The Specialissima RC, which Bianchi has had in its range since last autumn, is actually only second choice for the World Tour pros from Arkéa-B&B Hotels. Even in mountain stages, many riders prefer the faster, because aerodynamically better Oltre RC before. Unfortunately, the traditional Italian manufacturer was unable to make the aero racer available for testing in the laboratory and wind tunnel despite repeated requests. The Specialissima's greatest strength is its low weight. Without pedals and bottle cage, the test bike undercuts the weight limit of the UCI cycling organisation by 140 grams.
Bianchi Specialissima RC: Light as a feather
The Bianchi, which to the disappointment of many fans of the brand only has a few splashes of colour in Celeste, benefits enormously from the high-quality wheelset: flat carbon rims, ceramic bearings and time trial tyres reduce the weight to just under 2400 grams. The Arkéa pros' work equipment weighs slightly more overall, as the team relies on faster wheels from equipment supplier Vision. The overall package should come close to our test setup with Zipp 404 in terms of aerodynamics: With the reference wheelset (Zipp 404), the Specialissima needs 218 watts to overcome its own air resistance at 45 km/h; in standard trim, it is slightly slower.
The clear competitive disadvantage compared to the competition explains why Arnaud Démare & Co. mainly ride the Oltre. The climbing specialist has another weakness on our stiffness test bench: the bottom bracket is relatively soft and remains around 15 per cent below the typical values of a competition bike. Lightweight climbers won't notice much of this. However, the "Reparto Corse" version, Bianchi's counterpart to the tuning departments at Cannondale (Lab71), Canyon (CFR) or Specialized (S-Works), is also available for amateur athletes. Provided they are prepared to spend a five-figure sum over the counter, as with the other professional bikes from bella Italia.
Bianchi Specialissima RC
- Price: 12,449 Euro
- Weight of complete wheel: 6.7 kilos
- Aerodynamics: 222 watts
- Frame sizes: 47/50/53/55/57/59 (test size bolded)
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 505/555/135 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 546/381 millimetres/1.43
- Wheelbase/caster: 990/67 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Dura-Ace (2x12; 52/36, 11-30 t.)
- Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace (160/140 mm)
- Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Race TT (26 mm)
- Impellers: Reparto Corse RC 33
- Impeller weights: 1035/1353 grams (front/rear)
The Bianchi Specialissima Comp
Bianchi divides its competition portfolio, which includes the road bikes Oltre and Specialissima as well as the gravel bike Impulso, into three categories (RC, Pro, Comp) with clear price gradations. The Specialissima Comp is the cheapest version and is available for between 4899 and 5699 euros, depending on the Shimano (105 Di2, Ultegra Di2) or SRAM (Rival AXS) groupset. Due to its simple wheels and robust handlebar/stem combination, the basic version does not come close to the dream weight of the RC; the Comp is more than a kilo heavier.
How TOUR tests
Julian Schultz
Editor
