Could Vacansoleil-DCM’s Bianchi Oltre XR, painted in the famous Celeste paint, be the best looking bike in the professional peloton? I’m thinking it is...
This is Sergey Lagutin’s bike. He’s a Uzbek professional road racing cyclist with the Vacansoleil-DCM team. The 32-year-old has some impressive achievements on his palmares including winning the World Under-23 Road Race Championships in 2003. Since then he’s spent the last five seasons with the Vacansoleil-DCM squad, and finished a creditable 15th in the Vuelta a España. Hilly classics are his speciality though, where he works hard for his team.

Vacansoleil-DCM are once again sponsored by Bianchi, and the Italian company have supplied their latest version of their range-topping Oltre XR - which we reviewed recently. You are going to need a very good eye indeed to spot the changes made to the new Oltre from the previous version, that's because they are all under the paint where there’s some substantial changes to the carbon layup. They’ve dropped some 30g off the frame weight (aggregation of marginal gains and all that) so a 55cm frame is now 900g.
Most pro bikes are really light these days, so Bianchi have focused on increasing the rigdity of the bike. You could argue it’s better to have a slightly heavier frame, and use the extra carbon to improve the bike's handling. Bianchi reckons it’s 20% stiffer than the previous bike.

The frame is a carbon monocoque construction and uses UMS40 and CN60 ultra high modulus carbon. They then mould strips of additional carbon into the headtube and bottom bracket to target extra stiffness It has all the hallmarks of a WorldTour race bike. A tapered head tube – 1 1/8in up top and 1 1/2in at the bottom, BB30 bottom bracket, huge profile tubes and a low weight, just 900g for a 55cm frame.
You can read our review of the Oltre XR here.

Vacansoleil-DCM's bikes are decked out with Campagnolo Super Record EPS 11-speed. Most of the Campagnolo sponsored teams are using EPS. But it’s not a Campagnolo clean sweep. There’s a KMC XL chain, FSA K-Force Light BB386 EVO Carbon 53/39 chainset and FSA SL-K brake calipers.

As for wheels, they’re from Dutch company Fast Forward and these are their F6R Carbon, a full carbon tubular rim with a 60mm deep section. With FFWD’s own hubs and Sapim CX-Ray spokes, they’re very light at just 1355g. Glued to the rims are Vredestein Fortezza Pro TriComp tyres.

Sergey is one of the few riders in the peloton to ride an integrated handlebar. FSA’s Plasma Integrated bar/stem is made entirely from carbon fibre, and he has the typical long stem that most pros favour, it’s 13cm with a considerable rise. Saddle on this bike is a Selle San Marco Regale and there’s Lizard Skins Celeste bar tape to complete the tidy package.
And of course, the frame is painted in the famous Celeste colourway. One of the nicest looking bikes in the peloton? I think so.
If you want to know more about all the current WorldTour 2013 pro bikes we've gathered together the whole pelton here.
That Ti Touring is lovely - thanks for the suggestion! It's a bit more than I was hoping to pay... but it's shiny, mmmm. Cheers!
Me too.
I don't understand what they mean by: “The price remains the same regardless of location, but it will not include a VAT element if you are not in...
Were you wearing hi viz body paint whilst cavorting naked amongst the sapplings?
I really miss him on radio 4 - I don't listen in to PM much anymore, don't even know of it's still going
Or get Joe onto Zwift, then all the work is done by a laptop, and I'm sure they have protocols for securing those easily. The Bluetooth and Ant...
I'd loose my s**t if Hope made their kit in an oil slick finish option. Chapeaux Mike for finding 300 words to review a lock ring
My new 4 seasons bike. It's so bright that people talk to me unapproached...in London! ...
The auto on/off is something I'd appreciate. I'd like to be able to just get my bike out of the shed, go ride, and then put it back at the end, all...
go for 60mm and sell the current ones to recoup some of the cost?