of December.
Badass in every way – Lumarcolors has done a superb job on Remco Evenepoel's Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8
For Evenepoel, 2025 was a season to forget, marked by a series of injury setbacks that culminated in a premature exit from the Tour de France. While there were some glimmers of form, including his time-trial win on stage 5 around Caen, he struggled in the high mountains and subsequently abandoned the race.
There's a subtle gold-to-white gradient on the lower forks
Of all the riders in the peloton, Evenpoel's bike has always stood out as a veritable head-turner, a celebration of winning both the road race and time trial at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. As tradition dictates, and as Richard Carapaz and Greg van Avermaet before him, the Olympic champion’s bike will always feature a golden theme running throughout the design. While Evenpoel’s Soudal-QuickStep bike was a pure gold number, his new whip is a far more refined one and represents more of a subtle homage to his achievements.
The Red Bull golden circle is finished in gold leaf
As has become the theme for Specialized-sponsored teams, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe turned to Lumarcolors to customise Remco’s bike, and they’ve done an exquisite job. It still adheres to the team’s design DNA but uses gold more subtly than before. As a result, there’s some beautiful gold leaf applied to the main Red Bull logo on the headtube with smaller accents around the seatpost, saddle shell, and lower fork, not to mention the SRAM decals, chain, and cassette.
Closer inspection also reveals some golden keyline wordmarks on the frame, applied as a water transfer. It looks superb, very classy. The tyre tanwalls also align with the gold theme and complement the overall aesthetics.
Unlike Shimano, SRAM offers its chain and cassettes in a variety of colours so it was an easy choice to outfit his new weapon in gold components
The big change for Remco this season comes from the groupset, which is supplied by SRAM, rather than Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, as with Soudal-QuickStep. As a result, his S-Works Tarmac SL8 is built around a SRAM Red AXS groupset, complete with 165mm cranks and 52/39T, 10-33T gearset. The balance of the build features the usual Specialized and Roval bits, including a set of Roval Rapide CLX III wheels wrapped in 28mm Specialized Turbo Cotton TLR, a Specialized S-Works Power Evo with Mirror saddle, and a K-Edge computer mount.






- Frameset: S-Works Tarmac SL8 Fact 12r Carbon
- Fork: S-Works Fact 12r Carbon
- Cockpit: Roval Rapide
- Seatpost: S-Works Tarmac SL8 Carbon
- Groupset: SRAM Red AXS 52/39T, 10-33T
- Wheelset: Roval Rapide CLX III
- Tyres: Specialized Turbo Cotton TLR 28mm
- Saddle: Specialzied S-Works Power Evo with Mirror
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Aaron is Cycling Weekly's tech writer. As the former editor of off.roadcc, tech editor of Cyclingnews and Bike Perfect, digital editor of Bicycling magazine and associate editor of TopCar, he's travelled the world writing about bikes and anything with wheels for the past 20 years. As a racer, he's completed stage races such as the Cape Epic, Berg and Bush, W2W, and Gravel Burn. On the road, he’s completed the Haute Route Alps, represented South Africa at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships Road Race and Time Trial and is an accomplished eSports racer, too - having captained South Africa at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 UCI Cycling eSports World Championships.
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