For the uninitiated, the easiest way to describe Colnago is as the Ferrari of bikes. High-end Italian craftsmanship, a storied racing history, eye-watering price tags, the works. While other bike brands twist the bicycle into new, unpleasant shapes in a bid to be the best, the Italian marque tends to deal in refinement – subtle improvements, marginal gains, the sort of engineering tweaks that only reveal themselves on closer inspection. The new V5Rs, its latest top-tier race bike, is a case in point.
What you're looking at is the lightest bike Colnago has ever made, and a thorough update to the V4Rs currently being raced by Tadej Pogaçar – arguably the greatest cyclist of all time – and UAE Team Emirates. But this isn’t just a numbers exercise. Yes, it’s 12.5% lighter, more aerodynamic, and stiffer in all the right places. But what stands out most – particularly if you’re not especially fluent in pro cycling – is how composed it looks.
The design has been pared back, tightened up. The head tube is slimmer, the fork blades narrower, the entire front end now 13% smaller in profile. Tube junctions are cleaner, more resolved. It looks quicker, sharper, more modern. Still unmistakably Colnago, but with a little less flourish and a little more intent.
Most of the development happened in wind tunnels and CAD models, with carbon layups adjusted down to the millimetre. But none of that matters much if the bike doesn’t also look right. And the V5Rs does – elegant, but not precious. Functional, but never dull.
You can have the frame on its own from €5,940 (or $6,250), or fully built with top-tier components for upwards of €16,000. It’s a serious bit of kit. But then, so is a tailored jacket. Doesn’t mean you have to race in it to appreciate the fit.
Next up: Another look at MAAP's GreenEDGE Cycling kit.
