Italian bike maker Olympia has what they are calling the ‘lightest and most versatile’ disc brake road bike they’ve ever made. The new Leader is a lightweight among aero & all-rounder road disc bikes, blending simple aerodynamic tube shaping with a light carbon layup that still promises all-day comfort. Now updated with pricing & availability!
Olympia Leader, lightweight aero disc brake road bike
Setting out to overhaul their premium road bike line-up with a new all-rounder, Olympia combined some of the more radical aerodynamic shaping of their Boost Disc aero bike with the lightweight focus of their 799 which had never gotten disc brakes. The result is the new Leader claiming a medium (54.5cm) frame weight of just 859g.
Leader Tech Details
The new Leader’s oversized ribbed tubing profiles are constructed from a careful mix of high (T1000), mid (T800) & lower (M40J) modulus carbon fibers to balance handling stiffness & pedaling efficiency with vibration absorbing comfort. Olympia also say they are using a newer double rigid EPS & inflatable latex internal mold construction that results in perfectly smooth frame internals for a lighter frame with more consistent performance.
Even with disc brakes, Olympia still sees the Leader as a road race bike, including clearance for 28mm tires max. (Opt for a Handy if you need gravel clearance.) The frameset features a 1.125-1.5″ tapered full carbon steerer, 12mm thru-axles, and flat mount calipers.
Cabling is all routed internally, mechanical shift cables through a single port in the top of the downtube, or electronic wires and hydraulic disc brake lines fully internal through the stem into the headtube.
Leader Geometry
The new all-rounder adds two more sizes than the Boost Disc, offering a six size range (52.5-58.3cm sized by toptube length) to fit more riders. Geometry itself retains sharp road bike angles (74° seat & 72.5° headtubes), but the Leader gets a smaller 42mm fork rake, and is this said to have elongated trail for improved stability and to eliminate a shimmying effect when cornering at speed.
The new Leader is expected to be available soon (no official timeline) in a range of Shimano Di2 & mechanical builds, as well as with SRAM eTap. The first 54.5cm size production bikes are expected at the start of July. Final molds for the other sizes are still being completed, so the full range should be ready by September 2019 at the latest.
Complete bike pricing starts from 3500€ with Ultegra mechanical, 4615€ with Ultegra Di2, 5410€ with Dura-Ace mechanical, 4475€ with Force eTap AXS 2x, and 7085€ with a SRAM Red eTap AXS 2x 12-speed build. Each complete bike starts with Miche wheels, with upgrades to premium carbon wheels adding up to 1550€ more. The frameset comes in three colors – black/silver, black/red & black/blue. No pricing has been set yet, but we will update when we find out more.
