Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc build

[BianchiVirgin]

Don't tell me you have Bianchi scissors as well?

 

[Racing roadkill]

I spoke to Bianchi UK again yesterday, they confirmed all is still on schedule for a mid June delivery I strip cleaned the Veturi this morning ready for a 50 mile ride down to the coast this afternoon but received a message from my friend at the lbs as I was getting ready to set out - Seems it's all a bit confused at Bianchi as my frameset arrived today 😊

Of course it didn't take me long to scrap the planned ride and jump in the car At the lbs I was confronted with this lovely looking box...

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I've just had time to unpack and inspect the contents, assembly will start shortly. So far I very much like what I see

The integrated bars were in the top of the box

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and then out popped the frame, along with a lot of fixtures and fittings

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Everything looks spot on so far, the paintwork is fabulous and I keep finding neat details in the design - the latest I've spotted is the funky through axles, where the lever folds away in to the axle

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Anyway, enough typing, I'm gonna go start bolting things to it It's so pretty

Be careful with those fold around levers on the thru axles, they aren’t very strong. Strong enough to get 8-10Nm, but don’t swing on them.

 

[JhnBssll]

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Don't tell me you have Bianchi scissors as well?

Of course, what discerning Bianchi owner doesnt have Bianchi scissors? I'd actually never noticed that before, brilliant

Be careful with those fold around levers on the thru axles, they aren’t very strong. Strong enough to get 8-10Nm, but don’t swing on them.

Good info, thanks! I imagine it would be a bit of a nuisance if one of the snazzy little folding levers fell off

I'm tired so I've called it quits for the night (morning) and will go again first thing tomorrow Theres not a lot left to do build wise, but the setup and tinkering at the end will take some time.

I got the final wires routed which meant I could fit the battery in the seatpost and connect it up

Which in turn meant I was done in the bb area, so could fit the bottom bracket...

And then the chainset and pedals - more orange 😄

I also finished off the hydraulics and have filled both brakes with fluid. They're functional but need a bleed, I'll let them settle over night and bleed them through tomorrow

I've also put the chain back on, but the mechs aren't yet adjusted. Once it's functional I'll tidy the bars up and fit the bar tape and think about a test ride 😄

If nothing else, it's nice to have a Bianchi back on my Bianchi hooks

 

[Gunk]

Crikey John, you don’t hang about!

That poor old Brompton is looking a bit abandoned, I hope you’re using it!

 

[Racing roadkill]

Very nice. Except for the heresy of using fishing reels.

 

[JhnBssll]

Crikey John, you don’t hang about!

That poor old Brompton is looking a bit abandoned, I hope you’re using it!

The Brompton is still getting some attention - just yesterday I fitted the front luggage bracket and am on the look out for something suitable to adapt as a basket I gave it another spin the other day and it's developed a creak from the bottom hinge, I think I'll look again at getting it replaced in the near future.

Very nice. Except for the heresy of using fishing reels.

I fully expect to take lots of flack about not fitting Campag within the owners club Truth be told I don't really like EPS, Shimano is functionally excellent and by keeping to the same brand as my other bikes I can quickly swap components out if I ever need to. That's worth far more to me than compliance with certain 'norms' I touched on it earlier, but the frame isn't even made in Italy so the necessity to fit 'Italian' parts to it seems a little daft

Right, I'm off out to the garage to bleed some brakes and wrap some bars I may even be tempted to spray more bits orange at some point

 

[JhnBssll]

I've just finished tinkering, now getting changed for a test ride I'm sure there'll be some niggles to sort so I'll probably make it a short one today, but if the ride is anywhere near as good as it looks I think I'm in for a treat Really pleased with how it's come together, and I'm loving the orange touches 😄

I spent a bit of time taking measurements from the Pilot, as I based that setup on the XR3 before it. It will be a good starting point, although I expect to have to make some tweaks due to the slightly lower and longer front end.

 

[avsd]

Looks fabulous - health to enjoy 👍

 

[DSK]

That was completed quickly! Enjoy the ride.

 

[tom73]

nice one
I'm not convinced about the bar tape though

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

nice one
I'm not convicted about the bar tape though

No. But someone should be.

 

[tom73]

Auto correct at it again sorted now

 

[Domus]

How does the head unit fit?

 

[tom73]

it's done with magic Bianchi dust

 

[Racing roadkill]

How does the head unit fit?

I’ve got a brilliant little bracket that attaches to the underside of the bars. However, you can’t fit the external battery adaptor, or the camera mount, because the underside is solid.