For 2016 Bianchi is upping their game for the women’s road sector with the Dama Bianca series. While a lot of companies go with a pink and shrink treatment for their women’s line, Bianchi is a bit more subtle, instead adding a touch of their iconic Celeste to a full range of classically-styled black and white road bikes and riding kit. Bianchi as a brand has a strong racing heritage, and they are a solid backer of women’s competition too, backing Italian women’s road and mountain bike teams, with a special eye set on this year’s Rio Olympics. That dedication shows a bit in the broad Dama Bianca road range, stretching from affordable aluminum bikes up to their premier Infinito CV carbon endurance road racing machine…
The Dama Bianca series aims to satisfy the full range of road performance needs of female Bianchi devotees, with a focus primarily on long endurance riding. The series bikes get smaller size ranges and components scaled-down to the respective frame sizes to better adapt to typical female rider anatomy.
The Dama Bianca graphics are subtly unique with slightly different color combinations than the unisex bikes, but stick with a decidedly traditional Bianchi color palette.
Dama Bianca includes a couple of carbon bikes with the Infinito CV and Intenso, both in Binachi’s Endurance Race category. These two full-carbon framesets are offered in just four frame sizes 47, 50, 53 & 55cm that should suit most fast women. The Infinito CV uses Bianchi’s patented Countervail, a viscoelastic material embedded in the regular carbon layup to dampen out vibration for more comfort and a more efficient connection to the road. The Infinito CV is available exclusively in a Shimano Ultegra compact build with Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. The Intenso on the other hand offers several build options in different markets, as well as limited availability of a smaller 44cm version: the highest gets an Ultegra Di2 drivetrain, with a mechanical Ultegra, an 11-speed 105, and a 10-speed Campagnolo Veloce build also on offer. Bianchi says that an even lower cost carbon Intrepida, like we saw at Eurobike, should be available in the Dama Bianca range in some areas in a smaller size range and a 105 build kit.
While the Dama Bianca series doesn’t include Bianchi’s range-topping Specialissima or the Oltre XR.2 that is being raced these days by the men at the TDU, both of those premier carbon bikes are available down to the same extra small 47cm frames to suit most women.
The aluminum Dama Bianca range is geared more towards the entry level and weekend rides. It includes the Impulso Disc, Impulso, and Via Nirone 7 in four (or so) more builds (depending on the market). The Impulso Disc goes with a full Shimano 105 11-speed build, but sticks with cable actuated Avid BB5 brakes for now. The rim-brake Impulso will be available in 11-speed 105 or 10-speed Tiagra builds. The lower-priced Via Nirone will get 10-speed Tiagra, 9-speed Sora, and even the occasional low-cost 8-speed Claris builds to try to get more women on the road.
Each of these alloy bikes gets even smaller sizing, going with 44, 46, 50, 53 & 55cm frames. While there is sure to be toe-overlap on these smallest ones, they will certainly offer up a better fit to the smallest riders.
