Me and Joe (or should that be Joe und ich) were at Eurobike in Friedrichshafen, Germany last week. The world's biggest bike show, Eurobike kicks off with a demo day where trade and press are invited to get hands on and swing a leg over a flighty beauty that's way out of their league.
We arrive at demo day just as it's opening and already the place is buzzing. It's a bit like a fairground, but with energy gel instead of candyfloss, and the plastic bag I'm clutching contains not a forlorn goldfish but a pair of SPD pedals. With the likes of Colnago, Pinarello, Giant and Bianchi flaunting their wares among a host of equally pricy boutique brands, the only problem is deciding where to start.
We come to the Bianchi stand first, as good a place as any to begin. Two rails of gleaming celeste carbon greet us, an impressive rack. I pick out the highly rated Infinito CV and Joe opts for Bianchi's all-out race machine, the Oltre. The Italian mechanics eye us up and set to work fitting cranks and raising seat posts; it's only as we're rolling out that we realise we've both been given Infinitos. Oh well!
The Infinito CV is Bianchi's top of the line endurance frame, used by Team Belkin in cobbled Spring Classics like the Tour of Flanders, where the vibration-cancelling qualities of its Countervail technology (that's what the CV stands for) and the slightly higher head tube and upright geometry offer a marginally more forgiving ride across the pavé.
These qualities mean it's also an ideal sportive machine, at least in theory. So what's it like to ride?
The first thing we both noticed about the Infinito is its weight - or lack thereof. I didn't bring my travel scales, but an impromptu 'heft test' suggests that the Infinito barely bothers gravity; well under 7kg would be my guess. The high-spec build certainly helps, Campagnolo Super Record shifters and mechs allied with FSA SL-K crankset and finishing kit. Rolling stock is Fulcrum's Racing Speed SLR wheelset - these wheels alone carry a price tag on the wrong side of £2k, so it's fair to say we're testing a high-end build.
Out on the test track, which is a 5 mile course into the countryside around the exhibition hall, with a small hill loop halfway, the Infinito is a fast and comfortable ride. Yet it's not, somehow, an experience to set pulses racing. The position is a touch upright for my liking, and while the bike is ridiculously responsive and light underfoot it all feels a little sedate despite the bike's proven racing credentials.
In fairness, of course, this may be attributed to the set up of the test bike. I'd want to lose the spacers beneath the stem, and I generally ride with slightly narrower bars (40, rather than the fitted 42) for a more tucked in position. The combination of wider, skinny (rather than oversize) bars and the bike's lack of mass gave me the strange impression of wrestling a frisky caribou by the antlers. That's not a criticism, the Infinito is a compliant creature - but like any new bike, it might take a little getting used to.
Elsewhere, the Campag kit ran perfectly, clicking up and down through the gears without a hitch as you would expect, and braking (courtesy of FSA) was also good despite the damp conditions. In terms of looks, although I am generally a fan of Bianchi, I'm not blown away by the aesthetics of the Infinito's long head tube and the raised ridge to the front end of the top tube. These things are subjective, others may love it.
As I mentioned there is a small hill on the demo course, and here the Infinito's light weight came into play. The bike scampered eagerly up the ascent without a pause. Downhill on wet roads it tracked nicely through the bends. It must be said that the smooth German roads didn't offer a chance to test of the Infinito's vaunted Countervail technology; I did find a cobbled driveway, but it was more molehill than Molenberg.
We took a slight wrong turn en route back to the exhibition and as a result spent more time on the Bianchi Infinito than any of the other bikes we tested. No bad thing: the Infinito certainly feels like the sort of bike you could happily spend all day on. Having tested the Infinito I'd be interested to have a spin on the Bianchi Oltre and see how the two compare. In the meantime, the Infinito is definitely one to add to your shortlist.
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