Teams riding Bianchi:
Team Lotto NL – Jumbo
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Aquila CV
Bianchi’s latest TT bike has left no stone unturned in its quest for aerodynamic advantage, utilising ‘viscoelastic’ material which NASA have used. This reduces vibration to the rider, giving a more compliant ride, which will be great news given a TT bike’s usual harshness. There is nothing to disturb airflow, wires, fixers, screws and cables all hidden from sight. The rear triangle is tiny, with a partial cut out for the rear wheel, while the front triangle is huge giving it great aerodynamic profile minimizing drag. A cover over the front forks and cockpit is a remarkable bit of engineering, seamless and imperceptible in its application.
Oltre XR2
The Oltre XR2 is for extreme racing, Bianchi putting it in the ‘Hors Categorie’ of bikes. It is everything a superbike should be. The Oltre XR2 would be considered on the heavier side with the frame just under 900grams and the fork around the 350gram mark, but with its wide tube profiling, what it lacks in lightweight prowess it makes up for in stiffness. The downtube is huge and supports an equally sizable bottom bracket, ensuring that there is no flex in the frame, and all the power is put onto the road.
Infinito CV
The Bianchi Infinito CV stood up to the toughest test in last year’s Tour de France, Lars Boom riding it to victory across the cobbles on Stage 5. The frame is engineered with the countervail (CV) material also found on the TT Aquila making the ride more compliant, built for long hard days in the saddle. As with the Oltre, the downtube and bottom bracket are enormous, signalling that power transfer will be first class, whilst the seat stays and top tube are much thinner, offering up some vibration dampening in addition to the ‘CV’ material throughout the frame.
Thanks Graham Watson for the great images.
