Bianchi Specialissima RC
£10,999 A modern race bike from a heritage brand
Weight 6.75kg (55cm with bottle cages and mount) Frame & Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (52/36t, 11-30t) Brakes Shimano Dura-Ace Wheels Reparto Corse RC Carbon 33mm Finishing kit Reparto Corse integrated bar & stem, Specialissima full-carbon aero seatpost, Bianchi RC139 carbon saddle, Pirelli P Zero TT tyres 26c
The Specialissima RC pushes the boundaries of road bike innovation. The latest build balances a temptingly low weight with greater aero performance for more efficiencies in and around the hills.
Many of the frame’s tube shapes look like slimmed down versions of Bianchi’s dedicated aero bike, the Oltre RC, making it more of an all-rounder. Its angular looks may be divisive, though, with a top-tube that flows down then up, a head-tube that hangs awkwardly over the top of the fork and an odd combination of a matte
frame with glossy, shallow-section wheels. The frameset is made, Bianchi says, from high modulus carbon fibre, but they don’t provide any more detail than that. There are now dropped seatstays while they’ve also worked on the down-tube and there’s subtle aero channelling on the upper part of the forks. Above this you’ll find that Bianchi has moved from FSA’s ACR headset system to Acros’ IS52 ICR design, and use their own Reparto Corse carbon integrated handlebar.
Illegally light
Bianchi claims that all this adds up to a UCI-illegal 6.6kg bike weight (with a +/-5% tolerance to account for the range of frame sizes). My 55cm test bike, complete with bottle cages, out-front mount but without pedals came in at 6.75kg.
While the weight is impressively low, the RC’s now also much more aerodynamic. The old model, according to Bianchi, had to be on a 9% gradient before it was faster than the aero Oltre RC, but with this version, the benefits kick in at much lower gradients.
For this size 55, the stack and reach figures are 536mm and 391mm respectively: longer and lower than before, for an aggressive racing stance. The effective top-tube is an elongated 550mm and the chainstays are short, at 410mm, helping to produce nimble handling. The 72.5 and 73.5° head- and seat-tube angles are on trend. The Specialissima’s still composed and predictable, though, instilling confidence even at high speeds. This is down to the 988mm wheelbase, which is identical to the old model.
For the money, I’d expect perfection when it comes to the build and this bike is adorned with a top-of-the-line Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset (but SRAM fans can swap it for the Red AXS groupset for the same price). Both builds come with the respective brand’s power meter included. Sitting atop the framespecific 20mm-offset carbon seatpost is
Bianchi’s own full-carbon, 250mm-long RC139 saddle with central cutout, which was a shape I got on with.
Ideal wheels?
Having a race bike that corners confidently should have allowed me to have fun on descents. However, the slim 26mm tyres and winter conditions reined me in.
The Celeste Reparto Corse RC carbon wheels are paired with Pirelli’s 26c P Zero Race TT tyres for a lightweight combo. The wheelset has a claimed weight of 1,370g and comes with ceramic bearings in quiet hubs while the clincher-only tyres feature a 127 threads-per-inch (TPI) casing.
It’s a snappy and reactive combo on the climbs, but speed feels a little harder to hold onto when riding on flat-to-rolling roads. Likewise, a skinny TT tyre helps the bike feel rapid in a straight line, but it’s not great for less-than-perfect road surfaces in questionable weather. The thin TT-specific tread will wear faster than a standard road tyre and may be more prone to punctures. I’d have preferred a tubeless-ready 28c road tyre with a deeper wheelset to help hold speed on rolling roads.
The new integrated cockpit gives lovely clean lines. A drop of 125mm and an 80mm reach are bang on trend, and the drop shape feels excellent in the hands, allows for easy access to the brake levers and a firm grip when sprinting.
Bianchi have balanced speed, comfort and handling, making the Specialissima RC a delight to ride. When you press on, it is intoxicatingly keen to accelerate. But I never felt the ride to be too harsh, despite the skinny tyres. There was plenty of rearend comfort. The bar, too, does a great job of isolating the rider from road buzz. Climbing is this bike’s natural strength though, helped by a stiff frame, but, partly thanks to the excellent geometry, I also felt confident to descend aggressively on dry roads.
I don’t agree with all the component choices, certainly for use on the rutted back roads of South West England, nor do I love the tube shapes or combo of matte frame and glossy, shallow-section rims. But if you see this design as purposeful, the RC is one of the best lightweight aero bikes around. Liam Cahill
“Bianchi have balanced speed, comfort and handling, making the RC a delight to ride”
Verdict An incredibly fast lightweight aero bike that excels on the climbs