Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc review

With the Oltre XR4 Disc, Bianchi has sent a true aero-racer, clad in its classic Celeste finish into the race. Hardcore Bianchi purists may struggle to come to terms with the Shimano setup, but does the overall concept work for everyone else? And most importantly how much Italian amore is still left in the Italian racer?

This bike is part of a previous group test. Here you’ll find the latest GRAN FONDO race bike group test.

Bianchi is the oldest active bike manufacturer in the world and is deeply rooted in cycling history. This rich heritage is still nestled in current models from the traditional Italian manufacturer. The carbon frame is wrapped in Bianchi’s classic Celeste colour – CK16 – and numerous Bianchi logos. The classic racing look stands in clear contrast with the modern frame design but still sends a pleasant shiver down your spine.

The superb handling and virtually silent freewheel of the Bianchi allow you to close in on your competitors at full speed without making a noise

There’s hardly a straight edge to be found here as the Bianchi designer’s have gone heavy on the organic shapes and curves with this aerodynamic frame. Our test bike is specced with a complete Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9170 groupset and an integrated, colour-matched FSA Vision Metron 5D ACR cockpit. Fulcrum is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Campagnolo which supplies the 40mm deep Racing Quattro DB carbon wheels of the Oltre XR4 Disc. The in-house Oltre Full Carbon Aero seat post and Vittoria Corsa G+ tires round off the overall package and bring the Bianchi to a total weight of 7.48 kg in size 57.

The Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc in detail

Drivetrain Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9170 2×11
Gearing 52/36T und 11–28T
Brakes SShimano Dura-Ace BR-9170 160/160 mm
Seatpost Oltre Full Carbon Aero Setback 25/- 10 m
Stem FSA Vision Metron 5D ACR Integrated 120 mm
Handlebar SA Vision Metron 5D ACR Integrated 420 mm
Wheels Fulcrum Racing Quattro DB 40
Tires ittoria Corsa G+ 25C

The geometry of the Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc

Size	47	50	53	55	57	59	61
Seat tube	420 mm	450 mm	480 mm	501 mm	520 mm	540 mm	560 mm
Top tube	513 mm	523 mm	535 mm	550 mm	560 mm	575 mm	585 mm
Head tube	105 mm	110 mm	125 mm	140 mm	155 mm	175 mm	195 mm
Head angle	70.5°	71.5°	72.0°	72.5°	73.0°	73.0°	73.0°
Seat angle	74.5°	74.5°	74.0°	73.5°	73.5°	73.0°	72.5°
Chainstay	410 mm	410 mm	410 mm	410 mm	412 mm	412 mm	414 mm
BB Drop	58 mm	58 mm	68 mm	68 mm	68 mm	68 mm	68 mm
Wheelbase	982 mm	983 mm	984 mm	988 mm	995 mm	1,005 mm	1,011 mm
Reach	377 mm	385 mm	385 mm	390 mm	395 mm	398 mm	398 mm
Stack	490 mm	498 mm	524 mm	545 mm	556 mm	575 mm	594 mm

The Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc in test

With its rather torpid startup acceleration and solid high-speed performance, the Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc is missing that certain “wild Italian temperament” – in our humble opinion at least! It almost feels as if the bike has grown up and now wants to be a balanced acceleration all-rounder.

The Bianchi climbs flawlessly and very efficiently – yet we only really recommend it as a KOM-weapon if you’re hunting on single-digit gradients. Once the road gets really steep the Oltre lacks the indispensable light-footedness of some of its competitors. But once you point its nose downhill it’s a different story altogether. The smooth handling persuades you to constantly increase your cornering speed whilst the good-natured and predictable temper of the Bianchi helps you execute every single turn with painstaking precision.

The front- and rear-end harmonise well and provide good manoeuvrability combined with superb cornering stability. Thanks to this character the Bianchi feels sure-footed and inspires tons of confidence – with the safety-belt comes an airbag! The frameset is stiff and only offers minimal compliance. Whilst this means that bigger knocks will travel straight into your body almost unfiltered, most of the smaller high-frequency vibrations are taken care of by the good damping qualities of the carbon-resin blend. The aerodynamically-shaped carbon seat post provides additional comfort through its compliance.

Conclusion

The Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc convinced our test-crew with its balanced, predictable handling. It’s especially on the downhills that it persuades you to explore your limits. For all Celeste devotees in search of a good-natured yet fast all-rounder, the Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc could be the bike that gets them right to the front of the pack on their weekend club-ride. However, on tough racing scenarios the Bianchi lacks a vital portion of liveliness.

For more info head to: bianchi.com

This bike is part of a previous group test. Here you’ll find the latest GRAN FONDO race bike group test.

All bikes in test: Argonaut Road Bike | Basso Diamante SV 2019 | BMC Timemachine Road 01 TWO | Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc 9.0 | Cervélo S5 | EXEPT Allroad Classic | FOCUS IZALCO MAX 9.8 | MERIDA REACTO DISC TEAM-E | Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc SL6 Disc | Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc

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Words: Photos: Valentin Rühl