Originally a mid-level steel road race bike for the Italian company in the 1970s, Bianchi is bringing back the Sprint as a reasonably priced modern carbon road bike. The spirit of the new bike remains the same, providing a high-quality road bike suitable for cyclists just getting into road racing as much as for riders just looking to have fun on the bike – and now it comes with either rim or disc brakes.
Bianchi Sprint Disc carbon road race bike
Slotting into Bianchi’s road race line-up, the new Sprint is not as aero focused as the Oltre or the more slightly affordable Aria, nor is it a lightweight like the Specialissima (which also brought back a classic Bianchi name.)
Instead, the Sprint is something in between, a do-it-all road race bike that takes some lessons from Bianchi’s full aero bikes. The bike is meant to offer affordable performance, but appears to still be made in Italy like the higher-end Bianchis.
Geometry
The UCI-approved monocoque carbon frame does get race-ready geometry, with the essentially the same head angles and stack & reach figures as the top-tier Specialissima. That should make for a reactive bike ready for your local racing circuit, and of course the finish line Sprint.
Chainstays are a bit longer to make way for 28mm tire clearance on the rim brake version, and up to 32mm tires in the disc brake bike. That also works to add stability to the otherwise snappy front end, making for a bike that can still perform well in longer distance amateur events as well as gran fondos.
While Bianchi talks of “pared back aesthetics” on the Sprint which comes in either black or classic celeste, this could win the prize for the most number of times the brand name is written on the bike.
From tip to tail, the fork blades, toptube, downtube & chainstays all are covered with a low-contrast repetitive graphic of the Bianchi text logo for a subtle patterning. It isn’t offensive, but it is omnipresent.
Tech Details
The new Sprint gets a full carbon, tapered steerer fork within its aero profile front end.
The Sprint features full internal cable routing, compatible with mechanical & electronic groupsets, a pressfit BB86 bottom bracket, and a braze-on front derailleur.
A wedge-style clamp on the top of the toptube secures the round 27.2mm seatpost. The frame also gets carbon dropouts with metal contact plates.
The rim brake bike of course sticks with QRs, and the disc version gets flat mount calipers & 12mm thru-axles.
The disc brake bike comes in seven sizes (47-61cm), and will be offered with 105, Ultegra, or with the new Force eTap AXS 12-speed. The rim brake bike is available in eight sizes from 44-61cm, and in two complete builds with either Shimano 105 or Ultegra, starting from 2000€.
