Built to do many things, like launch, corner, climb and descend, the new Colnago V4Rs road bike is designed to do one thing: Win. And win it did, with 23 victories by 10 different riders on preproduction prototypes.
Designed with input from UAE Emirates pro riders like Tadej Pogačar and Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ), the new bike gets updated geometry, a more robust layup, refined aerodynamics, and a one-piece bar-stem in the frame module to give them (and us) a race winning bike that’s also easy to ride all day long. It’s also ever-so-slightly lighter…
The goal was to create a race bike that had the drag coefficient of an aero bike, to make the frame stiffer and stronger, and to do all that without adding any weight.
Up front, a new CC.01 handlebar-and-stem unit saves a bit of weight and improves aerodynamics by improving both its own integration and also the interface with the frame. A custom 3D-printed computer mount (available only for Wahoo BOLT V2 at launch) and smoother lines at the forks’ crown all helped reduce drag.
Cables now run internally, which required a larger upper headset bearing and thus wider head tube, and the new lighter fork bumps clearance up to 700x32mm tires. Despite all this, careful shaping and the CC.01 cockpit left the overall frontal area smaller than the V3R.
Inside the headtube is a CeramicSpeed solid-lube headset, which they say is possible because the improved system stiffness puts less stress on the bearings. And that word “system” is key, because the statically tested stiffness of the V4Rs headtube is actually 5-10% lower than the V3R depending on frame size.
Getting the right balance of stiffness and comfort came from their internal “Real Dynamic Stiffness” testing, which measured forces in two high-torque situations – sprinting and seated climbing. In these two, system stiffness is 4% and 5% stiffer, respectively.
This let them use a lighter fork and improve handling and comfort while still letting you efficiently put out big watts.
The frame itself gets slightly heavier, but the lighter fork and cockpit parts help the V4Rs’ complete frame module come in 47g lighter than the V3R module, which used a separate stem and handlebar.
Sizing has been updated, with stack and reach figures growing in a more linear fashion.
Available at launch only in a V4Rs Team Edition build with ENVE 3.4 wheels, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group with power meter, Prologo Scratch M5 Nack saddle, and Continental GP5000 tires for €15,260, with five colorways to choose from. Frame modules with bar/stem, seatpost and headset are €5,250.
