With a big chop and change of sponsors ahead of the 2021 season, Durbridge has traded his Scott Addict RC for a Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc. Dressed in the brand's trademark celeste green, Durbridge is spinning a full Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 drivetrain.
Last season with Jumbo-Visma aboard Bianchi bikes, the Belgian team opted to run the rim brake version across the board due to the weight of the frame; the Western Australian chose to ride the disc version, a decision which has paid off. That said, the Dura-Ace rotors have been replaced with XTR discs, which weigh about 10g less in the 160mm size.
While the frame is new, it appears the drivetrain is not, with the Dura-Ace crank with integrated power meter showing some battle scars.
Durbridge's cranks look like they may have hit the ground at some point (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Over the years, we've become used to seeing Bianchi bikes on the WorldTour fitted with Vision's Metron 5D integrated bar and stem, however, Durbridge has opted for standard FSA bar and stem — technically, they are the same company. FSA has newly added its Aerodynamic integrated Cable Route (ACR) to the K-Force bars on his bike, which in non-marketing speak means the cables run inside the bars and 130mm FSA ACR stem, labelled as Reparto Corse, or in Bianchi terms, 'race department.'
With Durbridge's pedigree as a TT rider, it is a surprise to see the Aussie with so many headset spacers, however, the Oltre XR4 has a 12mm lower stack height than the Addict in the corresponding frame size.
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When we caught up the overall winner's bike, it was shod with Shimano Dura-Ace C40 hoops, though he was rolling on the deeper C60s for his 80km breakaway — still sporting those XTR rotors. Team Bike Exchange has continued its partnership with Pirelli for 2021, with the team rolling on 25c PZero Velo tubs.
Atop the seatpost is a Fizik Veno Argo R1 saddle, complete with a short nose, wide pressure-relieving channel and, of course, celeste logos.
There are a few headset spacers under the Aussie's cockpit (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Tech Spec: Luke Durbridge’s Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc
Frameset: Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc
Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Hydraulic disc, 160mm XTR Rotor
Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing.
Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine.
