Neo-pro debuts new lighter-weight Bianchi at the Tour Down Under
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Neo-pro Willem Wauters (Vacansoleil-DCM) raced at the Tour Down Under on Bianchi's new Oltre XR.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The battery is mounted to the down tube although Bianchi marketing and communications man Fred Morini says it will eventually be moved inside the frame.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Interestingly, Vacansoleil-DCM team bikes are built with mid-range FSA Gossamer brake calipers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A little zip-tie keeps the Campagnolo Super Record EPS wire under control out back.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Vacansoleil-DCM team bikes are fitted with Campagnolo Super Record EPS transmissions but FSA K-Force Light cranks and KMC chains.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Vacansoleil-DCM team mechanics use simple number plate holders from BBB.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Willem Wauters (Vacansoleil-DCM) is using CycleOps' new Joule GPS computer.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The sculpted front end of Willem Wauters' (Vacansoleil-DCM) Bianchi Oltre XR.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Team Bianchi Oltre XR frames use dedicated electronic-only routing.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The seat stay depth steps down dramatically at the brake mount.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The back of Willem Wauters' (Vacansoleil-DCM) Bianchi Oltre XR is finished off with two-piece aluminum dropouts.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The two 'fins' on the back of the fork crown help the tapered construction blend in visually with the rest of the frame.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bianchi builds the Oltre XR with tiny seat stays that are connected to a rather stout-looking wishbone.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
60mm-deep FFWD carbon fiber tubular wheels are wrapped with 23mm-wide Vredestein Fortezza Pro TriComp tires.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Just 23 years old, neo-pro Belgian Willem Wauters moved up after two years as an espoir to represent Vacansoleil-DCM at the Santos Tour Down Under. Wauters finished mid-pack in 81st position but his team nabbed the second spot in the teams classification, all with the help of Bianchi's revamped Oltre XR.
There's little to differentiate the new Oltre XR from the previous one visually but updates in carbon fiber materials and lay-up schedules have reportedly dropped 30g of weight and boosted rigidity by 20 percent, according to Bianchi. Otherwise, the sleek shape carries over including its tapered 1 1/8-to-1 1/2" front end, BB30 bottom bracket, sleek deep-section telescoping carbon fiber seatpost, and the uniquely stepped seat stay profile that starts out spindly at the two-piece aluminum dropouts but morphs into a rather burly looking wishbone.
According to our friends at Competitive Cyclist, a bare 55cm frame (Wauters rides a 57cm) is just under 900g.
While many other teams seem to be switching to deeper and more comprehensive relationships with fewer sponsors (Shimano, notably, now seems to require teams to use its wheels and PRO cockpit components as an all-or-nothing deal), Wauters' Bianchi is built with a comparatively hodge-podge mix of bits.
Campagnolo supplies its Super Record EPS electronic transmission but the BB386 EVO crankset – adapted for use on the BB30 shell – comes from FSA as does the stem, handlebar, and headset. KMC provides the X11SL chain, Selle San Marco supplies Wauters with its Zoncolan saddle, and the squishy (and grippy) bar tape comes courtesy of Lizard Skins.
FFWD provides Vacansoleil-DCM with a variety of carbon tubular wheels, all wrapped with Vredestein rubber, CycleOps gives Wauters a running stream of data with the new Joule GPS computer, and finally, Look's KéO Blade pedals are fitted to the ends of the cranks. No power meter was installed.
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Interestingly, team bikes at the Tour Down Under also had FSA brakes, but not the top-end K-Force model. Instead, Wauters' bike had modest Gossamer Pro calipers installed. According to Bianchi marketing and communications man Fred Morini, this was strictly an issue of supply timing as the K-Force units were set to arrive a couple of weeks after the race and the Gossamers were merely a stopgap.
In addition, team bikes are built around Bianchi's dedicated electronic-only version of the Oltre XR with clean internal routing but with batteries still mounted externally atop the down tube. Morini says the team will soon move to an internal layout in the coming months, though, so we expect Vacansoleil-DCM's rig to get both slightly lighter and cleaner looking later in the season.
Total weight as pictured is 7.40kg (16.31lb).
Note the electronic-only routing
Complete bike specifications
Frame: Bianchi Oltre XR, 57cm Fork: Bianchi F.Carbon HoC Headset FSA Orbit IS 1 1/8-to-1 1/2" tapered Stem: FSA OS99, 120mm x -6° Handlebars: FSA Energy T, 42cm (c-c) Tape: Lizard Skins DSP Front brake: FSA Gossamer w/ FFWD carbon-specific pads Rear brake: FSA Gossamer w/ FFWD carbon-specific pads Brake levers: Campagnolo Ergopower Ultra-Shift Super Record EPS Front derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record EPS Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record EPS Shift levers: Campagnolo Ergopower Ultra-Shift Super Record EPS Cassette: Campagnolo Super Record 11s, 11-25T Chain: KMC X11SL-TI Crankset: FSA K-Force Light BB386, 175mm, 53/39T Bottom bracket: FSA BB30-to-BB386 EVO adapter Pedals: Look KéO Blade Wheelset: FFWD F6R Front tire: Vredestein Fortezza Pro TriComp tubular, 23mm Rear tire: Vredestein Fortezza Pro TriComp tubular, 23mm Saddle: Selle San Marco Zoncolan Seat post: Bianchi Oltre XR Bottle cages: Elite Sior Mio (2) Computer: CycleOps Joule GPS Other accessories: BBB Aerofix number plate holder
Critical measurements
Saddle height, from BB: (c-t) 820mm Saddle setback: 73mm Seat tube length, c-t: 515mm Seat tube length, c-c: 507mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 597mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 158mm Head tube length: 160mm Top tube length: 560mm Total bicycle weight: 7.40kg (16.31lb) with computer
