Tadej Pogačar’s new Colnago V5Rs could prove that pure lightweight race bikes have had their day

Colnago has unveiled the V5Rs, Tadej Pogaçar and UAE Team Emirates’ new all-round race bike.

The bike represents evolution over revolution, featuring an aerodynamic makeover alongside weight savings, thanks to a refined carbon layup process. It’s the lightest frame Colnago has ever made, saving around 150g compared to the V4Rs.

Nevertheless, the V5Rs could see the end of one of the last ‘pure lightweight’ race bikes in the pro peloton, with Colnago claiming the V5Rs as being its second-most aerodynamic bike ever (after the Y1Rs).

It’s fair to say the V5Rs doesn’t rewrite the rulebook like its most high-profile rider, though – the geometry has been tweaked rather than overhauled and the clearance for 32mm-wide tyres is unchanged. 

One notable switch is to a BSA threaded bottom bracket from a T47, and some (if not total) free-of-charge flexibility in rider-fit components is welcome.

The Colnago V5Rs is available in seven specifications, with prices from €10,000 up to €15,400. US and UK model availability and prices vary, but the bike is available from today in all major territories.

• Read Ashley Quinlan's first-ride review of the new Colnago V5Rs

Revised carbon layup process delivers

“Our sponsored teams didn’t ask for anything specific for the V5Rs,” Colnago’s head of research and development, Davide Fumagalli, says. “Instead, they just asked for a bike that met the latest standards and trends.”

It may come as little surprise, then, that the V5Rs ticks the wide tyre clearance box (officially 32mm with 4mm space between tyre and frameset) and now features a BSA threaded bottom bracket.

Beyond this, Fumagalli’s team sought to develop the V4Rs by improving the old bike’s aerodynamics and weight, while retaining similar stiffness and compliance levels.

Central to this is a modified carbon layup process, in which polypropylene mandrills are inflated inside the laid-up carbon, which (once cured) produces fewer imperfections in the finished frame compared to using the brand’s previous foam-and-bag technique. 

Colnago says every tube on the new frameset is new, and is created in five pieces – the main triangle, plus two seatstays and chainstays – before being bonded together.

Alongside that, Fumagalli says carbon materials have continued to evolve, enabling the brand to shave unnecessary carbon from the frame, while optimising the mix. 

Where previously the V4Rs used a greater proportion of ‘high strength’ fibres than ‘high modulus’ fibres, this has been reversed for the V5Rs. Generally speaking, this makes the layup stiffer, according to Fumagalli, but meant the brand was able to tweak the tube profiles for aerodynamic gain (more on this to come) and weight loss.

This has seen the bottom bracket area shrink compared to the V4Rs, a contributing factor in the switch to the BSA standard.

A complete frameset ‘kit’ (which includes the derailleur hanger) weighs 1,027g – 146g less than the V4Rs in Colnago’s size 485, which is roughly equivalent to a size 52cm or small for many other brands.

Aero wins… again

When Colnago unveiled the Y1Rs aero bike, it effectively affirmed the generally held consensus that aerodynamics are the biggest influence on rider speed – whether you’re Tadej Pogačar or not. 

Perhaps expectedly, the V5Rs has seen a major aerodynamic overhaul, using the same CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model, 3D-printing prototyping and wind tunnel pressure mapping techniques developed for the Y1Rs.

This has yielded a narrower head tube with a downsized 1-1/8in upper bearing and thinner fork blades, plus a thinner and deeper profile for the seat tube and seatpost. This remains proprietary, but an evolution of the old D-shape seatpost.

The head tube’s lower bearing remains at 1-1/4in, retaining the use of CeramicSpeed’s SLT (Solid Lubrication Technology).

Colnago claims the frontal area of the bike has been reduced by 13% and that “the aerodynamic performance of the V5Rs is in line with many WorldTour aero bikes”. 

Exactly which bikes Colnago is referring to isn’t clear, just as when the brand claimed the Y1Rs was the most efficient bike in the pro peloton.

With a mannequin mounted to the V5Rs, the bike-rider system produces a WAD (wind averaged drag) of 490W at 50kph, according to Colnago (mannequin and bike sizes aren’t declared). This compares to 499W for the V4Rs, while the Y1Rs scored 474W in the same test.

A side benefit of the narrowed profile is said to be increased steering reactivity and control on descents, a desirable outcome given Pogačar’s tendency to attack over summits and carry on.

However, the V5Rs is now firmly considered an all-rounder race bike by Colnago, as opposed to the V4Rs’ less aero-optimised approach.

Sharpened handling?

Fumagalli says the V4Rs’ handling was one of its most popular features, but that the construction and aerodynamic changes to the frameset haven’t resulted in a loss of stiffness. 

Colnago refers to ‘Real Riding Stiffness’ when it describes frame rigidity, prioritising efficiency when sprinting and climbing seated – both significant strengths of its star rider.

The geometry has been tweaked, though, in an attempt to make the V5Rs “slightly more aggressive and efficient while better accommodating modern riding positions”.

This starts the introduction of a second fork for the smaller four sizes, with a 47mm rake, helping to keep the handling consistent for those framesets. The three larger frame sizes feature a fork with a 43mm rake.

The head tube and seat tube angles have also been steepened slightly, which promotes a more 'forward-oriented' position. It’s worth remembering that Pogačar is notable for this, while the bike is available with a standard 15mm-setback or inline seatpost.

Customers need to purchase the inline seatpost should they require one, but have a free choice of handlebar width (37, 39, 41 and 43cm measured from centre-to-centre) and crank lengths offered by the relevant groupset brand.

Colnago V5Rs specifications and prices

The bike is available in seven complete builds and as a frame kit, which includes the frame, fork, headset, CC.01 handlebar (in Europe and the UK only), seatpost and bottle cages. In the US, the CC.01 cockpit is a $900 add-on.

All bikes are available in Europe, with specific builds available in the US and UK.