This wildly formed Colnago Y1Rs aero highway bike seems like a seismic shift for one of the well-known Italian bike corporations on the planet. Whereas most huge bike gamers have constructed full aero highway bikes for years, Colnago had been one thing of a traditionalist holdout – sticking with refined aero tweaks to their mild all-road race bike, or solely going fully aero for time trials. And due to the dominant driving of Tadej Pogačar, they nonetheless managed to win heaps of races and grand excursions.
However the state of affairs has modified. And now Pogi has a way more aero bike to tackle these flatter, sooner days of motorbike racing…
All-new Colnago Y1Rs correct aero highway race bike
The brand new aerodynamic bike is a significant technological shift for Colnago, apparently on the identical time they’re modernizing metal highway bike manufacturing and honoring their classics, too. With the all-new Y1Rs aero highway bike, Colnago has created a brand new aerodynamic benchmark for themselves for top-tier racing. And it’s been a surprisingly long-time-coming, with a number of Tour de France wins lately. However perhaps this wild all-new design explains a bit extra why it took so lengthy.
“Developed in shut collaboration with Politecnico di Milano and Khalifa College, the Y1Rs represents a leap ahead in design and expertise, providing riders a motorbike constructed to satisfy the very best calls for of velocity and precision.“
Why did they wait so lengthy to go absolutely aerodynamic?
It appears with the earlier UCI regulation on tube shapes, Colnago figured they may get essentially the most all-around profit out of simply evolving their V4Rs platform to stability light-weight and aerodynamics. However as soon as the UCI ditched that 3:1 regulation, it was time to fully rethink how aero Colnago may go along with this extra versatile framework.
Limitations in CFD accuracy and reliability led Colnago to develop a greater simulation mannequin. So, this new aero highway bikes was developed extra within the wind tunnel than simply CFD to make sure extra reasonable outcomes. What they did was begin in CFD then rapidly transfer to 3d printed parts layered over a modular platform that they may take into the wind tunnel.
Then, including tons of tiny strain sensors in small holes drilled into the mock-up, Colnago measured the actual airflow over the prototypes to gather extra correct information. And with that, they refined their CFD course of making a wind mannequin they are saying was twice as correct as anything used within the bike trade.
“A motorcycle that’s, based on our research, essentially the most aerodynamic UCI-compliant highway bike within the World Tour“
What’s new?
All of that led to an revolutionary new design that mashes up time trial-inspired aerodynamics to create a lightweight and manageable aero highway bike for on a regular basis racing. As they describe it, “A motorcycle that’s, based on our research, essentially the most aerodynamic UCI-compliant highway bike within the World Tour“.
- Bayonet fork with exterior steerer in entrance of the headtube
- DEFY seat cluster, decoupling the seatpost & seat tube
- WYND gull wing handlebar cockpit
- curved/kinked downtube to hug the entrance wheel
- built-in aero bottle cages
- body geometry?
Bayonet fork
The Bayonet fork design is just the results of with the ability to prolong the slender aero part of the headtube with out working afoul of the UCI’s guidelines – impressed by the Colnago TT1. Longer narrower airfoils simply have decrease drag. The double steerer (1 inside & 1 outdoors the headtube) permits for elevated stiffness, even with smaller headset bearings.
DEFY seat cluster
The Defy seat cluster is a 2-fold answer. First, with out the conventionally-vertical tube form, the 2 angled sections of seat tube get successfully deeper relative to the motion of air, whereas nonetheless becoming into the UCI tube form limitations. Secondly, Colnago says that aero bikes are typically too stiff, so decoupling the straight line from saddle to backside bracket introduces vertical compliance for improved rider consolation, particularly with the now slacker angle of the brief submit. As soon as the proprietary seatpost is reduce, the rider nonetheless has 1.5cm of peak adjustment.
WYND bar
The Wynd bar is actually the identical answer simply rotated horizontally, with upturned wings mentioned to deflect air away from the turbulence across the centerline of the bike. But, whereas Defy goals for flex, Wynd is claimed to be the stiffest handlebar setup that Colnago has examined.
Aero downtube & cages
The all-new downtube form manages to intently comply with the entrance wheel within the higher half of the tube. Then, it will get a kink simply on the finish of the wheel’s curve to tuck the primary water bottle neatly into the body. Colnago explains that their CFD evaluation confirmed aero profit to having the entrance wheel tucked near the body or set additional aside, relying on every portion of the spinning wheel. So their answer does each in what they describe as, “the ultimate phrase on the optimum downtube configuration inside the limits of present UCI laws.“
In the long run, the entire Colnago evaluation confirmed that standard water bottles usually are not very aerodynamic, however they’re such a easy & efficient answer. However, by tucking aero cages instantly into the downtube like this (which we’ve additionally seen from BMC), they acquired aero good points with real-world practicality.
So, how briskly is a Colnago Y1Rs aero highway bike?
Finally, the refined aero answer resulted in a 19% diminished frontal space in comparison with the V4Rs. That alone was certain to make it sooner. However then, testing the entire bike face to face with its “greatest” aero highway bike competitor, Colnago says the brand new Y1RS “outperformed it in any wind situations“.
The weighted common drag good points are fairly huge based on Colnago information. The Y1Rs saves only a single watt straight into the wind, however 8W much less in comparison with its greatest aero competitor. And a 25W financial savings vs. the all-rounder V4Rs, additional quantifying the rationale for lastly getting round to constructing a correct full aero highway race bike.
Geometry
The brand new MY25 Colnago Y1Rs is available in 5 inventory sizes (XS-XL) identical to the V4Rs. However the brand new bike’s geometry has been refined, working with each the professional males of UAE Emirates and professional girls of UAE ADQ to enhance high-speed dealing with and management for flat and rolling racing.
This all-new aero highway bike encompasses a a lot steeper headtube angle at 73-73.5° for the bigger bikes, and marginally steeper for smaller sizes which are extra restricted by toe overlap. Plus, a steeper efficient seat angle and longer body attain to place the rider additional ahead of their aero tuck.
Every body measurement additionally will get its personal fork, personalized to verify Path is constant for predictable dealing with in all sizes.
Tech particulars
Colnago assures that the Y1Rs continues to be a light-weight race bike. The uncooked unpainted Y1RS body weighs 965g, plus 450g for the fork. On the identical time, it equals the V4RS in stiffness, truly inching up 3.5% stiffer when out of the saddle sprinting.
- UCI accredited
- full carbon Y1Rs body & bayonet fork
- built-in absolutely inner cable routing
- straight 1 3/8″ carbon steerer tube with CeramicSpeed SLT headset bearings
- digital shift, disc brake solely
- proprietary aero cut-to-fit seatpost with 0 or 15mm offset
- wedge-style seatpost clamp
- 12mm thru-axles & flat mount brakes 160mm entrance/140mm rear
- threaded BSA backside bracket
- 32mm max tire clearance
- 7.51kg race weight, full measurement M bike with pedals in UAE Staff Emirates professional group construct
2025 Colnago Y1Rs – Pricing, choices & availability
This slippery all-new Colnago Y1Rs is obtainable out of your native vendor now as a body package from $6750 / 6710€ if you happen to really feel like that you must fully customise your personal distinctive aero highway race bike construct. That features the all-new body, fork, headset, forward-swept handlebars, seatpost, and built-in bottle cages.
Or you possibly can choose from 1 of 5 premium full bike builds, all with top-tier groupsets solely. Essentially the most ‘inexpensive’ full choice encompasses a SRAM Pink AXS group & carbon Imaginative and prescient 45 wheels beginning at 12,300€, or a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 construct with the identical wheels for 13,200€. Shimano C50 or ENVE SES 4.5 wheels (at a claimed 7.2kg full) add 1800€ or 3000€, respectively.
Or choose for a whole Campagnolo Tremendous Document Wi-fi gruppo like Pogačar had been racing on with Bora Extremely WTO wheels for a princely 16,500€ sum. (Though, UAE Staff Emirates & UAE Staff ADQ each change to Shimano in 2025!)
There are even three paint jobs obtainable for that full professional look – UAE Staff Emirates’ black & white reproduction, the UAE Staff ADQ girls’s glittery white reproduction, or a Pogi World Champ Rainbow version to take it excessive.
