The prototype has already won monuments and podiumed at grand tours
(Image credit: Colnago)
A new, range-topping Colnago road bike has been coming in what we suspect to be a deliberately poorly kept secret. The Colnago Prototipo, the prototype version of the new Colnago V4Rs (for those of you who don’t speak Italian), has been semi-officially launched, and we’ve seen it under two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogačar and other UAE Team Emirates riders during the 2022 season.
The time has come, though, for the various prototypes, of which there were four at our last count, to coalesce into a real, available-for-purchase, and as far as Colnago and UAE hope, race-winning bike in its own right. It’s got a fair legacy to follow, with the V3Rs having been raced to two Tour de France victories and two monument victories.
As ever with a new iteration of any of the best road bikes there are claimed wins in aerodynamics, weight, and stiffness; the holy trinity of bike design for so many years. In a similar vein to the new Canyon Ultimate though, there has been more weight given over to comfort and robustness too, indicating perhaps that this is a model that’s more easy to live with. The aim, according to Colnago, is to produce a bike that has the aerodynamic drag of an aero bike, but without any weight penalty over the V3Rs. A tall order, so has it achieved these goals?
In this image it's particularly easy to see how it is derived from the V3Rs (Image credit: Colnago)
Aerodynamics
Aero is the main focus of modern race bike design, but lately, heralded by the killing off of the Venge and the launch of the all-round Specialized Tarmac SL7, brands have slowly taken to produing a single race bike. The V4Rs aims to match the American in this regard, and in terms of aero, there are some significant wins, on paper at least.
In an ‘idealised race setup’, consisting of a rider with one bottle and an empty cage, pedalling at 50km/h at 90rpm, with their head unit attached by the 3D printed aero mount (Wahoo Bolt V2 only, I’m afraid), there is a claimed saving of 27.7 watts over the outgoing race setup. This is definitely significant, and while the frame itself has had improvements made in terms of its wind-cheating ability, the savings appear to be primarily derived from the updated aero cockpit - which features a 1cm flare from hoods to drops - and new wheels. It’s not stipulated what the former and latter wheels are in terms of the testing, but it’s a fair bet to assume it’s the outgoing Campagnolo Boras and incoming Enves.
On the Wahoo mount: While it’s only available for the Bolt V2, if you happen to be running one of these you’re in for a 0.75 Watt saving at 50km/h, which is significant for such a small part.
A lot of the aero gains have been made in the new cockpit (Image credit: Colnago)
Weight
The V4Rs frame is a smidge heavier (three whole grams) than its predecessor, but with the addition of a lighter fork, which can take 32mm tyres, and the lighter cockpit, the whole frame module is 47g lighter at 1,668g. This includes the headset too, and is noteworthy given that the new fork, lighter as it is, utilises larger upper headset bearings and a round steerer so the hoses can be routed within the steerer tube. The lighter fork is also claimed to improve the handling, particularly on descents, by shifting the weight balance rearward.
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As we saw with the Prototipos and bikes like the Factor Ostro Gravel, the top-tier models feature sparse paint that’s little more than colour flashes and clear lacquer to keep the weight feathery.
Stiffness
Fortunately, the era of making race bikes unbearably stiff is more or less behind us. In this case, Colnago has opted to only aim for stiffness increases in key areas, or, more accurately, key pedalling styles.
On the standard bicycle industry stiffness tests, the V4Rs is claimed to be as stiff at the BB as the V3Rs, and 5-10% stiffer at the headtube. However, upon proprietary testing to simulate out-of-the-saddle sprinting, and in-the-saddle climbing, Colnago says the V4Rs shows an improvement of 4% and 5% respectively. These tests are patent pending however, so these are a little hard to verify.
Robustness
It is only the latest Canyon Ultimate launch where I have seen a brand aping its new models' ability to withstand the rigours of riding and crashing. Canyon added a headset chip to stop the bars smashing through the top tube in a crash, and in a similar move, Colnago has redesigned its rear stays not only to be more aero, but also more crash-resistant, essentially meaning they've been beefed up compared to the outgoing model.
The addition of a CeramicSpeed headset, complete with stainless housing and solid polymer lubrication, should help prolong the need for a tricky headset service.
While not designed specifically for Pogacar, the aim is to help him get back on the top step at the Tour (Image credit: Colnago)
Models and pricing
Compared to the V3Rs, the new V4Rs has a much more linear sizing chart, with stack, reach, and seat tube length all making more regular leaps between sizes. Seven sizes appear to be on offer, from a 504mm to 599mm effective top tube length. There are no women's-specific options; the same sizes and geometries apply to all genders.
Builds are available in a Team Edition, built with Enve 3.4 wheels and a power meter equipped Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, for EUR 15,260, and a frame kit option for EUR 5,250. Additionally, builds with SRAM Red and Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels, as well as Campagnolo Super-Record EPS and Bora Ultra WTO wheels will also be available, but prices for those are still pending.
Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
