The new Bianchi Oltre has F1-inspired Air Deflectors in the headtube

Bianchi, while perhaps not as well represented at the pointy end of the WorldTour in recent years as some of the other players, is still one of the most recognisable brands in road cycling. The signature celeste colour has set hearts aflutter since the days of skinny steel tubing, but the days of skinny tubes are very much behind the brand now. Bianchi, with the new Oltre RC, is aiming to punch straight through the superbike ceiling and into the world of the hyperbike. 

Visually at least it’s certainly a departure from the clean lines of old, with air ducts and a very much non-standard handlebar and stem combo up front, plus a build that has been designed to work seamlessly together. One for our list of the best aero road bikes, or do we need a ‘best hyperbikes’ category now too?

 Those nostrils (sorry, air deflectors)

Look to the world of Formula One and you’ll see a motorsport that has gradually morphed from smooth, clean lines to what we have today where the cars have more scoops than an ice cream shop and more fins than an Australian beach. Given the manic obsession with aerodynamics at the pointy end of road cycling it’s no great surprise to see a brand developing such radical looking airflow sculptors. Called ‘air deflectors’, the ducts on the headtube seek to channel the air around the leading edge of the bike smoothly, before throwing it out into a low pressure zone created behind the tube, allowing it to more easily separate and thus reducing drag. 

This, too, is itself complimented by the new aero cockpit. The bar-stem combo is reminiscent of that seen on the Cervelo S5, but with a more organic look that, in combination with the air deflectors does look slightly like a spaceship from Star Trek. The aim of the central hole, and the bar as a whole, is to create low pressure vortices through which the riders legs can punch more easily, again further reducing drag. 

The upshot of these new features, along with the build kit that we’ll dive into shortly, is a 17 watt saving over the old Oltre XR4 at a slightly non-standard 50kmh, or, for those of you more interested in time saved over 40kmh at a power of 250 watts, you’ll finish up a full 45 seconds sooner. There is also a claim of a 30% advantage over the best aero bikes on the market in variable wind conditions, though we’d like to see some figures to back this up before betting the house on it. 

 Build kits and pricing

Previous iterations of the Oltre have opted for aftermarket wheels from Vision, with other componentry a mix of the in-house Reparto Corse and some from other brands. In the case of the new Bianchi Oltre, particularly the RC and Pro models, the brand has tried to keep things as in-house as possible, opting to go with all new Reparto Corse 50/65mm tubeless ready aero wheels and an RC 3D printed saddle atop an RC seatpost too, to compliment the all new RC cockpit. 

The full RC model comes in three colour options and six sizes, and prices start at €13,800 (approx. £11,200 or $13,500)  depending on the groupset options. 

For those of you without quite so much free cash there are also two other models, the Oltre Pro and the Oltre. The Pro features the same air deflectors and also incorporates some vibration damping into the frame, while ditching the 3D printed saddle in favour of a standard carbon one and the top end wheels for a second tier 50/50mm set from Reparto Course. The Pro comes in a similar set of three colours (all black, with a variety of accent colours), but breaks the bank at a more modest €8,000 (approx. £7,000 or $7,900).

The baseline Oltre model, aiming to appeal to a slightly wider audience, ditches the air deflectors and is built up with Velomann components and wheels so shave the price down to a starting point of €5,400 (approx. £4,700 or $5,300). Fans of celeste will be pleased to see that at least this model is available in the trademark green, along with white and dark grey.