Page Reader AI | Colnago V5Rs Launches Under the Weight of Expectations

Colnago V5Rs Launches Under the Weight of Expectations - Velo

The new Colnago V5Rs road bike offers subtle yet significant improvements over its predecessor, focusing on weight reduction, enhanced aerodynamics, and maintaining stiffness.

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Today Colnago is launching the brand new Colnago V5Rs and the brand is doing so under crushing expectations. Tadej Pogačar is widely considered the top cyclist in the world and it’s under Pogačar that the previous generation Colnago V4Rs attained the status it has enjoyed. Except that for many the discussion was as much about the negatives of that bike as it was about the positives.

Then the Colnago Y1Rs landed and the conversation changed. Right away Colnago had the most talked about bike in the pro peloton and the previous race bike was relegated to a second tier of consideration.

As the initial shock around the Y1Rs started to wear off, people started piling expectations on the as yet unreleased Colnago V5Rs. Surely it had to counter the advantages of the radical aero bike, right? Now the Colnago V5rRs is launching and we get to see what Colnago is thinking.

It’s a bit lighter

The biggest expectation for this bike was around weight. The Y1Rs targets aero performance at all costs which could mean an ultralight climber’s bike would be a perfect stable mate. This is not that bike.

The Colnago V5Rs is not a competitor to the Scott Addict RC but it is lighter than before. Colnago actually mentions the same Finite Element Analysis that Scott talked about extensively during the launch of that bike. In this case though, FEA is seen as part of an overall improvement in production technique.

The brand says that FEA helps it to make “progress in production technology and in the study of carbon lamination.” This in turn allows for improved “precision of the positioning of each layer to achieve an ambitious weight target while maintaining the stiffness properties.”

You could also simply say that Colnago was less obsessive in the pursuit of weight. There are other goals at play for the V5Rs and weight reduction is less important. Despite that, there’s a quoted 12.5% weight reduction for the frame and fork.

A ready to paint frame previously hit the scales at 798 grams for a size 485 while the V5Rs manages 685 grams. For the fork the change is 375 grams for the V4Rs and 342 grams for the V5Rs. Doing the math, total frame kit weight drops 146 grams from 1173 grams for the V4Rs to 1027 grams for the Colnago V5Rs.

Solid numbers certainly but not groundbreaking.

It’s a bit more aero

Modern bike design relies heavily on CFD modelling. It’s the only way to run the number of permutations that it takes to create a modern bike with the expected aero performance. By extension that means the CFD modelling requires precision.

Colnago made a big deal out of how the brand created a more accurate modelling system for the launch of the Y1Rs. At the time, the brand partnered with Politecnico di Milano (Polytechnic University of Milan) and Khalifa University (Abu Dhabi) and Colnago claims the final result is a CFD model that’s twice accurate. Down from 30% off to 15%.

Of course that model was about more than just one bike. It was an investment in the future and Colnago is putting that investment to work for the second time. In a similar design process as the Y1Rs, Colnago used that CFD model to find the best tube shapes possible then 3D printed the winners in a 1:1 scale for wind tunnel testing.

Colnago shares that the result is “the V5Rs features a slimmer head tube and new fork blade profiles that combine lightweight construction, stiffness, and improved aerodynamics. Additionally, the seat post and seat tube profiles are significantly thinner and deeper. The V5Rs frontal area is now 13% thinner than the V4Rs.”

Small note here, the seat post and seat tube profiles are shockingly narrow. So much so that the Di2 battery doesn’t fit but more than that it’s incredibly eye catching.

Looks aside, Colnago only shares some basic numbers about final results of this aero shaping. At 50 kph there’s a 9-watt drag reduction and the brand also claims that “the aerodynamic performance of the V5Rs is in line with many World Tour aero bikes.”

A clear improvement but if you want aero, choose the Y1Rs.

Stiffness of the Colnago V5Rs hasn’t changed

Colnago has a reputation for a certain amount of special sauce in the feel of the bikes. Although the V-series may not focus on that as much as the C-series, the brand clearly still considered that ride feel, in part a product of the frame stiffness, important. The V5Rs got lighter and more aero but Colnago claims the new bike matches the stiffness of the old bike. Colnago also claims that the brand was able to shift to a BSA bottom bracket given there was no impact on frame stiffness.

Small geometry changes and more tire clearance

The geometry changes are subtle but there are updates. The smallest sizes, 420-510, see an increased fork rake of 47 mm vs 43mm. There’s also a “slightly steeper head tube (HT) and seat tube (ST) angles for a more forward-oriented position.” As before there are options for a 0 or 15mm setback seat post though, as mentioned above, it’s thinner and a new design. Tire clearance also gets an update from 32mm max to 34mm max.

The role of the Colnago V5Rs

The updates for this bike are subtle but according to Colnago a built bike will meet the UCI weight limit with improved aerodynamics and unchanged stiffness. Colnago then goes further and claims “Bike selection is no longer just about elevation gain—it now factors in elements such as expected average speed, wind, weather conditions, and the rider’s role within the team.”

Is the brand matching your expectations?

Pricing and availability

The Colnago V5Rs is available for order via select dealers worldwide as of today. Pricing starts at €5,940 / $6,250 for the frame kit—including frame, fork, headset, handlebars, seatpost, and bottle cages—with an additional $900 for the CC.01 one-piece handlebar.

Other options available at launch include Dura-Ace Di2 with Enve SES 4.5 wheels for €15,900 / $16,500 or Ultegra Di2 with Vision SC45 wheels priced at €10,800 / $11,750. Both builds will include the CC.01 one-piece bar and stem.

Visit the Colnago website for more information.