Tadej Pogačar has turned in some pretty fantastic results with the latest Colnago V3Rs, among them the past two Excursions de France, but now he has a new V4R Prototipo street bike at his disposal, as effectively. The new race-all set prototype that the UAE team has at its disposal starting this weekend, shares numerous similarities with Colnago’s single all-rounder highway racing bike, but it does hint at enhanced aerodynamics on the exterior and all-new design within the carbon…
Colnago Prototipo prototype V4R road bike
c. Colnago
Whilst many companies establish independent climbers’ bikes and aero street bikes at the top of their line, Colnago concentrated on a single universal street bicycle for its pro racers – the present-day V3Rs. Revamped with disc brakes and subtly tweaked aerodynamics back again in 2019, it appears to be like there is a new version in the works…
Colnago is calling it the Prototipo, which is just prototype in Italian, but my funds is on it finally being dubbed the new V4R, a one all-rounder light-weight climber & aero highway bike, all-in-one.
The new bicycle is nonetheless in the prototype phase, with Colnago formally offering it to their UAE Staff Emirates riders to begin racing this weekend, as they verify the final carbon layup that will make up the creation bikes. In all likelihood even though, every thing on the outside the house will continue to be the identical, and it will probably get an formal announcement at the V4R this summertime, probably as early as the commence of the Tour de France which starts in just 3 months. What we do know is it has not nevertheless designed it on to the UCI’s authorized body listing however (interestingly Colnago hasn’t had a new body authorized because the present-day V3Rs.)
Colnago prototype progress
Colnago states the crew has now aided them refine individual aspects of the bike, and even its layup by sticking with each other pieces of the new V4R Prototipo into their tube-to-tube C68 carbon. Even even though the new V4R Prototipo will be a monocoque carbon production bicycle like its predecessors for the ideal harmony of light-weight & stiffness, the C-collection design authorized them to iterate and refine individual elements independently, on an accelerated enhancement routine.
c. UAE Staff Emirates
In actuality, the result is the UAE Crew will get 5 distinct carbon layups to check out in race circumstances, to pick which is the best harmony of stiffness, lightness, comfort and ease, and reactivity. Colnago’s head of R&D describes the distinctive feedback course of action like this, “To strengthen the overall performance of this body we applied a completely new system – that is to collaborate instantly with the UAE Team Emirates athletes, proposing to race with frames developed with various carbon laminations. The best aim is to attain the very best lamination for a frame that will have to be as flexible as possible, suited to the requires of sprinters, rouleurs and climbers alike, and to be at the best in the distinct phases of a race.”
“When laptop or computer and wind-tunnel assessments are vital, they have limits. It is difficult – if not unattainable – to replicate the race-particular predicaments, the irregularities of the course, the stresses of the terrain, the aerodynamic turbulence, the accelerations in the distinct moments of the levels of competition. At the degree of improvement we have arrived at, it is getting significantly complicated to accomplish advancements. In this way, by having benefit of the experience of these who trip their bicycles for quite a few hours a day, we truly feel we can make our racing bikes just take a further more and crucial step forward.”
What’s new? Tech aspects
From the layout point of view, the prototype Colnago Prototipo V4R appears to be like to mix inspiration from the two the latest V3Rs & C68 – introducing a a little thinner and more aero-integrated entrance conclusion to the lightweight race bicycle.
Specifically, the new Prototipo moves to a much more aerofoil and hourglass headtube profile, smoother integration from the headset into the toptube, and an up-to-date changeover from the fork crown into a reshaped aerofoil downtube.
The new fork appears to get a little thinner legs, while the crown still tapers near to the actual 25mm extensive 26c Pirelli tires on 19.4mm internal Campagnolo wheels. I’d anticipate a max tire clearance, no more than 30mm. At the dropout, this newer flat mount disc fork also gets the similar replaceable alloy via-axle insert of the new C68.
At the again of the new Colango prototype V4R, the boxy chainstays now taper into a greater, more scalloped dropout and recently aero-formed seatstays. The tiny rear wheel cutout and dropped placement of where by the seatstays strike the seattube continue to be, but this junction also receives a revised horizontal changeover to sleek airflow, just like the lower headtube.
The concealed wedge-fashion clamp for the proprietary aero seatpost carry above, as does completely inside cable routing.
That aero seatpost is the very same as the V3Rs, which just transpires to be why this prototype is in fact jogging an ultralight Darimo Carbon T2 seatpost instead of the conventional heavier OEM Colnago post.
A welcome enhance listed here is the more-long everyday living CeramicSpeed SLT headset bearing, which we have noticed to be a terrific plan with all cabling routed by the higher bearing. If your headset wants to be replaced on just one of these fashionable road bikes, each cable requirements to be pulled out, and brakes want to be re-bled, so a long-lasting grease-no cost headset is basically 1 significantly less thing to have to stress about the moment the bike is crafted up.
It’s considerably less very clear but Colnago and their spouse bicycle structure advisor Torgny Fjeldskaar both anxiety that the new bicycle can take advantage of a more substantial bottom bracket cluster to enhance stiffness for enhanced pedal electricity transfer into the drivetrain.
New Colnago Prototipo V4R road bike availability?
2023 Colnago V4R?
When this prototype Prototipo will switch into a commercially-out there Colnago V4R highway bike is still totally up in the air. It does look like the bike’s style and design is totally finalized, so the molds are most likely already finished and waiting in Taiwan to start generation. Assuming Colnago usually takes UAE responses into thing to consider this summer season, we’d guess that the earliest any of these new V4R road bikes could make it into client arms would be this coming autumn, possibly wintertime.
At least, there really should be a new V4R in Colnago stores for the get started of subsequent racing time.