IN BRIEF
A week after the Montréal Worlds, the two new road world champions have their rainbow bikes. For Brandon McNulty, the Colnago Y1Rs switches to a glossy black with a sparkle effect, a nod to the stars of the American flag, crossed by blue, red, yellow and green bands, with a holographic logo on the down tube. Colnago says this paint job is reserved for McNulty; the bike made its debut on Saturday 3 October at the Giro dell’Emilia. Specialized took the opposite approach for Demi Vollering: an almost entirely white Tarmac SL9, where the rainbow is limited to a few areas of the frame and fork.
| Brandon McNulty | Colnago Y1Rs, glossy sparkly black, blue, red, yellow and green bands |
| Colnago details | holographic logo on the down tube, heritage emblem on the head tube |
| McNulty’s wheels | Enve SES Pro |
| First race | Giro dell’Emilia, 3 October 2026 |
| Demi Vollering | Specialized Tarmac SL9, white with black details |
| Rainbow touches (Vollering) | seat tube “win fin”, inside of the fork blades, top tube |
The paint shops at Colnago and Specialized were quick to respond to the rainbow jersey. Brandon McNulty, crowned in Montréal, on a Colnago Y1Rs, and Demi Vollering, the women’s champion, on a Specialized Tarmac SL9, now ride machines painted for the occasion. Two opposite styles: one goes for sparkle, the other for restraint.
A sparkly Colnago Y1Rs for Brandon McNulty
Rouleur reports that Colnago unveiled McNulty’s bike ahead of his first race in the world champion’s jersey, the Giro dell’Emilia. The base is a glossy black carbon frame with a subtle sparkle effect, whose reflections are meant to evoke the stars of the American flag, Tour Magazin describes. Crisp blue, red, yellow and green panels run across the frame and stays, with references to the United States and to Canada, host nation of the Worlds.
The Colnago logo on the down tube gets an iridescent holographic finish whose colour shifts with the angle of the light, while a heritage emblem of the brand adorns the head tube. The Y1Rs keeps its bayonet-style fork, and McNulty rides the new Enve SES Pro wheels, recognisable by their silver spokes and hubs, Cyclingnews notes. Tour Magazin reports that the paint job was created for McNulty alone and that the manufacturer has no plans to sell it.
Colnago has done this before: Tadej Pogačar, world champion in 2024 and 2025, received a customised V5Rs and Y1Rs. For McNulty, it is his first rainbow bike, Velo writes.
For Demi Vollering, an understated Tarmac SL9
Specialized delivered Demi Vollering a custom-painted Tarmac SL9, but without a riot of colour. Velo describes it as almost entirely white, with Specialized details in black; the rainbow is reserved for a few key areas: the “win fin” on the back of the seat tube, the inside of the fork blades and the top tube. Small arrows and mathematical notations refer to “Fastest to the Finish”, the new concept guiding the brand’s racing programmes, and to what it calls “the Equation of Speed”.
Emily Halwell, Concept Graphic Designer at Specialized, explains the approach, quoted by Velo:
“Winning world championships doesn’t just happen in one big moment; it’s thousands of small decisions leading up to it. This design celebrates that process. Riders spend years training, testing, and refining tiny gains, and the bike graphics reflect that.”
Emily Halwell, Concept Graphic Designer at Specialized
A choice in keeping with tradition, Velo notes: since the Sagan era, Specialized has stayed more restrained on its rainbow bikes and most often starts from a white base. As for results, Cyclingnews reports that Vollering retained her European champion title this weekend.
