Bianchi Oltre XR2 vs Colnago V1-R

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cmcdonnell
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Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2015 7:50 pm

by cmcdonnell

Looking for opinions on the Bianchi Oltre XR2 and the Colnago V1-R. Considering stripping my Litespeed T1 and using the Super Record / Bora 50C's on an Italian aero frame (yes I know they are built in the far east... I don't like the look of the usual options like the Foil or ViAS and fancy something Italian as everything else except my saddle is Italian and I miss my DeRosa Protos. Both these frames look like they's fit me on paper, i.e a head tube of no more than 12.5 cm all in (crown to stem), seat tube of 50 or less (sloping) and a top tube of around 52-53 so the Pinarello F8 is out of the question and to be fair I don't love it's shape, much prefer the Dogma K but that does not fit either and I don't like the current crop of DeRosa's as all the paint work is too garish for me so whatever I choose will be a black on black or maybe with a touch of red. I'm sure they are not the most aero frames out there so am under no illusions there but they would be more than a Specialissma or C60 or Canyon Ultimate or Tarmac for that matter.
Bianchi Oltre XR2 + Campagnolo Super Record 11 + Campagnolo Bora 50C
Litespeed T1 + Campagnolo Chorus 11 + Campagnolo Shamal Ultra

by Weenie


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djqgmffj
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Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:30 am

by djqgmffj

I would like to choose an aero frame Bianchi Oltre xr2
The design of Nago call is not a personal preference

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jekyll man
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by jekyll man

I might be missing something, but from what i can see, the geo's are pretty different.
Oltre geometry is similar to Pina F8.

V1-R has a lot more stack.
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cmcdonnell
Posts: 278
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by cmcdonnell

You are probably right. Tried to get all the figures I can find comparing my Ghisallo and T1, both with 11 cm stems and Ghisallo with no spacers and T1 with 0.5 cm. On paper the XR2 50 cm comes closest, it's definitely long and low. The F8 46.5 is too short on reach, the V1-R 45s is too tall on HT unless there is a zero stack top cap.

Model Seat Tube eTT Stack Reach HT HA SA CS WB FC
T1 S 47.5 52.5 51.4 37.7 9.8 (+2) 72.5 74 40.6 96.5 56.8
Ghisallo S 45 52.5 9.5 (+2) 72.5 74 40.6 96.5
XR2 50 45 52.5 50.3 38.3 11.5 71.5 74.5 40 58
V1-R 45s 45 51.5 52.4 37.6 12.7 75 40
F8 46.5 46.5 51.5 51.2 36.7 11.5 70.5 74.4 40.6
Tarmac 49 46 51.8 50.4 38.6 10.0 72.25 75.5 40.5 97 57.6
Bianchi Oltre XR2 + Campagnolo Super Record 11 + Campagnolo Bora 50C
Litespeed T1 + Campagnolo Chorus 11 + Campagnolo Shamal Ultra

jhdalma
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by jhdalma

Outré is one of my personal favourites

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I actually quite like the overall lines of the V1-R and it seems well made. If you're not going to have a threaded BB, then Colnago's Threadfit BB is in my mind the best option currently out there to accommodate all the pressfit installations. But two things would rule out the V1-R for me. The first being the sizing. I ride a 61 Traditional in Colnago's sizing. In their "sloping" geometry, I would ideally want a 57s, which they don't make. A friend had one of the lower end models which they did do in a 57 and it's effective geo was pretty much the same as my 61T. The second and maybe most important reason I'd rule it out is the rear brake placement under and behind the BB. I will never own a bike with that design, save for an extremely specific application, which I myself would never warrant owning. I think at the time of the V1-R's release there was a trend towards placing the brakes there and the marketers were playing up the aero benefits. That trend was for the most part shortlived and practicality won out. Yay for practicality! I would be very surprised if the next version, if they do one, of the V1-R has the same brake placement.
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cmcdonnell
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by cmcdonnell

I hear you regarding the rear brake although as campy have release direct mount brakes this year I'm not as against as I was but for me the sizing is the most important as I need a long and low bike, not because I want a super slammed position but because I'm a short arse with a 30" inside leg and I am quite flexible. The HT is usually the limiting factor and traditional frames don't work as a 52 or 53 would have a corresponding seat tube (c-c) in which case i'd need to attach my saddle directly to the collar!! My current bike has a BB to saddle top of 68 cm. Shame as I do like the V1-R a lot.
Bianchi Oltre XR2 + Campagnolo Super Record 11 + Campagnolo Bora 50C
Litespeed T1 + Campagnolo Chorus 11 + Campagnolo Shamal Ultra

ChasseurPatate
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:37 pm

by ChasseurPatate

I have owned and ridden an Oltre XR2 for the last 18 months, and whilst I have only had short blasts on a friends VR1 I feel I know enough about them both to express an objective opinion. I actually nearly bought a VR1 when they first came out but the fairly relaxed geometry (and that Ferrari badge) put me off. I was having to aim at silly stem lengths or frame sizes to get in my favoured position and it just didn't work for me.

The Oltre XR2 feels stiffer, has a much more aggresive geometry and is undoubtedly finished better. It's probably my second favourite bike I've ever owned and certainly my favourite carbon bike.

It is brilliant on descents and through sweeeping corners where it feels so sorted it's grin inducing, it inspires a confidence it has no right to as a thoroughbred race frame.

There is nothing about it I don't like, I want for nothing from it climbing, descending or on the flat. It does it all. It looks beautiful too. I'm forever buying and selling bikes, but my Oltre XR2 is definitely here to stay. You won't regret it.

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kgt
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by kgt

What is dissapointing IMHO in the case of VR1 is that it does not look like a Colnago.

DrJeffers
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Location: Wiltshire, UK

by DrJeffers

I had a similar debate. For a long time i thought my 'big spend' bike I was working towards would be an Oltre XR2, but in the end i bought a C60. A few reasons - having seen them side by side in the same shop (along with a V1-R), the Oltre looked lovely, but the C60 looked a cut above - more unique and special and with a real wow factor that the oltre lacked in that company (although i'd have had a different reaction to it in different company). I also am not a fan of press-fit BBs and the inevitable longevity issues, and Colnago's replaceable thread-fit system to take press fit BBs seemed to offer a big advantage for a bike that's going to be with me for many, many years - the best of both worlds. Colnago also have a reputation for bomb-proof frames that greatly exceed crash-test minima, which again was appealing for likely longevity - i want this bike to be still going strong in 15 years time... Also i think the C60 is a more comfortable/less fatiguing bike to ride, without losing much in the way of racing pedigree (and none at all in terms of geometry). It might have a few grams extra in weight, but frankly i think such issues are over-rated (I may be on the wrong forum!). The V1-R really didn't appeal in the same way - i agree it is pretty average in the looks department - nothing like the C60 in that regard, and with fewer unique features like the lugs/star tube construction - which is just lovely. And agree about that rear brake location - i'm sure they will drop that on the next version. But most of all, yes, i think it just lacks the Colnago 'DNA' - it looks like a frame that could be made by any company. The C60 could only be made by Colnago. Given the minimal difference in pricing, i thought the C60 had an awful lot more going for it, and it just seemed to be the most 'special' choice. I really can't believe i'd be any quicker in real terms on a nominally lighter or more aero frame, and i want to get on the C60 and ride at every opportunity, in a way i don't think i would have done with either of the other two frames. Any reason you have excluded the C60 from your considerations? I'd strongly encourage you to put it in the frame...! If it's just the aero considerations, i'm deeply unconvinced it makes a real world difference unless you are TT'ing or racing/sprinting at senior levels where every second counts, and anyway the right wheels and bars would get you half way there... :)

mimason
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Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:43 pm
Location: Florida

by mimason

Didn't read all the posts but what reach figure can you not get to when you say reach is too short? Are you not willing to adjust stem length(10mm longer) or bar type( many are 10mm different in reach) to get to the desired riding position? Or are you wanting the bar tops to be your deciding factor? For me, I need to be dialed in at the hoods and drops not tops where I can change that position 2cm and I dont care too much. I'm freaky flexible though. ;

catpants
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:21 pm

by catpants

I currently ride an '08 Extreme Power--I am going in tomorrow to get fitted for a V1-R in UNNE!

cmcdonnell
Posts: 278
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2015 7:50 pm

by cmcdonnell

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I really like the V1-R and the Oltre as I wanted an aero frame. the V1-R is the first Colnago I've really liked in ages although I do quite like the proportions of the sloping C60 (not the staight). My Litespeed T1 is a fab looking conventional bike so was really seeking something aero. HAd a C40 years ago but just didn't like the look of it after a while, replaced it with a DeRosa King which was a beautiful bike in my opinion.

Fit wise I always seem to need a 12cm HT including top an bottom cups and a fairly plat top cap (stack less than 52cm) and a Top Tube (effective) of at least 52.5cm (reach 38cm) and even with that I end up running a 11cm or even 12cm frame. I am 168cm tall with an inside leg of about 76 cm, armspan is 168cm so i'm proportionally shorter in the leg, longer in the body and average in the arms. I'm also fairly flexible, can get my knuckles on the ground without stretching and palms when warmed up and weight is usually about 58Kg. Basically I need a bike for someone about 163 tall for my legs but more like 172 tall for my body and 168 tall for my arms but the leg length becomes the determining factor as it has a great effect on the head tube length (frame height) and maybe more importantly the bike would look rubbish with no seat post showing, also why I can't ride traditional geometry.
Bianchi Oltre XR2 + Campagnolo Super Record 11 + Campagnolo Bora 50C
Litespeed T1 + Campagnolo Chorus 11 + Campagnolo Shamal Ultra

by Weenie


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DrJeffers
Posts: 57
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:21 pm
Location: Wiltshire, UK

by DrJeffers

I'm similar - 170 tall, with anglo-saxon build (short legs long body) - 48s C60 frame size is spot on for me, with plenty of saddle adjustment range either side without looking odd, and a single spacer under the stem.

I can't agree with the old guard that a Colnago must have traditional geometry, and all the sneering at slopes that goes with it. The C60s i've seen in traditional geo actually look quite odd/ungainly to me, probably due to the large size and taper of the tubes. Nice, subtle slope on my frame size looks classy and proportional to me.

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