Colnago has launched the V4Rs, the final rendition of the Colnago Prototipo ridden by Tadej Pogačar through the 2022 season and, unsurprisingly, an evolution of the V3Rs.
The Colnago V3Rs, launched in 2019, is a proven race-winner, being the bike of choice for the UAE Team Emirates of Pogačar, who won the 2021 Tour de France aboard the bike.
Colnago says it set out to improve the V3Rs on all fronts, with a goal to refine aerodynamics, stiffness, weight, comfort and strength.
Colnago claims the V4Rs will save up to 27.7 watts from improved aerodynamics, while the frame is also – wait for it – 57g lighter.
The Italian brand says the frame is also stiffer both when sprinting and while seated thanks to the new Real Dynamic Stiffness (RDS) design.
Finally, before we get into the detail, the sizing geometry has evolved to offer a better fit for racing-focused riders, according to Colnago.
What you need to know about the new Colnago V4Rs
- Developed from the Colnago Prototipo
- 27.7 watts more efficient than the Tour-winning V3Rs
- 57g lighter than the V3Rs
- Improved ride quality and handling
- Revised geometry for a better fit across the sizes
- CeramicSpeed SLT headset
Frame development
Colnago says the V4Rs has been in development since October 2020, starting with feedback from UAE Team Emirates. By April 2021, Colnago says prototypes were being produced.
Colnago tells us the design of the V4Rs draws inspiration from the C68 that launched in April, with areas of co-development between the two, most notably on elements such as the finishing and painting processes to reduce weight.
The C68’s modular construction was also used in the V4Rs's development, because it allowed for faster prototyping and evaluation in the wind tunnel.
By October of 2021, Colnago had produced a small number of frames and submitted the design for approval by the UCI under the name Prototipo. That was the unbranded bike Pogačar started racing in the early part of the WorldTour season and, subsequently, at the Tour de France.
There, Pogačar was bidding for a third consecutive Tour de France title, but the Slovenian finished second behind Jumbo-Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard. However, since the Prototipo debuted, Colnago says it's been ridden to 23 victories under 10 different riders.
Frame details
The V4Rs has been designed as a fully integrated system and features the CC.01 integrated bar that debuted on the C68 (you can read our Colnago C68 review).
In fact, Colnago says the CC.01 bar was designed for the V4Rs and then made available for the earlier release of the C68, rather than the other way around.
Compared to the V3Rs cockpit, Colnago claims a 16 per cent drag reduction with the CC.01 integrated bar and stem. Colnago also claims aero-improvement has no detrimental effect on the stiffness of the bar, compared to a traditional round bar.
The bar also comes with a new 3D-printed out-front mount (coming soon) for the Wahoo Bolt V2 bike computer, that apparently saves 0.75 watts at 50kph. Every little helps, we suppose.
Elsewhere, in terms of aerodynamics, Colnago has paid attention to the frame’s frontal area, with a new head tube design.
The oversized top bearing allows for fully internal cable routing and smoothes out the profile to a more hourglass-style shape over the V3Rs’s fatter profile, Colnago says.
It also means the V4Rs can run a standard round steerer as opposed to the V3Rs’s D-shaped steerer. Colnago claim this improves the front-end stiffness and stability.
A new, lighter fork integrates into the front end and allows tyre clearances up to 32mm, as is common on many of the latest race bikes.
Aero testing
Colnago put the new V4Rs through aero testing with two different wheel setups and tested it against the rim brake version of the Colnago V3Rs.
The V4Rs also had the out-front mount in place and two bottle cages (with one bottle, because Colnago says this is the normal setup in the closing stages of a race) and a pedaling rider.
With the shallower rim depth, the V4Rs saved three per cent (or 13.2 watts) over the V3Rs and six per cent (27.7 watts) with a deeper aero wheelset.
Weight and balance
The V3Rs was already a lightweight bike, with an unpainted frame (size 50s) weighing in at 795g, with a 390g fork.
As a result, Colnago says it didn’t aim predominantly at weight reduction, but to rebalance the weight. The equivalent-sized V4Rs (size 485) frame weighs 3g heavier at 798g.
Savings have, however, been made with the fork (now a claimed 375g compared to 390g) and in the frame kit parts (CC0.1 bar and CeramicSpeed SLT headset), coming in at 1,173g compared to the V3’s 1,185g. A complete frame kit weighs in at 1,668g (frame, fork, bar/stem, headset).
Colnago says weight and stiffness together have a major effect on a bike's handling, but that it isn’t always about just seeking higher stiffness figures in the key areas of a frame (head tube and bottom bracket).
For the V4Rs, Colnago has actually reduced the heat tube stiffness by between five and ten per cent (dependent on size) and maintained the bottom bracket stiffness from the V3Rs. Colnago says these changes have led to a bike that's more solid and stable in its handling than the V3Rs.
“For sure, it's more stiff and more responsive,” says Pogačar (he is, in effect, a Colnago employee – ed). “When you stand up you feel a better response, better reacting. For sure this helps in the peloton in the fast races and when attacking and sprinting. This was for me the biggest change.”
Refined geometry
Based on feedback from Colnago’s professional riders, the geometry (especially reach and stack) has been revised to have a more balanced feel and performance across the sizes, compared to the V3Rs.
For the V4Rs, the relationship between seat tube length and reach is almost linear, which Colnago say makes for easier and more precise size selection.
Colnago has also kept the stack/reach ratio constant across the sizes and kept the chainstay length constant, too. This, Colnago claims, is to keep the racy feel and handling consistent from the smallest to the largest sizes.
Race proofing
The V4Rs also incorporates a newly shaped seatstay design that is said to be less exposed in the event of a crash. This comes alongside a new carbon structure claimed to be more resilient to impacts, and more flexible.
Up front, Colnago has chosen to run with CeramicSpeed’s SLT headset. This design uses tough, corrosion-proof stainless steel parts and a solid polymer in place of traditional bearings.
As a result, the design is lubrication-free and eliminates both of the usual headset killers: grease contamination through dirt ingress and corrosion because of water ingress.
Colnago V4Rs specs and pricing
Global pricing information hasn’t yet been made available. Euro pricing is as follows.
Colnago V4Rs Team Edition
- Price: €15,260
- Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 + power meter
- ENVE 3.4 wheelset
- CC0.1 Colnago cockpit
Campagnolo Super Record EPS and SRAM Red eTap AXS builds will follow.
Colnago V4Rs frame kit
- Price: €5,250
- Frame, fork, seatpost, headset, handlebar/stem
At €15,260 for a complete bike, the V4Rs is eye-wateringly expensive – even by the standards of today’s sky-rocketing prices, it’s one of the most expensive bikes we’ve featured on BikeRadar.
However, the frame kit pricing falls in line with other WorldTour-proven rivals. BMC’s SLR.01 comes in at €5,299, the Pinarello Dogma F is €5,600 and the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 is €5,200.
