Colnago Y1Rs First Look and Analysis

Colnago combines the bar with a bayonet-style fork to appreciate an infinite 19% (claimed) low price in frontal space as in contrast with the V4Rs. This type of fork design furthermore permits Colnago to increase the headtube ahead, bettering the airflow all through the bike’s vanguard. The downtube’s kind variably hugs the doorway wheel and decisions some proprietary bottle cages that (fortunately) are designed spherical common spherical bottles.

The second half of the bike is the place factors get wild—and doubtlessly enter a grey space all through the UCI ideas. In response to Colnago, the unconventional seat tube, prime tube, and chainstay junction resulted from its “pursuit of higher aerodynamic effectivity in a essential space for airflow.” The Italian model took benefit of a UCI rule that claims the seatpost is probably positioned anyplace alongside the perfect tube. This rule is on web internet web page 24 of the UCI’s Clarification of Technical Authorized tips doc.

The Y1Rs takes benefit of the UCI’s wording on seatpost placement.

Primarily, the perfect tube of the Y1Rs begins on the headtube, bends the place the seatpost enters the physique, and ends on the seat preserve junction. It furthermore incorporates a extremely quick seat tube that primarily shields the rear wheel from the wind.

The place is the seat tube?

This design has the additional benefit of fully decoupling the seatpost from the inflexible growth of the remainder of the physique. This enables it to be positioned at a terribly slack angle creating added flex and supposedly a large enhance in rider consolation. Colnago dubs this manner “Defy”.

The UAE ADQ women’s crew will even race the Y1Rs

How the Y1Rs Examine to Fully completely different WorldTour Bikes

Colnago claims some spectacular and scary aero advantages (if it’s a ought to to race in opposition to Tadej Pogačar). At 31 mph (or 50 kph), the Y1Rs is 20 watts quicker than the V4Rs in a wonderful headwind. Throughout the event you take the usual saved over the V4Rs over a full yaw sweep of -15 ranges to +15 ranges, it’s 25 watts quicker. These numbers will certainly set off many groups consternation, given how dominant Pogačar was in 2024 collectively collectively together with his long-distance assaults.

If Colnago’s numbers are believed, it performs fairly correctly in opposition to completely completely different bikes all through the subject. At zero yaw angle, the Y1Rs is a single watt quicker than its most fascinating competitor, nonetheless the Colnago averages eight watts quicker on the entire sweep.

The Cervelo S5 was undoubtedly a benchmark for Colnago and UAE Workers Emirates all by enchancment of the Y1RS

Given the anonymity of the “most fascinating competitor” stand-in, we had been initially skeptical of those numbers. However after we pressed Davide Fumagalli, head of freeway bike enchancment at Colnago, on the specifics, he instructed us that that that they’d examined many various WorldTour race bikes, and the numbers for the “most fascinating competitor” had been a combination of taking among the many best bike at every yaw angle. So principally, Colnago created a fictional bike that examined quickest at each wind angle after which designed the Y1Rs to be quicker nonetheless.

Though what you see on the pores and pores and skin is hanging, we furthermore realized a wide range of fascinating particulars regarding the enchancment of this bike from Fumagalli.

Colnago constructed a full-size physique with 70 embedded stress sensors to look at if their CFD software program program program correlated with wind tunnel information.

➡️ Colnago carried out in depth testing to confirm a correlation between its CFD software program program program and wind tunnel information. CFD (computational fluid dynamics) is software program program program that may predict the real-world aerodynamic effectivity of a bicycle. Nonetheless when the CFD mannequin isn’t acceptable, the anticipated outcomes gained’t match the wind tunnel.

Colnago constructed a full-size bike and geared up it with 70 stress sensors. The bike was then run all through the wind tunnel and picked up heaps of knowledge. After crunching this information, the engineers used the outcomes to fine-tune the CFD mannequin of their software program program program.

Colnago claims its CFD mannequin is now twice as acceptable as the usual mannequin all through the software program program program utilized by completely completely different biking producers. This extra acceptable mannequin not solely aided the event of the Y1Rs nonetheless will even assist optimize the design of future Colnago bikes.

The Shimano Di2 drivetrain battery resides just below this hatch for fast modifications mid-race.

➡️ The downtube bottle cage meeting doubles because of the holder for the Di2 battery. With the flip of some screws, the battery is probably accessed and adjusted in two minutes. Fumagalli talked about that the mechanics of Colnago’s sponsored groups mandated the two-minute change so a battery would possibly in all probability be swapped on the roadside within the midst of a race.

➡️ The Y1Rs may presumably be even quicker with aero water bottles. Fumagalli talked about that Colnago even prototyped aero bottles for the Y1Rs—with distinctive shapes for every location—nonetheless UAE Workers Emirates vetoed that concept. The crew talked in regards to the aero bottles are additional sturdy to seize from a automotive, completely completely different riders, or from soigneur along with the freeway. Moreover, the crew talked about they wanted frequent bottles in case riders swap to the V4Rs within the midst of a stage.

Fumagalli furthermore talked about an interplay with one amongst many UAE riders who talked about that, notably on mountain phases, the riders have one bottle filled with water and the choice filled with drink combine and, relying on the place they’re all through the stage, they’ll they may swap the bottles spherical all through the cages. An motion the significantly designed seat and down tube bottles wouldn’t enable.

The Y1RS was primarily examined all through the wind tunnel with Enve’s SES 4.5 wheels, nonetheless Colnago says it’s quick with any wheel.

➡️ One completely different fascinating aero tidbit we realized from Fumagalli revolves spherical wheels and their place in physique design.

Inside the most recent earlier, some bike producers usually instructed us that the aerodynamics of a spinning wheel interacted with the physique a lot that they optimized their bikes’ aerodynamics spherical a particular wheelset (and generally developed wheelsets concurrently with frames).

When requested if the Y1RS was developed explicitly all through the Enve ENVE SES 4.5 favored by Tadaj Pogačar and UAE Workers Emirates, Fumagalli talked about that whereas quite a lot of the Y1Rs’ wind tunnel testing was carried out with the 4.5, the Y1Rs was not developed with this wheelset in concepts.

Fumagalli talked about it wasn’t essential to optimize the Y1Rs all through the 4.5, or any wheelset due to wide-set fork legs and stays don’t aerodynamically work collectively as a lot with a spinning wheel as narrower-set legs and stays. In consequence, wide-stance bikes similar to the Y1Rs are wheelset agnostic. They get quicker with quicker wheels and slower with slower wheels, nonetheless there’s no revenue to utilizing any particular wheel with the bike.

➡️ Unsurprisingly, the aero advantages come at a price contained in the form of weight. As in contrast with the V4Rs, the Y1Rs affords 242 grams (or 0.53 kilos). Attributable to this, on the very least for the foreseeable future, riders of UAE Workers Emirates and UAE Workers ADQ squads will nonetheless go for the V4Rs when weight is a priority.

As radical because of the Y1RS is, it makes use of an frequently BSA backside bracket to save lots of a lot of plenty of weight.

➡️ As futuristic because of the Y1Rs is, Colango employs the comparatively historic BSA backside bracket common. That is irrespective of Colnago debuting ThreadFit 82.5 (sometimes usually referred to as T45) in 2014, a prescient precursor to T47. Fumagalli outlined that because of extra weight of the Y1Rs’ aero design, that they’d been in quest of to save lots of a lot of grams wherever they may, and BSA is the lightest threaded BB common.

How Does the Y1Rs Journey?

Now we have now now nonetheless to swing a leg over the Y1Rs, so we won’t contact upon the mannequin new bike’s journey high quality or tempo on the freeway.

We haven’t obtained US buck pricing from Colnago on the mannequin new bike. Nonetheless, the least dear assemble decisions SRAM Pink AXS and Vison Metron wheels for €12,300 (approx. $13,000). A team-level assemble with Shimano Dura-Ace and Enve’s SES 4.5 wheels is €16,200 (approx. $17,100). And because it’s Colnago, a top-range mannequin with Campagnolo Nice Report Wi-fi and Bora Terribly WTO is obtainable for €16,500 (approx. $17,400).

The Y1RS doesn’t appear like completely completely different race bikes. Good.

The Y1Rs Is a Welcome Sight

The freeway race bike market has stagnated. Aside from logos, the bikes used for knowledgeable racing are almost indistinguishable from one another, and, in flip, the freeway bikes on retailer flooring are furthermore nearly indistinguishable clones.

And the bikes don’t merely look the same. In our testing, many WorldTour-level freeway race bikes carry out equally, with solely nuanced variations all through the sides. The bikes have geometry inside millimeters, comparable weight and stiffness figures, and vanishingly small aerodynamic variations.

That modified when Colnago dropped the Y1Rs. It looks as if no completely completely different bike all through the peloton and we’re overjoyed that it exists.

Primarily, this bike was made for riders competing in opposition to the world’s most fascinating, on the earth’s premier races—and who’re bodily able to going bananas-fast. And by bananas, we recommend six watts per kg FTP, 50 km/h on the flats, and 25km/h up the climbs.

Race bikes are daring as quickly as additional, because of Colnago.

The Y1Rs appears need it does (and why it’s so quick) due to modifications to the UCI devices authorized tips that acquired proper right here into have an effect on in 2023. With relaxed ideas, engineers is probably extra daring. This implies extra creativity and choice: Quicker bikes and extra fascinating bikes.

We depend on the Y1Rs to be the primary of many new, radical-looking aero bikes. And we furthermore depend on unique-looking bikes from fully completely completely different producers as they search to create the quickest bike doable all by the model new ideas.

However assuming the UCI doesn’t roll as soon as extra or implement new “interpretations” of its ideas, producers will, as quickly as additional, coalesce spherical comparable designs as they determine how one can extract most effectivity from the present ruleset. However that gained’t occur for some time. And, hopefully, the UCI will substitute its “methodology” extra shortly than remaining time so race bikes don’t stagnate as quickly as additional.

The Y1Rs is solely not fairly or swish—Colnago makes bikes similar to the Steelnovo and C68 for individuals who need conventionally engaging bikes. The Y1Rs looks as if an engineering mission due to it’s one. And Colnago made it considerably to assist its most fascinating racers pay money for their most potential.

Try Editor Dan Chabanov obtained his begin in biking as a New York Metropolis bike messenger nonetheless shortly discovered his methodology into freeway and cyclocross racing, competing in knowledgeable cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and worthwhile a Grasp’s Nationwide Championship title in 2018. Earlier to turning into a member of Bicycling in 2021, Dan labored as a part of the race group for the Pink Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, together with a contract author and photographer. 

A gear editor for his full profession, Matt’s journey to changing into a main biking tech journalist began in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; in all probability driving extra biking devices than anybody on the planet alongside the easiest way whereby. Earlier to his time with Bicycling, Matt labored in bike retailers as a service supervisor, mechanic, and product gross sales particular specific individual. Based mostly in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys driving and testing any and all types of bikes, so that you simply simply’re merely as additional extra prone to see him on a freeway bike sporting Lycra at a Tuesday night time time time worlds journey as you’re to go searching him sporting a full face helmet and pads driving a motorcycle park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race usually, nonetheless he’s sport for one factor; having entered freeway races, criteriums, trials competitions, twin slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, quick observe, time trials, and gran fondos. Subsequent up on his to-do tips: a multi day bikepacking journey, and an e-bike race.