Trade Shows

Bianchi 2016 road bikes – first look

The bikes, the specs and the pricing for Bianchi's complete 2016 road range

Bianchi Freccia Celeste

Bianchi have launched a host of new bikes for 2016, including the Freccia Celeste
The Freccia Celeste enters the fray as Bianchi's lightweight aluminium race bike
Bianchi's 'endurance racing' family has grown with the introduction of the Intrepida. While the bike above is pictured with Shimano Tiagra, the Intrepida will only be available in the UK in Shimano Ultegra, 105 and Campagnolo Veloce builds
The Bianchi Intenso Disc endurance is available with either rim or disc brakes
The All Road isn't any old gravel bike - Bianchi have specced it with a dropper seatpost
Bianchi are a sponsor of L'Eroica and have produced this vintage machine as a result
The Specialissima was launched in June and deploys Bianchi's Countervail vibration-cancelling tech in a super-light 780g frame
The Oltre XR1 and XR2 share the same frame features, just one's lighter (and more expensive) than the other
The Sempre Pro may not have the standout features of the Specialissima or Oltre but it's still a lightweight racing bike in its own right
The Bianchi Infinito CV Disc has been redesigned with thru-axles for 2016
Bianchi's 2016 women's range covers seven bikes

Bianchi Freccia Celeste

While Bianchi may have launched the Specialissima as their all-singing carbon race weapon, the 780g frame – which incorporates Bianchi’s vibration-cancelling Countervail technology – comes with a heft price tag (£9,900 for the Campagnolo Super Campagnolo EPS bike which blew us away).

Still, a race-ready bike needn’t cost the Earth – nor does it need to be made from carbon fibre – and Bianchi have recognised that with the launch of the Freccia Celeste. That race DNA is apparent by the fact that the Freccia Celeste is built around a race geometry, rather than a more upright endurance geometry.

Regular RCUK readers will know we have something of a soft spot for aluminium as an affordable alternative to carbon and Bianchi are the latest major manufacturer to add a lightweight alloy to the frame, following the likes of Trek with the Emonda ALR (read our review), BMC with the Team Machine ALR and Cannondale with the new CAAD12.

The 1.2kg frame is made from triple-butted 6000-series aluminium

Part of Bianchi’s ‘performance’ family, alongside the Oltre XR1 and Sempre Pro, the Freccia Celeste weighs a claimed 1.235kg for a size 55cm frame (eight sizes are available from 44cm to 61cm). That’s not quite as light as the Emonda ALR, which is a claimed 1,050g for a 56cm frame, but it puts it in the ballpark. The frame has a straight-through 1-1/8″ headtube, rather than a tapered equivalent as we’d expect to see now, as well as external cable routing, though that’s no bad thing as it’s significantly easier for the home mechanic.

The triple-butted alloy frame comes with a full carbon fork and has a 27.2mm seatpost to add some comfort to the rear end. The bottom bracket is a standard threaded BSA unit.

The Freccia Celeste will be available in the UK in three builds, based on Shimano Dura-Ace, Shimano Ultegra and Campagnolo Athena 11-speed groupsets and costing £2,200, £1,700 and £1,700 respectively. They’re all mechanical groupsets and the frame isn’t compatible with electronic setups. Still, the way that Bianchi have specced the Freccia Celesta, with not an entry-level groupset in sight, indicate the expectation they have for this bike.